$30 to just get a text editor to work with Sonoma… I never saw any compelling features to warrant an upgrade from 12 to 13 but I paid the $30. I definitely wouldn’t do it because of an OS upgrade.
2 Likes
The compelling feature is that it works with Sonoma. I purchased the upgrade to 12 one month shy of 4 years ago. $7.50/year isn’t bad.
5 Likes
Well even Parallels is not forcing a 1 version upgrade to use Sonoma… I don’t use BBEdit professionally so this is where we part ways.
Yeah, I also. I broke from BBEdit some time ago because of the upgrade fees. Which I don’t like.
But I eventually came back. It just—effortlessly—does what I need it to do, even before I need it to do something.
I had the same issue with Photoshop, but there I was able to find great replacements—which I find more “rapport, sympathy, accord, harmony, like-mindedness; closeness to, fellow feeling for, understanding of” for.
Figure out what you realy need, and make the smart choices.
I wouldnt be that bothered if it was requiring me to go from 12 to 14, but 13 to 14 seems a little greedy…
If it’s not doing anything you really need, that’s a good choice.
As I recall, the first time I bought BBEdit it was $100 (which is roughly $200 in today’s money) or more. Almost all software was, back in the 90s.
$30, on the other hand, is less than 3 days parking outside my building ($12/day), which buys me a piece of asphalt that gets a line painted on it every few years. Whereas BBEdit gets updated regularly, and does things that other editors don’t, or only do in inconvenient ways.
So I’ll happily pay another $30. Companies can’t live on one-time payments.
None of this will be true for everyone, but thinking about cost-benefit helps when you have to spend money.
4 Likes
How do you use BBedit, beyond as a text editor?
the upgrade from 12 will be $40. if you use it to pay for your shoes, it’s probably worth it for you
1 Like
Haven’t used BBEdit since System 7 days. These days I find MacVim does everything that I once used BBEdit for plus it has no subscription costs being open source. Right now I find its SQL mode highly useful.
3 Likes
BBedit 12 was released on October 12, 2017.
$40 / 6 = $6.67 / year.
Seems reasonable to me.
I’m already using v14.6.7. The oldest license I can find is for v 6.5.
I’ve no idea how much I’ve spent over the years, but I consider it money well spent.
YMMV.
1 Like
I upgraded to 13 at the end of 2020 for $30. The new update is $30. So $60 in a 3 year span… as I said, I don’t use it professionally, so no, not reasonable for me. I bought DEVONthink at the same time and somehow its devs have miraculously kept it running through all of the OS upgrades including Sonoma. Apparently Text Editors are more complicated. 
3 Likes
I have been using BBEdit for at least 20 years (maybe more). I don’t use it for anything special but it has so many different capabilities that I have used like multi-file compares, prepending text, html composition and on and on. I have paid for the occasional upgrade but it is only every few years.
I really don’t understand what people are looking for. They don’t like subscriptions, they don’t like upgrade fees. Obviously if you are not getting value out if BBEdit you should not upgrade, but complaining about the upgrade fee seems wrong. Software developers have to pay for their shoes somehow.
I have no problem paying the 7 or 8 dollars a year (on average) for the value I get out of my occasional use of BBEdit.
7 Likes
a complaint about forcing someone into an upgrade because their OS updates is neither a subscription complaint nor an upgrade fee complaint. Out of all of the software I have purchased, this was the one that needed money for Sonoma compatability.
Can’t believe people pay for BBedit when there’s CotEditor.
1 Like
There are so many alternatives out there. Some of them are free, others are more expensive. Just draw the line and move on. 
BBEdit 14 was released in July 2021, so 2 years ago. This is the license we are talking about and that is needed to be compatible with Sonoma. So, no need to pay anything since 2 years in order to get Sonoma compatibility.
I am no developer, but Sonoma has brought stuff to the table that apparently needs updates in order to be compatible. That is not exclusive to BBEdit. It is common for software that updates are only available for the latest version. And sometimes, an update does cost money. I do not work for free either. If you pay me, the payment does not entitle you to get free work from me for the rest of my life, either. 
If this is something you are not happy with, I would encourage you to draw the line a step further: OpenSource alternatives are available, especially for software like BBEdit. CotEditor is a good alternative for a community-driven free product. OpenSource freeware is a nice option for a lot of things driven by a community of developers that do amazing stuff for free, because they often have different day jobs that provide them with money. Somebody has to pay for the stuff on the table… Stuff does not get there on its own.
4 Likes
I agree with @macsorcery here. I’m largely opposed to subscriptions, but I am also starting to lean towards a belief that software developers should be guaranteeing to service their product for X number of years (or major OS updates, if you prefer). E.g. you buy my software and I guarantee it will run for 3 years (or whatever time period we think is fair).
If we buy actual products we expect this (in countries with robust consumer laws, at least) - why can we not demand the same from our software?
I’m not a software developer, but since most are not charging for Sonoma upgrades (and I’d be annoyed if they were), I’m inclined to feel that if you released a paid update in the last 2 years and can’t afford to upgrade for Sonoma, you’re undercharging for your product and/or are unrealistic about the market’s desire for it, and need to look at your business pricing/model.
No one is forcing you to upgrade macOS either.
6 Likes
They can only guarantee that if they have either a huge userbase or increase their prices substantially. Running a profitable software business is not that easy. If you don’t want to pay (much) and want constant updates FOSS may be worth looking at.
Edit: I read the reply by @Christian after writing this post. Agree with what he wrote.
2 Likes
I am no lawyer and law may vary depending on the country / region. So, with a grain of salt: Technically you are not buying software. You are paying for a license permitting you to use software under the terms applicable to the license in question. The license for BBEdit can be found over here. You would like to have a “guarantee” that it will run for 3 years. Well, in Germany we actually do have something similar if the customer is no business: 24 months. There are court decisions that if software is not future-proof for at least 24 months you are in violation of German law. I will not dive into this mess and leave it to an actual lawyer: Liability and Warranty for Software under German Law - Guide to Limit Your Risk. The thing is the question what “future-proof” actually does mean. As @vco1 already has stated there is absolutely no need to upgrade macOS as long as Apple is providing older OS versions with security updates. And Apple is doing that for quite some time and for sure longer than 24 months. So, BBEdit 13 will run for years on supported operating systems that still are “future-proof”.
I do not intend to dive any deeper into this can of worms… I only want to add one last thing: I have “drawn the line” with Fantastical - although I technically could keep using it with the features I am “grandfathered in”. But I don’t. Why? It may be a personal issue I have : if I come to the conclusion that a developer sees his/her payment and upgrade scheme has to change in a way that it is not for me any longer, I move on and abandon the software. If not I will upgrade to any new version that is available and I will pay what has to be paid to be up to date. I do not see the point in bemoaning stuff that I cannot change anyway. I try to not get too involved with any software product so that I always can move on to something different that does more represent what I actually want to have. Like I said, it may be a personal issue I have.
I am 100% fine with BBEdits current “pricing” and “upgrade” scheme. Totally worth every cent. BBEdit 15 will be an instant purchase if they keep following this route.