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
where do I cancel my subscription so that it is no longer debited after 12 months
I have Capture One 20 Express for FujiFilm. I have downloaded and installed the full version but still only have the Express functionality (have rebooted, retried, etc.)
Mike Erikson,
There is only one download and installed version. The available functionality is controlled by the activation key. I assume you have Fuji Express activation currently applied.
Do you also have a new usable key for either a Full system trial or a full system?
If so long in to your account, deactivate the "Express" key and then you can run C1 again when it will ask for re-activation by the new key.
There is at least one document in the support site that covers the process in some detail. There may be more.
HTH.
Sieglinde,
A section in the post on which you are commenting has the information you require.
How to cancel my subscription?
HTH.
Hello,
My "problem" has been resolved after you guidance. Many thanks. Once I deactivated ... everything worked as it should.
Thanks!!
Why does it seem to be significantly cheaper to purchase a brand new Sony license with style packs (roughly $163 with the current 25% off deal) than upgrading my current license with comparable style packs at $258? I thought the upgrade was suppose to be the better deal. Even without the 25% off, buying a new license is still a better deal. Am I missing something?
Hi Sheila,
Thank you for the comment.
Note that the Capture One Pro product variant allows working with all the supported cameras and RAW files.
Meanwhile, Capture One (for Sony) can work with supported Sony cameras only.
Please, let me know which license do you currently own? Is it Capture One Pro perpetual license or Capture One (for Sony) perpetual license?
Thanks,
Lily
I currently own a Capture One (for Sony) perpetual license. And when I go to the upgrade page $258 is the price they list. I haven't upgrade since the 10
Hi Sheila,
Thank you for the clarifications provided.
I have forwarded your request to the Support Team.
They will get back to you soon.
Thanks,
Lily
Thank you. I heard back from them quickly. Thanks for your help.
I use 3 computers. Is it possible to swap the activation between the devices so that the license is active only on two devices at any time?
I use a desktop and laptop when at home and use laptop and tablet device when travelling. When I travel, I would like to deactivate desktop and activate the tablet device. When I return I would like to deactivate tablet and activate the desktop.
Is this possible?
Hi RY,
Thank you for the comment.
That is possible for sure.
Learn how to deactivate Capture One in this article.
You can deactivate Capture One either directly from the application on the particular device or from your account on the website. This will reveal the activation seat allowing you to activate Capture One on another device.
Good morning, my name is George Dolan, awhile ago, I was offered to buy Capture one for a one time price of 79.00 for my Sony camera because I am disabled military veteran and I am now 71 years of age, no telling how long I have to live, I am still willing to purchase this software for this price, its like a rain check...I will be happy for any discount you have to offer me..., my email address is , I think I have a registered already, maybe need to activate a license for me...many Happy New Years to come for all of you and please be safe out there, maybe you can use me as a beta tester...this camera stuff I am using as hobby is to help me keep my mentally stimulated...
Hi, I have a pro perpetual license. I've installed 1 license on my personal laptop, can I still install 1 license on company laptop (for which I work, not my company)? I'm the only working on this laptop and softwares.
Thanks
Hi Mirko,
Thank you for your comment.
A single-user perpetual license for Capture One Pro can activate the software on 3 workstations of the same individual.
Hi,
My Nikon camera broke and I purchased a Sony camera. I currently own the Capture One 20 (for Nikon) license (the annual subscription). Is there a way I can switch from Capture One 20 (for Nikon) to Capture one 20 (for Sony)?
the Capture One (for Nikon) license is useless since the camera broke, and because I signed up for the annual subscription I cannot cancel it.
What can be done In this case? I've tried looking it up, but I haven't had luck.
Please advise,
Thanks!
Hi Luisa,
Thank you for your comment.
Your case is now being handled by the Support Team.
I currently have a Fujifilm subscription license. Im curious if upgrading to a regular Capture one license is possible? I didn't think I would need it, but I have other files I want to edit.
