IMPORTANT: From February 2023, we have made changes to the way licenses work. Please read more about these changes here.
Capture One offers perpetual and subscription licenses for users. The difference between those is the term of validity. A perpetual license is everlasting (for life, providing that you meet the minimum system requirements), while with a subscription plan you have to make regular payments to keep the license active – but you always have access to the latest version.
About perpetual licenses
Once you make a full one-time payment for the Capture One software version, you obtain a lifetime license. You can use this license to activate the version you purchased for, and for any older versions.
Be sure to keep your workstation inline with the minimum system requirements to ensure the version you purchased will always work with your hardware. To check what max software update you are eligible to, please navigate to your user account -> Plans & services management -> you will see the related information under the license you own.
About subscription licenses
With a subscription license, you have to make payments monthly or annually based on your subscription plan. As long as you make regular payments, a subscription license works with the latest version of Capture One. You can also activate the previous versions of the software with your subscription license.
NOTE: To use Capture One on a subscription basis, you must have and maintain an internet connection allowing for communication between your equipment and Capture One's equipment over the internet for the purpose of Capture One being able to validate and reconfirm your valid subscription license, including payment of applicable subscription license fees from time to time during the subscription period.
Subscription plans
| Subscription plan | Description |
| Annual prepaid |
When you choose an annual-prepaid subscription plan, it means that you will be charged the indicated amount once a year. The first payment is done at the moment of purchase, while ongoing payments will be made on the date specified in your Order History -> Subscriptions -> Next Charge field. |
| Monthly | This subscription plan is particularly suitable for those who value flexibility. It means that you will be charged on a month-by-month basis while your subscription is active. |
| Annual paid monthly | An annual subscription billed monthly meant that you would make monthly payments on the specified dates during the 1-year contract period. The subscription couldn't be canceled prior to the end of the 12-month term. No longer sold. |
Cancelling subscription
If you want to cancel your subscription and not prolong it for another month or year (depending on your subscription plan), you can do so through your Capture One account. See the detailed instructions in this article.
NOTE: As soon as you press the 'Cancel' button, the end date of your subscription will be set to last day of your current cycle (monthly or annual). By that time, you will still be able to use Capture One having access to all updates and upgrades released in the remaining time period.
After the end date, your license key will be disabled and you will lose the access to the software entirely.
The number of activations per license
Every Capture One license is cross-platform compatible (be it macOS or Windows) and allows you to activate the software on a specific number of machines. The number of available activations depends on your license type. Read more about how many computers can be activated with each Capture One license in our dedicated article:
How many computers can I install Capture One on?
Backwards compatibility
All Capture One licenses are backwards compatible which means that they can be used to activate older versions too. Let's say you have obtained Capture One 23 license key and use it on your new MacBook running the latest macOS. You have the second computer on an older macOS that requires an earlier version of Capture One compatible with that OS version. That's not a problem – simply download Capture One 22, 21, 20 or 12 (the one supporting your old macOS) and activate it with your Capture One 23 license key. Older software installers can be downloaded here (scroll a bit down to see versions prior to 22).
IMPORTANT: The extent of backwards compatibility and Capture One subscriptions depends on whether it was issued by FastSpring. FastSpring licensing was first introduced in Capture One 11.3.2.
If you are able to see your license in the FastSpring Order History, your license is a FastSpring one.
Like this, all Capture One Pro subscriptions purchased via FastSpring can activate the software starting from version 11.3.2 onward. Sony and Fujifilm subscriptions were introduced even later and have been supported since the release of Capture One 12. Subscriptions for Capture One Nikon can activate the software starting from version 20 (13.1.0) accordingly.
Legacy subscriptions (obtained before November 2018) are supported since Capture One 8 onward and allow customers to use Capture One from version 8 to the latest one. These are no longer sold and cannot be found under the FastSpring order history.
The Terms and Conditions of your license purchases (made via our web store) are always accessible from your Capture One account under the 'Plans & services management' section:
Comments
104 comments
Hi Lily - this isn't actually true. I had a perpetual license, upgraded to a subscription, and now I'm not able to upgrade that perpetual license to another perpetual license. As it is, I'm stuck on C1 v20 Fujifilm subscription, when I'd like to have upgraded to C1 Pro - but there's no way to do that.
