CorelDRAW - Version Upgrades Going Bye Bye, Subscription-Only Soon

[Bobby H]

X5 is missing some features that are deal breakers for me. Lack of full OpenType support is a major shortcoming. For years I had been hopping over to Adobe Illustrator for OTF-centric type features to use in designs. Full OTF support in X6 was very long overdue. Transparency effects among other fill effects are also big problems with X5 and earlier. Really CDR has only strarted getting good in that area at version X8.

 

[Jim Hill]

Well, contrary to past publicity statements from the folks at Corel, it's looking like the company is attempting to strong-arm users into a subscription-only model. I say it's "looking like" because some of the statements on the Corel web site and purchase options are a little confusing. One thing that isn't confusing: it's pretty clear they want all users shifted over to paying at least $198 per year to use the software as a service.

Previously a CorelDRAW user could stick with the existing version he had, wait out a couple version cycles until the improvements added up into enough of an upgrade worth purchasing, and do so for a standard upgrade price. I've skipped several product cycle versions over the years. Most recently I went from version X6 to X8 and then X8 to CDR 2018. I didn't bother with X7 or CDR 2017.

Those days are apparently coming to an end "later this year."

If you visit Corel's web site and check out the product page for CorelDRAW 2019 you'll see a little tab for "purchase options." On that sub-page it contains the verbiage, "Later this year, upgrades (download and box products) will no longer be available. Add Upgrade Protection to your purchase to get future versions at a fraction of the cost or choose a subscription, to always stay current. To purchase Upgrade Protection, simply add it in-cart when you buy CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 2019."

This "upgrade protection" option costs $99 per year. I don't understand what that "protection" provides or the specific dollar amount "fraction of the cost" implies. To me it smells like they want a $99 revolving fee from users to let them have the opportunity to buy a new version of CorelDRAW (probably for at least another $99 on top of the $99 you're already paying) when the new version is released. In effect, the user is signing up for a subscription plan even though he has perpetual license software.

Anyone who wants to continue skipping product versions due to minimal improvements will have to pay the full version price (currently $499) when finally upgrading to a new perpetual license version. It's either that start paying a revolving fee: $99 per year just to have the opportunity to buy an upgrade or $16.50 per month (billed $198 annually) for the subscription version.

It's possible for users to choose staying with an old version of CorelDRAW permanently. But as we've seen, both Microsoft and Apple can make changes to their desktop operation systems that break older, legacy software (and hardware too). At some point the user is forced to upgrade software. That often happens when buying a new computer.

I really have to question the logic behind this policy change to upgrades for perpetual license owners. Corel isn't in the same league as Adobe. They don't have the same kind of leverage over its users as Adobe does. If they think they do it's a delusion of grandeur. Corel may be based in Ottawa, Canada. But the company is effectively owned by Vector Capital, a private equity firm who loaded up Corel with a huge amount of debt to fund acquisitions of other software technology products. I don't have the best opinion of "vulture capital" firms. My mother has worked at a Sears store in Colorado for over 20 years, so I've watched what one of these firms did to put Sears into a death spiral. This change of policy sounds like something stock trader "suits" would dream up rather than people who are keenly familiar with the graphics software market.

Bobby H:

I agree with you about Vulture Capital firms and how they operate.
I read a book called "The Buyout of America" and how Private Equity is destroying jobs and killing the American Economy by Josh Kosman.

It really explains exactly how they operate and it even explains their model for buying companies and then saddling them with debt and high management fees!
Once they get their hands on a company many times it leads to bankruptcy.

Jim

 

[decalman]

Nice thing about X5 is that it was also the last one that didn't require online activation. Bad thing is that it's still 32bit.

I still use Windows 7 pro
No need for my two work laptops to go online . I download everything on my unlimited data straight talk android . I just hook up a wire, and load it in.

I'm poor.

 

[WildWestDesigns]

I still use Windows 7 pro
No need for my two work laptops to go online . I download everything on my unlimited data straight talk android . I just hook up a wire, and load it in.

I'm poor.

What'll probably getcha, is when you have to go get a new computer. I had a grand ole time trying to install x5 on Win 8.1, I would imagine that it's the same issue (or more) with Win 10.

So either have to keep buying used machines with Win 7 (and hope that they lost long enough to satisfy ROI on the purchase) or VM Win 7 (hopefully you have an install disk (at this point, I would make an ISO of the install disk if you have one).

