Checklist: Subscription or perpetual licence?

Quick takeaways:

  • Subscription is a cashflow friendly option for accessing our award-winning estimating software for 12 months
  • An outright purchase of a perpetual licence gives you unlimited use of our software

There’s no right or wrong answer. HBXL Building Software offers both subscription and perpetual licences on all its products. And that includes EstimatorXpress our leading estimating software. After all, it depends on your circumstances and personal requirements. Here we take a quick look at the options to help you make a considered decision.

Why HBXL Building Software Subscription?

  • No capital expenditure with an annual subscription – a lower upfront cost compared to perpetual licence – useful for cash flow
  • You have access to the software for the 12 months of your subscription
  • Fixed price for the duration of your annual subscription so even if the software price increases during that time you don’t pay any extra – whereas monthly subscription schemes have been known to up the price one month to the next…
  • The fee includes the Support & Updates Plan for the duration of your subscription – so one less thing to think about.

And a long list of helpful extras with subscription:

  • Free second installation – you can access your estimates on a second PC/Laptop as its backs up to a cloud location of your choice.
  • Priority booking on our Software Skills courses
  • Exclusive discounts on estimating services and further software subscriptions you take out
  • Early access to new releases
  • Free on-boarding session for up to an hour with the tech team (on a first come, first served basis)
  • FREE one-hour business coaching with our partners at BBG. They’ll give you sound advice about your business strategy. They will also give you feedback from 6 previous customers.

Of course if you stop the subscription you no longer have access to your files, estimates or other documents…

HBXL Building Software Perpetual Licence

Perpetual, lifetime, ‘own outright’…yours forever whatever you want to call it!

  • The software will always be yours – it’ll never be switched off!
  • The upfront investment can work out cheaper than making ongoing payments over time
  • So long as your computer can operate the software you will always be able to access your documents

A couple of things to bear in mind with a perpetual licence…

You will need to renew your Support & Updates Plan after the first complimentary twelve months, and again every year-on-year in order to access the regular software updates. It also entitles you to all the award-winning over-the-phone and email support from the Tech Team. The charge is a small outlay for the help and new features you will receive.

If you choose not to pay the Support & Updates Plan renewal cost in subsequent years and continue to use an ageing version of HBXL software, eventually there’s every chance it won’t work effectively. Regular materials price updates is one of the key features of EstimatorXpress for instance. We keep abreast of any legislative changes that would effect Health & Safety Xpert – which makes Support & Updates crucial. We could go on…

EstimatorXpress, PlansXpress, Health & Safety Xpert, ContractsXpert, ProjectXpert, plus our bundles are all available on a perpetual licence or a annual subscription. So subscription or perpetual licence? Talk it through with the team on 0117 916 7898.

Subscribe or choose lifetime licence for professional-looking quotes