BricsCAD Licensing Types Explained
Quick answer: BricsCAD offers two licensing types. A perpetual licence is a one-time purchase that you own indefinitely; keeping it updated requires either BricsCAD Maintenance or ad-hoc upgrade purchases. A subscription licence is a recurring annual fee that includes every new version and Priority Support automatically for as long as it’s active. Choose perpetual if you’d rather own the software outright and update on your own schedule; choose subscription if you want a lower entry cost and always want the latest version without thinking about it.
Perpetual vs Subscription at a Glance
| Perpetual Licence | Subscription Licence | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost structure | Higher one-time payment | Lower recurring annual fee |
| Ownership | You own the software indefinitely | Access lasts as long as the subscription is active |
| Version updates | Included for year one; after that, needs Maintenance renewal or an ad-hoc upgrade purchase | Included automatically for the whole subscription period |
| Support | Included with an active Maintenance plan | Priority Support included throughout |
| If you stop paying | Software keeps working on your current version, just without new updates or support | Licence lapses; BricsCAD needs to be renewed to keep working |
Perpetual Licence
What it is: A one-time purchase. You own the software outright, and it runs on Windows, macOS, or Linux.
A new perpetual licence includes one year of BricsCAD Maintenance free. After that first year, you have two options for staying current:
- Renew Maintenance for automatic access to new versions plus expert support.
- Skip Maintenance and purchase version upgrades individually, at your own discretion, whenever you choose to.
Either way, the software you already own keeps working. Declining to renew Maintenance doesn’t disable BricsCAD; it just means you’re on your own for upgrades and support until you renew or buy an upgrade separately.
Subscription Licence
What it is: A recurring annual fee that gives you access to the latest version of BricsCAD for one year, with Maintenance (Priority Support plus every new version released during that year) included automatically.
Unlike a perpetual licence, a subscription is time-limited. If it lapses without renewal, BricsCAD stops accepting the licence until it’s renewed, since the whole model is built around continuous access rather than one-time ownership. This is the main practical trade-off against perpetual: lower cost and less to manage, in exchange for the software depending on the subscription staying active.
What You Get With BricsCAD Maintenance
Whether you’re on a perpetual licence with Maintenance or a subscription (which always includes it), Maintenance is what unlocks major version upgrades, expert product support, and input into the product roadmap; everyone keeps Help Centre access, forum access, and minor bug-fix releases regardless.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if I don’t renew BricsCAD Maintenance on a perpetual licence? Your software keeps running on the version you have. You’ll still get Help Centre and forum access plus minor bug-fix releases, but you’ll lose access to major version upgrades and expert support until you renew or buy an upgrade separately.
What happens if my subscription licence expires? It stops working until renewed. A subscription is built around continuous access, so unlike a perpetual licence, there’s no fallback mode that keeps running once the period ends.
Is Maintenance included with a subscription licence? Yes, always, for as long as the subscription is active. With a perpetual licence, only the first year is included; after that it needs renewing separately.