It's a shame about Win 10. If it wasn't for the forced updates (which could very well induce updates of other types as well), it wouldn't be too terrible of an OS. Hell, I have KDE's taskbar looking like Win 10. Start menu is more traditional though. To me it's updates and telemetry (some from a security standpoint, some from the drain that happens on the computer's resources when it builds and deploys that telemetry. It's noticeable).

 

[brycesteiner]

Affinity Designer doesn't cost nearly as much as a full version of CorelDRAW. It's literally one tenth the price ($49.99). Autodesk Graphic for OSX is $29.99 and $8.99 for the iPad Pro. While these applications might be promising for future projects there's still the issue of maintaining existing art files and handling art files from other customers. We have a giant pile of Corel-based artwork which requires some CorelDRAW installations. Customer provided artwork is often very Adobe-centric. Combine that with issues of large format printing and that makes Adobe's software a must-have item for us.

This thread is a little dated but still good.
I can't recommend enough Affinity. We are using it more and more as it has much more power than Adobe does for the service bureau side of the work. Many files are created with Indesign but it has problems with the fonts changing to outlines that Affinity doesn't. Drop shadows can also be a problem in ID as it doesn't seem to assign profiles to the transparencies the same as it does vectors. Designer also much smoother and so much faster. The big downside with it is it doesn't link graphics but embeds faster files so sometimes they can get large. A smaller downside is it does not have a autotrace function like Illustrator, but it's supposed to in the next update (and there are plenty of online and standalone apps that do just as well). It also does not have the ability to data merge (Publisher will though when it's released), and the tabs are not as good as Indesign. I guess I'm comparing it to two programs at once.

The nice thing about Desginer is it has masking built in that you would otherwise need Photoship for. Vector and pixel drawing are all excellent. If you come from Indesign the color palettes are confusing but as you learn you'll realize how much more powerful it is than Adobe.
It's also nice that the iPad version is just as powerful - not a cut rate app at all. It also has no problem opening AI files for those that need that compatibility.
Affinity's PDF interpreter is also second to none and opens them like native editable files. It also can build color palettes on it's own from photographs - great for color impaired people!

I'll still pay the Adobe tax. I don't have a choice until something can open INDD files (though I have everything backed up as PDF, so it might be possible if had to go 100%) and a program can replace Acrobat - right now there is nothing that comes close to replacing Acrobat with Quite plugins for imposition (that I know of). In the meantime Affinity is a fantastic app on Mac, Windows and iPad and I'll gladly pay Affinity for the modern app as it grows.

 

[Jim Hill]

Not sure I under stand what Corel is doing for 2019

Can I still use my X-8 version on windows 10 or do I have to spend another $199.00 dollars just to be able to use what I already have.

Jim

 

[unclebun]

You'll still be able to use it as long as you want, but there will no longer be the option to buy another upgrade version in, say 2-3 years. They are basically going to the subscription model, which will be $199 a year. However, since you already own it, for a short time longer you can upgrade to 2019 for $199 and subscribe to all future upgrades for $99 a year.

 

[WildWestDesigns]

YThey are basically going to the subscription model, which will be $199 a year.

I just find it ironic that the same company that campaigned for disgruntled Adobe users during the great migration to only SaaS for CC is also going that way. I'm not surprised by it, but I do find it ironic.

 

[brycesteiner]

There are a couple different ways to do this. Are they charging the $199 per year for the upgrades but if you decide to not renew you can still use the version you last paid for? Or are they doing the Adobe way and hold your files hostage if you don't pay current subscriptions?

 

[Bobby H]

Can I still use my X-8 version on windows 10 or do I have to spend another $199.00 dollars just to be able to use what I already have.

CorelDRAW X8 will work under Windows 10. I run it on my personal notebook at home using Win 10 Pro. On my desktop computer at work I have CorelDRAW 2018 and CDR X8 installed (again runing Win 10 Pro).

I don't mind at all Corel starting up a subscription based setup for people who don't want to pay nearly $500 up front to buy a full version of their software. From that perspective a $16.50 per month "rental" fee seems fairly cheap. And you can write it off the tax return as an operational cost, which is easier than doing depreciation nonsense.

But this notion of making people who bought full versions and upgrades of that software get on the hook to pay at least $99 per year to keep the license alive is like highway robbery. You have to pay nearly $300 up front to get the setup going and then $99 forever each year after that.

