Opinions and attitudes about software subscription pricing/models have come a long way in recent years. To say there was a huge amount of backlash when software providers first began to offer (or force) the transition away from perpetual licenses is an understatement, but it’s a pricing model that has clearly opened up opportunities for countless professionals and consumers. Recognition of this development has directly led to the creation of VEGAS Pro 365, a subscription-based-offering that’s priced from $16.67/month.

Focused on the first-time users, this new version offers a complete video and audio editing solution with all the features of VEGAS Pro 15 and SOUND FORGE Audio Studio 12, along with online training courses to learn VEGAS Pro. The new software package includes all the latest features of VEGAS Pro with high-end plug-ins and essential online training courses for anyone not familiar with VEGAS Pro.

For years now, three versions of VEGAS (VEGAS Pro Edit, VEGAS Pro, and VEGAS Pro Suite) have given users flexible options. However, pricing around the professional-level product created barriers for many, which VEGAS Pro 365 is set to remove. The monthly subscription prices are designed to open the door for users who couldn’t or didn’t want to make the full investment. Now they won’t have to, since VEGAS Pro 365 has exactly the same features as VEGAS Pro.

It’s a critical consideration because VEGAS Pro users have not been shy when it comes to voicing their opinion about the subscription-only model. It’s the reason that the people behind VEGAS Pro went to great lengths to ensure that anyone currently using VEGAS Pro the way they want won’t have to change anything. Both subscription and license versions of VEGAS Pro use the same exact software, right down to the same installer.

“Anyone using VEGAS Pro on a perpetual license that wants to continue doing so will absolutely still be able to do that,” said Gary Rebholz, VEGAS Pro Product Owner. “That was critically important for us, because of our existing user base. If you still want to purchase the software outright and own it forever, you have the same options for doing so. The subscription plans are just another option for accessing and using the software, and we will continue to offer and update perpetual licenses of VEGAS Pro.”

This type of pricing makes VEGAS Pro an especially relevant tool for collaboration, since utilizing the tool for a short project no longer means a major investment. Free trials of VEGAS Pro are still available, but watermarks and render limitations make using it for an actual project difficult. Users who only need VEGAS Pro for the short term or for a single project now have affordably priced options that are especially powerful.

That power is especially evident with SOUND FORGE, the robust but straight forward tool that allows you to record audio, cut/copy/paste sections, correct mistakes, punch in new audio, and plenty more. It’s used by podcasters, journalists, YouTubers, and an endless number of others to record and edit all types of audio for a countless variety of projects.

The different types of users that can access VEGAS Pro on account of this new offering are important to consider as well, since it’s not just about creating options for full-time creative professionals.

“There’s a certain segment of users who want to be able offer professional services, but they can’t afford the tools they need to be able to do so,” Rebholz told ProVideo Coalition. “The subscription model can give those users a bridge to the professional tool, and then once they’re there, they can make a decision around keeping the subscription or buying a perpetual license. It makes the Pro product accessible to people that otherwise would not have been able to experiment with VEGAS Pro to make those decisions.”

Not every VEGAS Pro user is a creative professional or someone working in media & entertainment. Small businesses that need to create video might just need to do so for a short period of time, while students might just need the tool for a single project, so a subscription can work for a variety of different users. Thankfully, picking things up with a project after a lapse in a subscription or after sending the project to someone with a perpetual license won’t be an issue.

The project files subscription model users end up with are the same project files they’d end up with using a perpetual license. Users don’t lose anything just because they stop their subscription. Anyone with a perpetual license will be able to pick up those project files at any time without issue. Users can always open those project files up, whether they have a subscription or perpetual license.

That flexibility can allow users to experiment with the tool not only from a creative standpoint, but from a financial one as well. Trying out VEGAS Pro is a simple process that might not even mean an additional expense depending on whether or not someone shifts around their current software subscription commitments. Doing so gives them the flexibility to try out VEGAS Pro and make a choice. That’s part of the reason that the VEGAS Pro 365 announcement is geared more toward people who aren’t familiar with VEGAS Pro, rather than the ones that are.

“I think the people who are going to benefit most are ones who are not necessarily full time VEGAS Pro users,” Rebholz said. “It might be more impactful for someone who just needs VEGAS Pro every now and then. This model allows users to get up and running with VEGAS Pro to solve whatever problem they have, and that can be the end of it. It’s designed to make VEGAS Pro a resource and tool that anyone can utilize to get their job done.”

PVC has detailed how VEGAS Pro 15 compares to Adobe Premiere, Apple FCP X, and Avid Media Composer as well as detailed VFX and editing basics for VEGAS Pro. Those resources showcase a tool that is being utilized at every level to create films, music videos, corporate videos and plenty more. Where and how it might be a fit for a given or multiple projects is something that every creator needs to consider, and the subscription model makes doing so easier and cheaper than ever.

Click here to learn more about VEGAS Pro 365, or find out what options the subscription offers via the chart below.