So far, InstalSystem and NetSystem software packages have been offered in the form of perpetual or time-limited licences. The existence of perpetual licences means the need to move to a new version of the software every few years, in the form of a paid upgrade. The last one was an upgrade from version 4.x to 5.0, and we should now be planning another one. Such a solution means that customers do not know when and at what price they will have to purchase a new version, to maintain access to the latest version of the software and up-to-date product libraries used by the software. The upgrade process is also a complicated and involving operation for Users, Partners and InstalSoft.

Instead of offering another paid upgrade, we have decided to change and simplify the licencing system. From the beginning of 2025, we will offer only time-limited licences for the InstalSystem package. This change will cover all its versions, both the InstalSoft version (full) and company versions offered together with InstalSoft Partners. Ultimately, the new licencing rules will also apply to the new version of the NetSystem package, which is under development. The change in the licencing method will be linked to the change of the package version to 5.5 (instead of the current 5.0).

This means that starting from 2025, all newly purchased licences for the InstalSystem package will be delivered as version 5.5 and time-limited licences. It will be possible to purchase a licence, either a new one or an extension of the existing one, for 1 year or 3.5 years (at a price equivalent to the purchase of a 3-year licence).

To start working with version 5.5 you will need to download a new installation file and install version 5.5. It will be possible to install version 5.0 and 5.5 of the same package (e.g. InstalSoft full version or a specific company version) simultaneously, on the same computer and activate them with the same licence number. Each licence number for version 5.0 will receive a licence and the possibility to activate version 5.5 with a specific expiration date, after which a licence renewal will be required to continue working with that version.

On the usability side, the transition to version 5.5 will be seamless, easy and intuitive, as version 5.5 will offer the same interface and the same work environment as version 5.0!

The release of version 5.5 will mean that this version will be actively developed and will also end the functional development of version 5.0.

Holders of perpetual licences of version 5.0. will retain the possibility of work with version 5.0 indefinitely and will additionally receive, free of charge and automatically, a time-limited licence for version 5.5 for a specified period of time. This new time-limited licence for version 5.5 will allow you to continue working on the latest software version with the latest updates, until its expiration date. After the expiration date, it will be necessary to extend this licence for another period, in order to continue working on version 5.5, just like any other time-limited licence. It is worth emphasizing here that a similar mechanism worked earlier – at some point, maintaining access to the latest updates of the software required purchasing an upgrade and switching to the new version. A perpetual licence never meant perpetual access to further development, but only a perpetual right to use the version that was purchased.

The expiration date of the 5.5 time-limited licence, automatically granted for each 5.0 perpetual licence, will be set as follows:

• 4 years from the first activation of the 5.0 licence (or from the 28.0 release for licences not yet activated),
• but not less than until July 31, 2025 (for licences activated for the first time before July 31, 2021, this means extending access to the latest InstalSystem updates for more than 4 years!),
• additionally, if a configuration upgrade was purchased for a given 5.0 licence in 2023 or 2024, the minimum expiration date of the 5.5 licence will be December 31, 2025.