Corel is doing these yearly "upgrades" now on CorelDRAW, just to seem like they're staying relevant with Adobe and the year-centric naming of its CC applications. In the past the wait was 2 years for a full version upgrade cycle. But with these yearly upgrades they're still wanting a full $199, even if the upgrade adds next to nothing in terms of good new features and/or performance improvements.

These yearly "upgrades" are hardly upgrades at all. I can't even remember off hand what new things CorelDRAW 2019 does over the 2018 version. Was it a change to how you can browse for CorelDRAW files on your computer? It seems liked something unimpressive like that, certainly not something worth a $199 upgrade price. We're talking about diminishing returns.

I'm still not sold on defecting to lower cost apps like Affinity Designer. My standards on what constitutes a successful .AI file import operation is probably quite a lot more strict than what others are willing to accept. The Adobe stuff (unfortunately) seems like a necessary evil whether one likes Adobe or not. Corel does not have that kind of leverage. I haven't caved on Corel's bluster about cutting off long time users at the knee caps if they don't upgrade every year. Considering Corel's financial situation I'm fairly willing at calling their bluff on killing upgrade eligibility for registered full version CorelDRAW users. Them doing that just sounds like a recipe for financial suicide. CorelDRAW is not the only game in town as far as draw applications are concerned.

There are a couple different ways to do this. Are they charging the $199 per year for the upgrades but if you decide to not renew you can still use the version you last paid for? Or are they doing the Adobe way and hold your files hostage if you don't pay current subscriptions?

If you have a non-subscription, perpetual license version of CorelDRAW you can keep using that as long as you want, or as long as your computer's current OS will allow that version of CorelDRAW to run.

If you want to keep your perpetual license of CorelDRAW "alive," under their new model you have to spend $199 for the CorelDRAW 2019 upgrade plus you have to pay an additional $99 up front for their "upgrade protection" insurance. That's nearly $300 right there. And then the venture capital guys will want another $99 when that CorelDRAW 2020 version is released, to re-new that "upgrade protection" insurance plan. So that's $400 between now and March of 2020 just to keep an existing CorelDRAW perpetual license alive. I think that's some very serious price gouging.

I think it's probably just cheaper to stay with an old version of CorelDRAW and then buy another full version about 7-10 years from now, if the stupid company is still in business!

 

[Jim Hill]

In my case I think I will just keep using X-8 because I am very happy with it and I never fell into the group that every year had to have the latest version of Coreldraw.
I used to only upgrade every four years or so anyway.

I just need to be sure that they are not going to some how stop everyone who has X-8 from using it if you do not pay the $199.00 dollars first.

Jim

 

[WildWestDesigns]

I just need to be sure that they are not going to some how stop everyone who has X-8 from using it if you do not pay the $199.00 dollars first.

Right off hand, they can take the activation server offline.

Or, a version of Windows 3 yrs down the line isn't able to install X8 or it breaks the current install of X8 (via the wonderful update system that Windows has in their wonderful rolling release, always in Beta OS) to where you have to use one of your finite activations to get it installed back again.

Or you use up all your activations through the natural course of swapping out computers or having it installed on more then one at a time etc.

I'm sure I'm missing a few that they can do as well with a little creativity, but all of which would be permissible due to the terms of the EULA (again, why I always bitch and moan about people knowing their EULA).

The Adobe stuff (unfortunately) seems like a necessary evil whether one likes Adobe or not.

I think that is the key phrase right there. How much of this is truly a need over what people think is a need. There are certain pipelines(workflows) to where I can see it as a true need, but then in some cases, it's more of a mental thing that people think that they need it.

And it's being objective in that regard.

My standards on what constitutes a successful .AI file import operation is probably quite a lot more strict than what others are willing to accept.

I think it all depends on what you can do with it after that import as well. I've got plenty of tools that provide me with a successful visual import and that's all that I need. If a design had any gradients or blends or gradient meshes in it, my production programs couldn't accept it as vector files anyway as those elements would throw it for a loop.

I also don't need a vector file at all, to do what I do. Which is a good thing, about 97% of my customer supplied files are raster files (even directly from the designers, including ones from here). With my own designs that I create from concept, I'm skipping the vector stage in a lot of the instances and working right from sketches.

This isn't everyone, situations will vary, I would just caution to be honest and evaluate what ones needs truly are if this is rattling your cage in the slightest.

Bare in mind, workflows will take a hit as relearning how to achieve what effect may be different in the newly acquired software package.

