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What Is a Perpetual License?
A perpetual license is a software licensing model where you pay once and own the right to use the software indefinitely, with no recurring subscription fee. The software keeps running whether or not you keep paying. You buy it once and it is yours.
For most of the last decade, software moved the other way. Nearly everything became a subscription, billed by the user, by the month, forever. The upfront cost looks small, but the meter never stops, and the bill grows every time you add a person or a feature.
A perpetual license flips that. You make one purchase and the software is yours to use for as long as you want. m-Power is a low-code development platform sold this way: Buy it once, build unlimited applications over your existing databases, and roll them out to your whole business without per-user fees.
Perpetual License vs. Subscription
The two models differ in what you actually get for your money: Ownership versus access, a flat cost versus a growing one. Here is how a perpetual license compares to a subscription.
Why Choose m-Power's Perpetual License?
m-Power is one of the few low-code platforms still sold on a perpetual license. You own it, you control it, and it scales across your business without the fees that compound on every other platform.
You Own the Software
Buy m-Power once and it is yours to use indefinitely. The applications you build belong to you and keep running on your terms.
Unlimited Users
Roll m-Power out to your entire organization without per-user fees. Adding people never raises the price.
Unlimited Applications
Build as many web applications, reports, and tools as you need. One license covers everything you create.
Predictable Cost
No renewal increases and no surprise fees. Your cost is a one-time purchase you can budget for and forget.
Updates on Your Terms
An optional maintenance plan keeps you current with updates and support. It is a choice, not a requirement to keep using m-Power.
Own It End to End
Pair a perpetual license with on-premise software and you own both the platform and the environment it runs in.
The Case for Owning Your Software
Three reasons IT leaders choose a perpetual license over one more subscription.
The bill stops climbing
A subscription looks reasonable on day one. Then headcount grows, premium features get added, and the renewal climbs every year. The software you depend on quietly becomes one of your largest recurring costs.
A perpetual license ends that cycle. You pay once and the cost does not follow you as you grow. As an example, Sunstar replaced canned software with a custom m-Power application and saved around $120,000 a year in the process.
You own what you build
With a subscription, you are renting access. Stop paying and the software stops, taking the applications and data you built with it. That is a hard dependency to carry on something this central to the business.
A perpetual license makes the software an asset you own. The applications you create with m-Power belong to you and keep running, on your schedule, under your control.
Budget once, not forever
Recurring fees turn software into an operating cost that trends up and competes for budget every single year. Justifying the same tool again and again is its own kind of tax.
A one-time license is a purchase you make once and plan around. Behind it is a real services team that can help with a project or build it for you when a need goes beyond a support call, so the value keeps compounding long after the purchase.
Software You Buy Once and Keep
mrc has sold m-Power on a perpetual license since 1981. More than 1,500 companies worldwide own their m-Power platform outright, build on it for years, and never face a renewal increase. When you buy m-Power, you own it, and a team stays behind you.
Read customer case studiesPerpetual License Software: Common Questions
What is a perpetual license?
A perpetual license is a software licensing model where you pay once and own the right to use the software indefinitely, with no recurring subscription fee. The software keeps running whether or not you keep paying. You buy it once and it is yours.
What is the difference between a perpetual license and a subscription?
A perpetual license is a one-time purchase that you own forever. A subscription is a recurring fee that grants access only while you keep paying, and that fee typically grows as you add users and features. With m-Power's perpetual license, you get unlimited users and applications for a single one-time fee.
Is perpetual license software cheaper than subscription software?
Over a short period a subscription can look cheaper because the upfront cost is lower. Over time a perpetual license usually costs less, because you pay once instead of every year. The longer you use the software, the more a perpetual license saves.
Do you still get updates with a perpetual license?
Yes. With m-Power you own the version you buy and can use it indefinitely. An optional annual maintenance plan provides updates and support, but it is your choice, not a requirement to keep using the software.
What happens if you stop paying for perpetual license software?
With a perpetual license you keep using the software you bought even if you stop paying for optional maintenance. With a subscription, access to the software and your data ends when payment stops.
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