Autocad's high pricing debate.

[cupax]

Hello.

I would like to open a debate about Autocad or all other Autodesk's pricing politics.

Of course I'm aware that they are a private firm and the market decides the final price, but being a (non official) industry standard it is hard to avoid their software if you want to be taken seriously.

Personally I think their software is way way too expensive. While a huge architectural or engineering firms can afford this because of well paid big projects, small firms are completely lost. No matter what size of projects you need, you still use 95% of the software functionality.

We are a micro firm of 3 architects and in Europe a full Autocad costs 5250 Euros - that is 5668 USD. A price we can't afford so we are forced to use "fake Autocad" - Brycscad, but its functionality is way behind the original and Autocad LT would not satisfy our needs for 3D modelling. I know many others who decided to go with pirated software for the same reason.

I also think that software developement doesn't need to be as fast as it is now. Us, and probbaly 95% of other users would still be perfectly happy with the functionality of Autocad 2010. I would much more like Autocad to be way cheaper and would easily agree for updates over 3 or even 5 years.

Personally I would find it acceptable to pay not more than 1000 USD for a full Autocad program, and maybe a 100-200 Usd for the subscription.

What are your thoughts?

Dave

[Anonymous]

Yes, we have done that as we are testing 1 seat in the office.
edv@aLiNKarch.ca

[christiandeshaies]

I am a landscape architect fro California. Autocad was overly expensive at $300 per year now, they jumped to $420.... another tech greedy company. Working with other landscape architect, we are switching to another software. Yeah, after all those years of Autodesk dominating the market and charging whatever they want.... I would like to tell their CEO et other big wig in that company, F... Y..   f

[RobDraw]

Thanks for that childish remark. We'll see you when you're back.

[radial2894]

It's not the price that is the issue; the issue is the predatory SaaS model. My father had a perpetual license that was forcibly switched to a subscription, similar to what Adobe does with Photoshop. I can't just pay for a license for the 2024 version, for instance, and upgrade when I feel AutoCAD's new version has something that will improve my workflow. That's why most companies here in Greece use pirated versions of AutoCAD. Piracy is a huge security threat! But Autodesk refuses to acknowledge that piracy is largely an economic issue. Look at what Steam is doing: they adjust the price depending on the income of a country. $5,000 for someone working in the US is pennies compared to someone working in Greece. I just graduated, and I'm sorry, but I can't afford to spend a whole year's income on AutoCAD.

[pendean]

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@radial2894 wrote:

It's not the price that is the issue...I can't just pay for a license for the 2024 version... just graduated, and I'm sorry, but I can't afford to spend a whole year's income on AutoCAD....

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Professional life is full of hard choices. Use what you can afford instead, at the end of the day, your customer doesn't truly think about it, they just want the results (aka their project):

https://all3dp.com/2/best-autocad-alternatives/

https://beebom.com/free-cad-software/

https://www.google.com/search?q=alternates+to+autocad

[radial2894]

I understand your point of view. I don't mind paying for tools, but I just don't like SaaS. I'm willing to pay $10,000 or $20,000 for an AutoCAD perpetual license; I don't mind. I see it as an investment, but don't shove a subscription down my throat! I'm using BricsCAD as well, with libraries I have purchased that also work on AutoCAD.

[Simon_Weel]

SaaS is everywhere. In the end, all companies will offer their stuf as XaaS - whether it be software, car's or television. This will only change if we, the users, en-mass stop using such products. But that won't be anytime soon....

[RobRocks]

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@radial2894 wrote:

My father had a perpetual license that was forcibly switched to a subscription

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That's not true. It may seem that he was forced but there was a choice if he had been aware of what was happening. A lot of people got caught off guard and THINK they were forced into subscription. There are people out there still using their perpetual licenses. They've kept their old machines with old OSs running so that their license does not become obsolete by new tech.

[fritzkowski]

I think it is very expensive for the amount of things you can't do or which are overly complicated. The software is old, there is a lot of stuff in there that could be cleaned out and made more efficcient. Sometimes I wish the developers would just look over to Inventor or other applications and learn how to streamline things and be more user friendly. The pro part of being an AutoCad user seems to be knowing all the bugs and "specialities" the software has. Maybe they should scrap it an develop a new one from scratch. Also the 3D part could be removed and made into a separate app or add on for the people who actually need it.

[cadffm]

 "Maybe they should scrap it an develop a new one from scratch"

That's the point (or one of two).

1. You need to kill existing, what is a real cut after 40years of dxf/dwg,

    and the knowledge of million users.

    Same for a mass of Application and OEM products.

    How many of them (who knows the bugs and specialitues) 

would like such kind of change, I don't know it - and think about point2)

2. More you set up a workflow more fluent, you have to cut off possibilies!

    And one or the most benefit of this kind of general CAD systems are (and think about, ALL kind of such systems are the same, all general CAD System for dxf/dwg)

 is: You can create "all" results. Not by the coolest way, but it is possible. All with one tool.

  And because of this, it is the perfect base for specialiced Applications.

-

 Out there, you will find other Software(file formats) who did such hard change in the past.

I will wait for Autodesks cut or a .dxf/.dwg variant from ODA.