I think C1's license & upgrade policy needs an overhaul... it should be easy & seamless for us to give you more money!
Hi Trevor,
Please, make sure that you insert the perpetual license key but not the current subscription license key on the upgrade page.
The perpetual license key can be found under the Manage licenses section in your account at captureone.com
The old perpetual license doesn’t appear under “Manage Licenses”. If I enter it manually in the upgrades page, it says it’s not a valid license key
Hi Trevor,
I will forward your case to the Support Team.
They will get back to you shortly.
OK thank you.
I still agree with the others - it should be seamless to move between different license types and levels with an appropriate payment. The current method is confusing and frustrating, with “gotchas” that leave a bad feeling towards an otherwise amazing product.
To follow up, according to C1 support it’s *not possible* to upgrade an old perpetual license that’s been converted to a subscription. Here’s their response:
> After purchasing the upgrade ... Capture One disabled your old license code automatically, so it will no longer work. Your old license key is invalid and this license isn't shown on your License Management page... Therefore, you're able to activate only Capture One 12 with your old key if you need to work with older versions of the software.
Hi Trevor,
Thank you for the comment and clarification.
I have checked your case and see that you did not get a subscription as a separate license but substituted your perpetual license with it by choosing the corresponding upgrade option.
While upgrading from Capture One 12 for Fujifilm / (for Sony), there are several available options: Capture One 20 for Fujifilm as a perpetual or a subscription license, and also as a Capture One 20 Pro perpetual.
That Capture One 20 for Fujifilm as a perpetual license could be upgraded to Capture One 20 Pro. However, the procedure is different for Capture One 20 for Fujifilm as a subscription, which is provided by the Support Team in the ticket.
Yes, the procedure for upgrading from a Fujifilm subscription to a Pro subscription is to start paying for a Pro subscription - but if I’ve prepaid for a year of Fujifilm, I’m now paying for two subscriptions. So, not an upgrade at all but a completely new purchase with no consideration for being an existing customer.
If I’d known how convoluted this process would be, I would not have switched from perpetual to subscription - a warning for other users! And a major request to C1. The length of this comment thread and the number of questions indicates that:
1) the process needs much better clarification and warnings for those switching license types
2) The licensing system needs a major overhaul
I would like to thank Trevor for clarifying further this very unclear matter.
There is no doubt from the customer's perspective that Capture One should have a simple list of purchasing options. I am personally not very happy with the way in which they force us to buy again licenses instead of giving us easier ways to upgrade, but it is what it is, and I would pay for it if I need to.
However all the options should be simply listed in the website, or within the program itself if you want to keep it more private. Having to spend days in the forum asking Lily, going back and forth and at the end have this feeling that you are being take advantage of is big incentive to forget about Capture One and use another software. Yes Capture One is great but by what margin? Changing software nowadays is easy and Capture One is making it even easier with all this uncertainty.
Fir those looking for clarity: if you upgrade a perpetual license to a subscription **you will lose access to that perpetual license** and **you will not be eligible for future upgrade discounts.** These essential details are not stated anywhere.
Buyer beware! I would definitely not have switched had I known. IMO this puts a bad mark on Capture One... it’s the kind of thing I expect from A*obe, not C1!
[photo was removed as it contains personal infrormation and credit card details]
Hi Capture One Team,
Just wanted to say that your pricing is perfectly fine for pro use, or even "intense hobbyist" that will actually use your software several days a month.
But I can't justify paying EUR 220.00 per year to edit a few summer holiday photos and a few family photos. I could use free Sony version, buts that's so limited.... and I want to edit my DJI drone photos - maybe I have 10 worth editing, so that makes 22 EUR per photo :)
Imagine there are just a few professionals, but thousands amateur/enthusiast photographers that would happily pay 5-10 euros... but not 24 a month.
I hope too see some "home use only" license some day :) Limit number of photos that can be edited, or figure out something :)
Regards,
Mike
Dear Lily, I need to deactivate my License for Capture One12 5CXR-7T9K-RKNM-9TTY (klaus.siebeneicher@gmx.de PW: Simulator1) with your help,please. I have been trying this for several days, even with the help of Mr. Diego Quiroga Reboredo from your helpdesk but with no succes. I have given up. You are my last hope.