People need to be honest what what they truly need and what they only think that they need. With software like this, things typically only get more restrictive, not less, just keep that in mind.

 

[Jim Hill]

I also hate always having to pay for things in advance of using them.

Is Coreldraw charging the $199.00 up front or on a monthly bases?

Case in my dentist offers a family plan for just my wife and I for $500.00 @ year, My garbage company wants their money in advance of service, some cell phone companies offer their plans paid in advance, Join a gym and they want your credit card for their either monthly plans or every 6 months.

I am in my mid 70's and I may retire within the next few years because of health issues.

More and more everyone wants your money in advance and I find that annoying.

Sorry to vent Jim

 

[WildWestDesigns]

Is Coreldraw charging the $199.00 up front or on a monthly bases?

Have an upfront cost, then a monthly fee after that if I remember correctly.

The irony is, subscriptions almost always cost more in the long run versus the short run. Right now, if Adobe still had a perpetual license and I upgrade every new release with that license, I would be saving money right now versus having gone the subscription route.

Now Adobe has risen the price a smidge for the entire CC suite (although there is a sale for it right now) as far as the regular price goes (3 or 4 dollars I think). And unlike with other price hikes about being able to defer them a bit til it's more comfortable to do so, have to take it as it comes otherwise, no use of the programs.

This isn't even getting into the potential unplanned hardware upgrades when forced into rolling release and to keep up or yoke the advantages of the latest and "greatest" as well.

 

[Bobby H]

I think that is the key phrase right there. How much of this is truly a need over what people think is a need. There are certain pipelines(workflows) to where I can see it as a true need, but then in some cases, it's more of a mental thing that people think that they need it.

NO, it's not a "mental thing" at all. Lots of brand artwork and other assets are created using Adobe's applications. The rival applications often SUCK at opening those files. If the artwork is more and more complicated and/or uses unique effects (such as Illustrator art brush or pattern brush effects) that makes rival apps like Corel even less capable of importing them. So that's a very cut and dry issue there.

Then there is the matter of having certain kinds of creative tools available and collection of plug-ins that work with them. I can do a hell of a lot more and be a hell of a lot more productive with the combination of Illustrator and Photoshop than I can trying to use CorelDRAW and their inferior PhotoPaint program.

I also don't need a vector file at all, to do what I do. Which is a good thing, about 97% of my customer supplied files are raster files (even directly from the designers, including ones from here). With my own designs that I create from concept, I'm skipping the vector stage in a lot of the instances and working right from sketches.

Yeah, and that's you and only you. We do not have the same work flow or even the same kinds of application needs. If you can do without vector artwork and do without Adobe's applications or some other specific commercial piece of software CONGRATULATIONS!!!!. Please stop trying to imply your setup will work just fine for me. It doesn't! You keep repeating this same stuff over and over again. It's not helpful. At this point all I can figure is you're deliberately trolling for an argument.

There is a lot we don't agree with, such as having the work computer hooked up to the Internet. You like VM'ing old OS'es (possibly with no malware protection?), so I can certainly see that as a hazard to connect to the Internet. I prefer using up to date software and my business simply cannot work without an Internet connection for a variety of reasons. One example is Adobe Fonts (formerly Typekit). That is one of the biggest benefits of Creative Cloud (literally tens of thousands of dollars worth of high quality fonts, many of them brand new releases, available to sync). I can't use that benefit without an always-on Internet connection. So we just have to agree to disagree on these points and move on to some other freaking topics that haven't been re-hashed to death.

 

[WildWestDesigns]

Please stop trying to imply your setup will work just fine for me. It doesn't! You keep repeating this same stuff over and over again. It's not helpful.

Please explain to me what this means to you:

This isn't everyone, situations will vary, I would just caution to be honest and evaluate what ones needs truly are if this is rattling your cage in the slightest.

I've noticed your fondness of strawman fallacies. I have my speculations as to why that is, but they are just speculations. While I do understand that you don't have time to answer my lengthy posts*, I would appreciate at least reading them first before going off half cocked.

I'm usually very detailed in my lengthy posts to help prevent this exact situation, so I do get a little agitated when it does happen (that's my bad with getting agitated, but I would prefer to error on too much then not enough info given). But it seems to be an ongoing issue though.

You like VM'ing old OS'es (possibly with no malware protection?), so I can certainly see that as a hazard to connect to the Internet.

