14 DAY TRIAL // Sketch, the Mac-only app that's been giving Adobe a run for its money in the UI design field, has recently announced a licensing model change that's bound to ruffle some feathers with its users.
The app will be switching from a licensing model that charged on every big upgrade (3.x, 4.x, 5.x, etc.) to a yearly-based subscription model, just like the one used by Adobe for Photoshop, but not quite identical.
While Adobe allows designers to use Photoshop, Illustrator, and other CC apps only when you pay your monthly fee, Bohemian Coding's subscription plan is different.
The company does not plan to restrict access to its app, but it will provide new features and updates only when the user has paid a yearly subscription fee. This fee guarantees a year of free updates, but after that, the user can still use the app for free, along with all its bugs.
All existing Sketch customers will receive six months of free updates, and Sketch will also change from the SemVer versioning system to a numerical alternative. The next Sketch update won't be 3.9.0, but Sketch 39.
Reception among designers was mixed. Adobe can now take advantage of the mixed feelings towards Sketch and make a media push for Adobe XD, the project it's been preparing to go for after Sketch.
Bohemian Coding has recently pulled Sketch from the App Store due to poor monetization options and slow updates approval. The company has also said the yearly subscription fee will be $99 per user.