Hi Klaus,
Please make some screenshots of what is shown on the screen when you are trying to activate Capture One.
Please also let me know which version of Capture One you are trying to activate and with which Capture One license key. In case you activate.
So I have Capture One (for Sony) 20 - Perpetual license bought in August.
Guess I cant upgrade to the latest version without paying for it again?
Hello!
If i buy CO 20 this year ( termless licence)
i can't upgrade from CO20 to CO21 for free? do i have to pay again?
Hi Aaron,
Yes, an upgrade would be needed if you decide to use Capture One 21.
Hi,
Please note that currently only the licenses for Capture One 21 are sold.
As the perpetual licenses are backwards compatible, you will always be able to activate the previous versions of Capture One (20, 12, and earlier).
Hello
I newly purchased CO1 for Fuji 20+21 perpetual. I installed and activated the 20 version on my desktop. According to the licence numbers, I should be allowed to have 2 activations, but I dont.
Please, could I get y cear answer to that question: how many activations do I have with the CO1 perpetual licence for fujifilm 20+21 (according to the above mentioned numbers, it is 2 for the 20 version and only 1 for the 21).
Thank you for your answer
Best Henrik
Hi Henrik,
The number of activations depends on the license key.
You have the license key which is for Capture One 21 for Fujifilm purchased after November 17, 2020.
As perpetual licenses are backward compatible, you can use them to activate the previous versions.
When you purchased Capture One 21 perpetual license, Capture One 21 was not released at that time, so it was stated 20+21 meaning that this license could be used to activate Capture One 20 or an older version which you can work with before Capture One 21 comes out.
Good Morning C1 Team..
Quick question for clarification.
I purchased C1 Pro on a subscription plan December 1, 2020. I have C1 installed on one MBP. I am contemplating installing on another Mac, as a stand alone tether station. Am I able to install on the second device with ONE license or do I need to purchase another subscription to install on a tether station?
Thanks a bunch!
~Rich
Hi,
You can install Capture One on another computer (tether station) as Capture One Pro 21 subscription has 2 available activations.
Hi!
I have 3 questions:
1. Do I understand this quote correctly: "The license key purchased after November 17, 2020 - 2 activations". Does it mean that I can activate copy of One Pro on 2 machines at the same time?
2. If 1. is YES, does it reffer to trial and to regular licence, if I decide to buy after trial period?
3. Where should I enter data for invoice? Tax number, company name etc?
Best regards,
Marek
Hi Marek,
Capture One Pro is one of the product variants of the software. The license key purchased for Capture One Pro after November 17, 2020 will allow 2 activations on 2 machines. The number of activations is the same for the trial key, however, the trial key is active only for 30 days.
The license key for Capture One Pro is available on our webshop here - https://www.captureone.com/en/products-plans/single-user/capture-one-pro
There you will be able to enter all the necessary details.
Hello,
I am using Capture One 7.2.4.32 on an old Mac (early 2008) running OX X Yosemite 10.10.5 under a license purchased in 2013. I just purchased Capture One 21 for my Macbook pro which is much newer, This installation it's done successfully.
Despite everything, I have probably deactivated my 7.2.4.32 license because since it has passed despite me on a trial version (60 days). I tried to reactivate this application with the license numbers in my possession. Unsuccessful. "Could not activate because the license code is disabled". I still use this machine for different reasons.
Can you find me a solution.
The 2013 order number is 683514
Hi Bombaert,
As you upgraded, you got a new license key.
To activate Capture One 7, you should use the same license key as for Capture One 21 as the perpetual licenses are backward compatible.
Hello Lily,
I have checked the new license which works perfectly on my Capture One 21 version. But when I try to reactivate my version 7, it tells me "invalid license code".
The Release Notes for V21 indicate that the V6 and V7 processing engines are no longer supported and updating to at least V8 is recommended.
Is it possible that the activation keys have also been created with that in mind and as a result it would no longer be possible to run with an active V7 installation?
Hi Lily,
I have my Copture One 20 license (for FujiFilm). Can I transfer my Capture One 20 to my new PC which I have bought couple days ago.
Thanks.
Joe
Hi Bombaert,
I have checked your case, so you have upgraded from perpetual to subscription.
That might be the case because subscriptions can activate only Capture One 11.3.2 and newer versions.
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