Wooh ! I just got an email from SketchUp about price increases 
Here’s a little history (for the Sketchup Pro version) :
Not really fair and commercial…
@all : what do you think ?
Still for me the best bang for the buck tool I use everyday to make money. My accounting software costs more than double SKP per year and that only ends up costing me money…
I don’t mind justified price increases. Is there any actual explanation as to why beyond the whole market, inflation, etc. stuff?
Maybe new features down the road justify an increase? Can we finally get an actual roadmap instead of being secretive?
Not a fan…I really don’t think it’s fair ESPECIALLY after how much headaches the last “update” caused me…
Disappointed comes to mind. While I expect increases every year, but this time around, it seems like alot. What disappoints me is that I currently have to use an older version to run on my mac (both Sketchup and Vray), which is fine, I can get by but I can’t take advantage of the latest that Sketchup has to offer so when this increase comes to my account, I may have to rethink whether to keep using Sketchup because why pay extra for the latest software when I can’t use it?
It’s a professional software, and specially the last couple of years there have been added new features and increased the performance of the software, I don’t like the secrecy of Trimble but you can see and test all the new features that they’re working on if you become a beta tester on sketchup labs. If you check on this forum, it was announced the introduction of photogrammetry and Gaussian splats, that’s an awesome feature, but like everything in life except for the air(for now) has a cost, and developing a software is very expensive. I love sketchup and how it has evolved but the best thing is that even with the price increase it’s still very affordable even for people just starting a business, unlike Autodesk products.
I am in the same situation and find the latest price increase frustrating considering the latest version has to be the buggiest, most crash prone version yet to be almost un-useable. So crash prone that I keep reverting to 2022 to do most of my work as that’s as far forward as I can bring Vray with my license and at least it doesn’t crash constantly and require 5 startups before it even opens without crashing.
Have you sent all those crash reports? Otherwise the developers can’t know what’s going on.
Yes I have. It’s interesting to watch the crash report number climb between submissions. From the speed by which it goes up there are a LOT of crashes happening. However the startup crash doesn’t give the option to submit. The start screen just blips out of existence like it was never there- no errors or anything.
I had this problem, it was caused by the migrate extensions plugin. I uninstalled it and problem solved.
I haven’t raised my mdkBIM bundle price in five years or maybe six now. Maybe it is time to think about raising my prices as well… My cost of living sure hasn’t gone down any. Inflation I guess.
Thank you for that tip. I will try it out!
All great for you guys that make money… but what about the little hobbyish guy that appreciates “quality” and wants some of the features for ease of operation and prepared to sacrifice a few shekels for non-freebies. Stuff us, I implore???
I still run Pro 2018 (though licensed for Pro 2021 and had no qualms about upgrading licenses, but I haven’t upgraded to due to unimpressive “new features” (I like layers), and refuse te ridiculous cost for non-commercial and doesn’t necessarily want freebie with operationa on a non-reliable internet.
I can hear a chorus of “Stick, in your lane and don’t obstruct the greedy rip offers”.
Unless you make squilions… and ofteny that is by being over generous in your marketing towards unwary clients… the more reputable exponents will also feel the pinch under the current market.
With this bloody inflation and economic circumstances, that’s my petty $64,000 or $0.0064¢’s worth.
What did you expect? It’s a subscription…
S(h)ame here!
For the last couple of years i could not use the latest version of this program to its full potential and was kinda forced to keep using SUP22 in 2025! (since that seems the standard solution to sketchup issues)
So we are paying for software we can not use, which is a waste of money if you ask me. 
Not sure if my boss can/wants to renew our license next time or if it would be financial better to wait 5+ years to buy, excuse me, rent a new license, since it’s getting more and more difficult each year to explain to my boss:“Yes we need to pay for the leatest version, No we can not use the latest version, but i need it for that one feature they disabled in our stable SUP22 version”.
Do hope one day we will be able to use only one, fully functional, version of this once so great program 
What is affordable?
Would it be affordable to pay for a program you can not use?
Somehow it does not sound proffesional 
I think people forget that we are not paying for the software - we are paying for the use of the software.
My apartment costs the same each year, thankfully the rent hasn’t increased, but they did put car chargers in the garage (I don’t use them, we have an old diesel we park outside) and my landlord always covers some minor repair and upkeep costs. I can assure you that if I stop paying rent it won’t be long until I will not have use of the apartment. I won’t be able to come in and look around, or probably even come back and get some things that I may have left here.
