Source: Autodesk
In a recent blog post titled “The new EAGLE Subscription has landed,” Autodesk (NASDAQ: ADSK) announced that its EAGLE PCB design software product will no longer be available on a standard, pay-up-front licensing model. After 25 years, EAGLE is now only available with a monthly or yearly subscription, unless you are a student. Students can get free software for three years from Autodesk’s Education Community.
Autodesk acquired CadSoft, the makers of EAGLE, in June 2016 in its effort to become the “go to” resource for CAD designers. EAGLE is a popular free-to-use print circuit board (PCB) site.
“We believe in making PCB design as easy, accessible and affordable as it can be, and this change helps us do that. However, if it wasn’t for the millions of EAGLE users around the world supporting us for the last 25 years, this evolution would not have been possible. So thank you, from everyone at the EAGLE team. We’re excited about the future, and hope you are too,” said Sam Sattel for Autodesk.
According to Hackaday, when EAGLE was owned by CadSoft, a standard license was a one-time fee of $69. A premium license was available for a one-time fee of $820. Eric Evenchick of Hackaday is not a fan of the new subscription pricing:
“This is a bad deal for the pocketbook of many users. If you could have made do with the old Standard option, you’re now paying $100/year instead of the one-time $69 payment. If you need more space or layers, you’ll likely be up to $500/year. Autodesk also killed the lower cost options for non-commercial use, what used to be a $169 version that was positioned for hobbyists,” said Evenchick.
Sattel explained why subscription pricing for EAGLE makes sense:
“We know it’s not easy paying a lump sum for software updates every few years. It can be hard on your budget, and you never know when you need to have funds ready for the next upgrade. And that’s why we made the change,” wrote Sattel.
“Our goal for the future is simple – make PCB design software accessible and affordable for every engineer. Everywhere. Whether you’re a student, a hobbyist or a professional. With EAGLE available as a subscription, we’re not only closer to our goal, we believe we can get you closer to yours,” he added.
Source: Autodesk
With an EAGLE subscription, users will get…
- Continuous software updates for no additional cost
- Dedicated support through EAGLE’s “new family” at Automdesk
- Budget-friendly software
- New updates in 2017 that include true mechanical integration, new and improved UI/UX, and one-click manufacturing
- EAGLE software in four languages: English, German, Chinese and Polish.
Starting at $15 a month or $100 a year for EAGLE Standard, or $65 a month or $500 a year for EAGLE Premium, Autodesk says its pricing is cheaper than buying a cup of coffee or espresso every day.
Source: Autodesk
EAGLE users download the software to their computer, and Autodesk recommends that users connect to the internet every 30 days to keep the software up-to-date and verify that subscriptions are still current. EAGLE subscriptions automatically renew, and for annual and multi-year terms, Autodesk will send out email reminders prior to the automatic renewal date. Subscriptions can be canceled anytime, or within 30 days of purchase for a full refund.
Insider Take:
From a user’s perspective, there are pros and cons. Unless they are students, commercial users will now have to pay an ongoing fee to use EAGLE. On the flip side, they’ll also get more frequent updates and better support. From Autodesk’s perspective, however, this is a win. This continues Autodesk’s transition to a subscription-based software model which was announced in early 2015. The subscription revenue will help Autodesk be more sustainable in the long-term while also helping the company offset acquisition costs of EAGLE.
