because it would be useful for folks who want to use the desktop version but don’t have the means or budget to pay for a Pro subcription. and besides why did they get rid of them in the first place?
This comes up frequently however I doubt it will happen.Like many other applications I think the subscription licenses are here to stay.
I expect there are many reasons.
If I recall correctly, the shift to subscriptions began when several major software companies came to realize that users were clinging to old versions instead of updating to the latest. This caused a drop in revenue that undermined their ability to continue to update and support the programs - ironically users were doing this because the programs were mature enough that it had become hard to add new features that more than a minority of users felt they needed. Faced with a danger of death by stagnation, the money guys came up with subscription as the only way to sustain their cash flow.
Because subscription licenses guarantee continuous flow of money. Some users who had classic licenses were happy with their version because for some years the development of the software was almost not existent, so instead of taking advantage of low prices to upgrade their version they just kept their version for years.
Nowadays we have FreeCAD with MCP servers, and new AI-powered platforms are popping up almost every day. Times are changing quickly. I think this question will come up even more often from now on. Even subscription licensing may start losing its appeal as more alternatives become available.
A lot of consumers are starting to get fed up with SaaS and it’s showing, but it’ll be awhile before it starts actually impacting the major companies, if at all. It’s all about brand and industry recognition, unfortunately.
There’s plenty of newer developers embracing the perpetual licensing or providing free options, but they don’t have that industry backing to really disrupt the foundations of these established companies.
So even if people develop new apps, from scratch, AI or otherwise, it doesn’t matter if the industry doesn’t adopt it as a standard. I honestly feel there’s no real competition until that happens.
Clients are more likely to turn you away when you use a “Program you develop with AI in a cave with scraps” to meet their needs versus a recognized brand with industry backing lol.
Is that really a seriously meant question?
The interesting part is that AI doesn’t need to replace established software. It can sit on top of it. I don’t know how to use Blender, but through MCP I can already build models and render scenes without learning Blender itself. If AI can remove that learning curve, established software suddenly faces a very different kind of competition.