Hi Richie,
Thank you for your comment.
I have forwarded your request to the Support Team.
They will get back to you shortly with the suggestions on the case.
I had inquired a few months ago about the same issue as Richie - I’m on a Fujifilm subscription and I’d like to upgrade to Pro. Is this now possible?
Hi Trevor,
Thank you for your comment.
Please, note that upgrading could be applied to perpetual licenses only.
Meanwhile, the procedure is different for switching from one subscription type to another (as was suggested by the Support Team).
Can you spell out the exact procedure here? It seems to be a common request but it’s difficult to find public information on the procedure.
From what I understand, if you have an annual subscription you can only switch to another license type at the end of your subscription. This is very inconvenient - so it is important information for people to know!
Can a single subscription (1 user) operate across both Windows and Mac? I am currently using Lightroom which allows me to be activated on my Windows 10 desktop and MacBook Pro simultaneously. Could I do the same with CaptureOne?
I would like to go back to the question about moving from a subscription licence to the perpetual.
Because I am collaborating with other people using the latest version, I need to upgrade right now but I don't want to pay for the upgrade just a couple of months before the newest release comes out, so my solution would be moving from my Fuji perpetual license to a subscription license.
So my question is: If I decide in the future to go back to perpetual will I have to buy it at full price or at an upgrade price?
--------
I would also like to ask about being able to use the subscription licence offline. Above it says "you must have and maintain an internet connection" I understand that in order to register, etc. But what if I am on the road or shooting tethered without internet. Is the software not going to run without a permanent internet connection?
Thanks in advance for the clarification.
Hi Dale,
Thank you for your comment.
You can activate Capture One on several workstations (depending on your subscription type) regardless of the operating system they run. Thus, you can use the same subscription on Mac and Windows computers.
Hi Loius,
Thank you for the comment.
A perpetual license is a lifetime license, so once you obtained it (for instance, Capture One 12), you will be able to activate Capture One 12 and previous versions. Meanwhile, once the new major release comes out, you can't use that perpetual license key to activate the new major release. In that case, an upgrade would be needed.
Subscription always allows using the latest version of the software and also activate the previous ones (back to Capture One 11.3.2).
If you want to switch from the perpetual to subscription (not when upgrading but when making another purchase of a subscription plan for the same product variant or for another product variant), your perpetual license key will still be active for the corresponding version and older versions, while subscription will allow you to get access to the latest version. You will have to decide which subscription plan you'd prefer: annual, annual-prepaid, or monthly. With the 2 first options, you will have a subscription for at least 1 year (it means that subscription can't be canceled during this period of time), the only difference is that you either pay the full amount for 1 year at once or split it into monthly installments. The monthly subscription speaks for itself meaning that the auto-renew can be disabled at any time.
In case you want to exchange your perpetual license for the subscription (in the Upgrade shop), you will have an option either to have the subscription for Fuji or the subscription for Pro.
You need an internet connection to activate Capture One with the subscription license.
Thanks Lily. Now subscribed and have it activated on Mac and Windows. All very straightforward.
Thinking about upgrading my Nikon pro license to the full C1 Pro but wanted to know when the new version was planned for release and if there is a grace period for free upgrades to the newer version? I don't want to pay the $160 now and then in 2 months have to pay again to upgrade to a newer version. Thanks
Thanks Lily for your prompt and extensive reply. However I feel that my first question was not really answered. In a nutshell here it is: If I have a subscription license and after the subscription is over if I want to obtain a permanent license, do I have to buy this permanent one at full price or will I get some form of discount?
Thanks.
Hi Louis,
Thank you for your clarification.
In general, when switching from subscription to perpetual license, there is no discount as such, however, we often have different kinds of campaigns offering discounts for new and existing users. If you are subscribed to Capture One newsletters, you will get updates and notifications about those in the e-mails.
Also, if you had a perpetual license previously (before obtaining a subscription plan), you can simply upgrade in here - https://account.captureone.com/en/store/upgrade
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