vBulletin Licensing Changes

For eight years, Jelsoft has produced feature-rich, professional products and backed them up with high quality support, while always maintaining excellent value for money.

Today, for the first time in our history, we are announcing some changes to the way in which we license our products:

• Increases in the price of all products and services
• Removal of the renewal fee for add-on products

The removal of the renewal fee for add-on products is effective immediately. All other changes will be introduced on June 2nd, 2008. Further details of the changes are included below this message.

Please note that the way in which we provide the software to customers and support it will be unaffected by these changes - active license owners will continue to be able to download the latest versions of vBulletin (including future major releases) via the members’ area on vBulletin.com.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our customers for their continued support. Be assured of our ongoing commitment to excellence in product development and customer service.

Many thanks,

James Limm and the vBulletin Team

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The following information explains in more detail the licensing changes on a product-by-product basis. If there are any queries about these changes get in touch with our support team on support@vbulletin.com. A discussion thread for this announcement is available.

All pricing changes are reflected in US Dollars. Pricing in Euros and Pounds Sterling will be also implemented on the 2nd June 2008.

Leased and Owned Licenses
We currently offer two different types of vBulletin license: Owned and Leased.

The Owned vBulletin license allows you to run the software on your site indefinitely. Along with this license, you will receive one year of free updates. Beyond the first year, a renewal fee is payable to obtain updates for an additional year.

The Leased vBulletin license allows you to use the software on your site for one year and gives you access to product updates for that year. After one year, the license may be renewed to continue using the software, or removed from the site.

Both licenses include unlimited free support via email.

From 2nd June the following prices will apply:

• Owned license - $180
• Leased license - $100

Bulk order pricing for both license types will remain consistent with the current discounting levels.

License Renewals
For a Leased license, it is necessary to purchase a license Renewal in order to continue to run vBulletin on your site. For Owned licenses, it is not necessary to renew in order to continue using vBulletin, but is required in order to extend access to software updates.

From the June 2nd, the following changes will be coming into effect:

• Leased license Renewal pricing will be $100.
• Owned license Renewal pricing will be:
  
  • $40 if purchased before the license expires or within 60 days after expiry
  • $60 if purchased at any other time
  
  
• vBulletin Renewals will now also renew linked add-on products (details below)

If a Renewal is purchased before the license expires, the existing expiry date is extended by one year. If the Renewal is purchased after the license expires, access to software updates is restored, and the expiry date will be set to one year from the date of Renewal purchase.

License Upgrades
License Upgrades allow you to convert a Leased license into an Owned license. There are two products available, depending on when the Leased license was purchased.

If the Leased license was purchased less than 60 days in the past, a special offer is available that will convert the license from Leased to Owned without changing the expiry date of the license. From the 2nd June, the price for this option will be $100.

If the Leased license was purchased more than 60 days in the past, the standard license Upgrade option is available. From the 2nd June, the price for this option will be $180. This option will set the new expiry date to be one year in the future from the date of Upgrade purchase, as is currently the case.

Add-on Products
As well as the vBulletin forums product, Jelsoft also offers two additional add-on products that integrate with vBulletin and add extra functionality to the community - vBulletin Blog and vBulletin Project Tools.

Add-on products are linked to either a Leased or an Owned vBulletin license. Currently, buying an add-on product will give you access to software updates for one year from the date of purchase - and a further year of updates would incur an additional fee.

From today, the renewal fees for add-on products will be removed, and access for add-on product updates will correspond to the status of the linked "parent" vBulletin license. While the vBulletin license is active, you will be able to download software updates for any linked add-on products.

From 2nd June, the cost of vBulletin Blog and Project Tools will be $60.

Additional Products

From 2nd June, the Branding Free option price will be $170 and the Professional Installation and Professional Upgrade prices will be $150.


More...

I can accept the price increase however the renewal thing is really strange. They force you to renew your license when it is expired.

They don't force you what i can read, it's just 20$ more if you wait over 60 days for renewal

Yep you may call it non forcing but i believe it is forcing and i really didnot like it. As a owned license owner i shall have the chance to renew my license when ever i want on a fixed price.

Honestly, i'm kinda pissed that i renewed at all for 3.7.

It's slow as hell. I'm not happy with the product at all.


I really think 3.7 will be the last vb i run unless 4.0 is something outstandingly coded.

Eh, what the heck with this Price increase. I'll pay it cause i like the vbulletin Product but the license renewal deal is what i'm not happy with. I'll pay it though.

Look at it this way, it's making vbseo 149 look better and better

hmm, very good point Loco.

I'm really not happy either. I just sold a license too, should have waited a little longer lol.

I'm not sure how they can amend existing license conditions. Confuses me. But anyway, I don't like it. I guess that's what happens after a multi million dollar buyout. Investors want their investment back.

i'm pretty much fed up with vb7 already.

its 90% probable that i'll be leaving to a custom-coded solution within the year.

Custom solution?

There's no reason why I can't code a forum myself.

I build e-stores that sell $100,000 a day in product. I'm pretty sure i can pull it off.
just never had a reason to...

now, i do.

i wish i never upgraded to be perfectly honest.
3.7 resource hungry - vBulletin Community Forum

Very interesting. Make sure you include a plugin system so we can provide your SEO component.

Originally Posted by briansol

i'm pretty much fed up with vb7 already.

its 90% probable that i'll be leaving to a custom-coded solution within the year.

I also have something similar in my mind however i decided to wait two things :
1. vBulletin roadmap
2. Ipb 3.0

Before these two i donot want to spare my time for a long time project like writing a forum script.

I won't be going back to ipb.
been there, done that, got the t-shirt.

i don't like their support model, there's never any help from the developers, and their aftermarket community sucks.