I skipped 2023 and stuck with 2022. I was on 2019 the longest time before that. My work got done. I got paid by my clients. No one cared that I did not use the latest and greatest software. I still have yet to upgrade VRay because I have an ongoing project with it in 2024… so I keep 2024 on my machine with VRay installed because until that project is finished I do not want to change anything. I’m in 2025 now, but only for new projects, and I did not upgrade right away, but took some time to transition when it made sense.
There is no ‘paying for a new version’ - there is ‘paying to use the software’ - whether I use every feature or only use 2, it costs the same, regardless of the bells and whistles added or removed - the core functionality doesn’t change much from year to year. My Pro license is a very very small percentage of my gross income that comes from using this software every day.
Of course having to pay more per year is never pleasant !
As a small business every € counts, so anything that costs more is negative per se.
However… I have to remind myself that the price is still in adequation with the service from the product & the work I can churn out. If our office had to move over to the “R word” or similar, that would be a ten-fold increase in cost, and simply not viable.
Those that know me on here will remember that for several years I was really worried that we wouldn’t have the choice as SU didn’t seem to care about the whole interoperability thing, specifically the IFC exchange capabilities…
For the past 18 months or so we have seen a real commitment on the part of Trimble to finally resolving those issues, which means we can stay with SU & have a credible BIM workflow, so…
Does that mean I’m smiling about the price rise ? Of course not, but I do understand that the people behind the scenes developing SU need to eat too…
Someone else on here has talked about the beta testing program… if you join and take the time to evaluate what’s possibly coming down the track, you understand that all that effort costs.
Not all of the stuff on there will make it into SU I imagine, and frankly some of it doesn’t interest me in the slightest, but that doesn’t mean it’s rubbish…
SU has always appealed to a broad church so to speak, and that is why it’s important that there should be multifaceted development for the future.
Yes, Trimble is a huge multinational, so I have less joy at paying a corporate giant for SU than if it were still a start-up (remember @last ? - I do) but would it have survived as an indi’ ? I don’t know.
Anyway, I guess each of us just has to see if we are getting value for money or not, and each and every one of us will have their own opinion on that.
The main “battle” us users lost (there was really no fight possible) was the one about moving from “bought” software to “rented” software.
Indeed, I always use the analogy of a small craftsperson; if he/she owns the tools, even in a fallow year, he/she will still be able to use the tools, even if they are a bit old & worn, & put bread on the table long enough to make it through to the next “fruitful” year when he/she may be able to reinvest in newer sharper tools again…
If on the other hand he/she rents the tools, well in a “fallow” year, the tools are no longer on the table so to speak !
Sadly it would appear that the corporate world has definitively won that battle, maybe the war, so here we are.
The choices are real, especially in a very difficult cont€xt with the Orange guy creating havoc all across the globe & investment at an all-time low…
Hého.
Lol, as if I had a choice
Here is a comparison of the annual PRO subscription costs for major architectural and BIM software platforms as of 2025:
| Software | Annual Subscription Price (USD) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| SketchUp Pro | $349 | Includes desktop, web, and mobile apps, plus cloud storage. |
| AutoCAD | $2,030 | Full-featured 2D/3D CAD software. |
| Revit | $2,910 | BIM software for architects and engineers. |
| Archicad | $2,810 | Collaborative BIM solution. |
| Allplan Professional | €2,976 (approx. $3,200) | Price excludes VAT; includes technical support and cloud access. |
| Chief Architect Premier | $1,995 | Includes support and software assurance. |
| Vectorworks Architect | $1,530 | Annual subscription; includes cloud storage and tech support. |
But as an idea, another plan would also be welcome:
Pro – Desktop, iPad, Web, Layout - the old price
Pro-Pro – Pro + the AI features(Diffusion, Gaussian, Assistant, and other AI stuff) - the new +12% price
I’m really getting tired of people posting on these topics and trying to rationalize the price increases, or make comparisons with other software or the cost of living, thinking that we’re getting a better deal with Sketchup. The fact is, we’re all in the same boat with inflation, costs of living, utilities, phones, you name it. I feel like I’m being punched in the gut while already lying on the ground from being beat by everything else. I see so many people here complaining about the same things for years, yet go ignored (yes Layout folks, I’m talking about you). I see people complain about price increase, yet have to settle for one or two versions previous in order to run the software, myself included, just because we use a different OS. If that’s such an issue with Trimble then don’t support it anymore and save the people the headache and costs. I don’t see the other big names in any paid software where people have to rely on previous versions in order to have functioning software.
I’d be perfectly satisfied to be able to enjoy the usage of the latest version and pay the price Trimble wants. I mean, here’s an idea, provide a discount to the loyal users?? If a company wants to retain its base, give them something back in return, like a reduced cost, rather than pretty new icon sets, or AI. Just my nickle here, since we don’t have pennies anymore.