Good guess, considering that I don't think they have malware protection software that still works on Win 98 and Vista. Pretty soon 7 will be there as well (Jan of next year I think). Win 8.1 will be 2023.

I prefer using up to date software and my business simply cannot work without an Internet connection for a variety of reasons.

I VM old OSs for nostalgia (which I've said numerous times in our other conversations, I'm very big into nostalgia) and yes I have older copies of business programs that still run on them, but my business does not run on older programs.

My reasoning for saying that a production computer shouldn't be online is for not just malware protection.




*

I don't have time to respond to the 9 freaking separate things you wrote in your last post.

 

[Jim Hill]

So I guess my options are pay the $199.00 and then start paying monthly or is it only billed yearly?
Or I can stay using X-8 and never get another update. Since I may only work for one more year anyway it really does not matter to much what I do.

Jim

 

[WildWestDesigns]

So I guess my options are pay the $199.00 and then start paying monthly or is it only billed yearly?
Or I can stay using X-8 and never get another update. Since I may only work for one more year anyway it really does not matter to much what I do.

Jim

I haven't looked into Corel all that much, but I would imagine that it would have options for both monthly and yearly. Yearly should have a slight discount. If they only have a yearly option for any subscription model, just on that fact alone I would be looking elsewhere. Even if I had to settle for less then what that software could do. But that's just me.

I would say that if you are just planning on only a year longer in business before retirement, you may come out cheaper doing the subscription option and still be current. Depends on what the C/B of it is for you.

With Adobe, it took 7 yrs before it was more expensive then getting the perpetual license for me (ironically, when Adobe was doing the C/B for their stuff, they only went 3 yrs out). This has actually come and gone as 2010 was when they introduced what would become the CC model with CS5.5 if I recall correctly.


So it does take awhile on average for the subscription to start costing one more, but that would depend on your C/B of it all, not everyone's experience/needs are going to be the same.

Subscriptions have a much greater chance of being cheaper (depends on the price schema) the shorter amount of time that you are using it. On average.

It really depends on what you value and how much you value it (pros and cons) and see where you are at.

 

[Jim Hill]

I haven't looked into Corel all that much, but I would imagine that it would have options for both monthly and yearly. Yearly should have a slight discount. If they only have a yearly option for any subscription model, just on that fact alone I would be looking elsewhere. Even if I had to settle for less then what that software could do. But that's just me.

I would say that if you are just planning on only a year longer in business before retirement, you may come out cheaper doing the subscription option and still be current. Depends on what the C/B of it is for you.

With Adobe, it took 7 yrs before it was more expensive then getting the perpetual license for me (ironically, when Adobe was doing the C/B for their stuff, they only went 3 yrs out). This has actually come and gone as 2010 was when they introduced what would become the CC model with CS5.5 if I recall correctly.


So it does take awhile on average for the subscription to start costing one more, but that would depend on your C/B of it all, not everyone's experience/needs are going to be the same.

Subscriptions have a much greater chance of being cheaper (depends on the price schema) the shorter amount of time that you are using it. On average.

It really depends on what you value and how much you value it (pros and cons) and see where you are at.

I am wondering if maybe I should have my Corel X-8 on a lap top that is not online. If I do not upgrade what are the chances they will turn off my X-8 that I already paid for?

Thanks Jim

 

[WildWestDesigns]

I am wondering if maybe I should have my Corel X-8 on a lap top that is not online. If I do not upgrade what are the chances they will turn off my X-8 that I already paid for?

Thanks Jim

The activation, last time I checked (with X6) is that it's only at the time of install (or maybe after a trial period). As long as you don't try to install and activate on another computer after they shutdown the server, you should be good to go on that computer for as long as that computer lasts.

I don't think they have a "kill switch" that deactivates all those that are already activated. Or at least they shouldn't (even though the EULA may allow for it, it's a pretty shitty practice if they do, but that's just me).

The one thing that I had heard/read from one person on here (and they were on X4, which didn't have an activation) and they had their computer get online is that they got a message saying it was a bad serial # (which they confirmed from Corel that it wasn't) and needed to upgrade (or something to that affect). I do have a couple of issues with that, but that shouldn't affect you. Especially if you keep it offline, even if you didn't, the worse that should happen is that you get a notification of a newer version. Emphasis on "should". I don't think they have a "kill switch", but one could most certainly have been implemented (I'm getting into some tin foil hat territory here).