We’ve updated our license and maintenance options for Visual Assist, and we want to take this opportunity to explain what remains the same, what’s changed, and what it means for you.
- Our standard license of Visual Assist now better serves the needs of our corporate customers. The terms of the license agreement now grant ownership to the purchasing entity, not the individual installing the software. Also, standard licenses can now be transferred with prior written permission, if a company or division is sold or merges. The price for a standard license is $279, and purchase continues to include one year of software maintenance.
- Our personal license is now better targeted for the private individual—the hobbyist or freelancer. A personal license for Visual Assist can be used for private or commercial development, but the license must be purchased using personal funds. (Personal licenses cannot be purchased by companies, nor reimbursed by them in any manner.) Terms for the personal license have been updated to grant ownership to the individual purchasing the license, so the individual can use Visual Assist wherever he works. The price for a personal license remains $99, and the term of included maintenance has increased to one year.
- Our academic license remains targeted for students, researchers, and faculty members of accredited institutions. The price of an academic license remains $49, and the term of included maintenance has increased to one year.
- Our classroom license remains targeted for instructors of programming courses. The license is still free and includes a year of maintenance.
- Software maintenance still includes our steady stream of builds, which include all of our new features and bug fixes. We still do not charge separately for major upgrades, e.g. version 8.0 to 9.0.
- Renewal of software maintenance for a standard license of Visual Assist provides a year of priority support and software updates—beginning the date of renewal. Price to renew is $79, and there is still no penalty for late renewal. Customers who demand maximum productivity continue to renew maintenance promptly. Customers on a tight budget are free to delay renewal until accrued improvements exceed their threshold for purchase.
With our updated policy, we believe every customer can find an option that suits his needs. Whatever your needs might be, trust that we will continue to make you more productive in all the Microsoft IDEs you use, to whatever capacity you use them.