Blog SOLIDWORKS Term Licensing Explained
Why would you rent?
As a fundamental question, there are plenty of reasons to rent instead of buy. Maybe it’s a short-term need, like a rental car or hotel room. Other times, it may just be a stop-gap option while you figure out your future, like renting an apartment. And even beyond that, it could simply be a matter of convenience, like leasing your car. The funny thing is that all those situations also apply to SOLIDWORKS term licensing.
Why do we have short-term needs? Easy, we’re in a situation where there’s no need for a long-term solution or we just haven’t found the right one yet. In engineering, maybe you’re in a situation where a designer just left the company. Instead of scrambling to find and train a new employee, it could make sense to hire a contractor to help with your design work. They’re highly skilled and typically cost less as a temporary solution than a full-time hire.
Another reason you might only need a license for a few months is interns. Interns are generally seasonal by design, so getting a 90-day term license is perfect for them. Start it at the beginning of the Summer and they’ll be good to go until the Fall.
Benefits to Term Licensing
Beyond the obvious nature of not having a full license commitment when you only need it for a short while, there are other benefits to using SOLIDWORKS term licensing. One of the key benefits of a term license is that it’s always on an active subscription. This means that you can install any version of SOLIDWORKS that you need, whenever you need it.
On top of being on an active subscription, you’re also on active support from day one. This means you can reach out to CATI’s customer support any time between 8 AM and 8 PM EST, Monday through Friday, and get an answer to your questions. Now you don’t have to struggle for an hour with a zero-thickness error. Just call us up and let’s see what we can find!
Another thing to consider with term licensing is that because it’s likely a temporary solution, you could justify it as an operating expense, rather than a capital expense. This keeps the engineering budget tighter and still gives you the flexibility to finish your projects on time. Additionally, with the lower cost-of-entry that Term licenses offer, it’s generally easier to receive approvals for a purchase and get a license in your hands faster.
Is Term Licensing Cheaper than Perpetual?
That depends on how long you’ll have the license. Like most “rent/buy” questions, the duration is the biggest factor. For example, think about rental cars. Renting a car for a family vacation isn’t cheap, but it’s also significantly cheaper than buying a car just for vacation. That same logic applies to SOLIDWORKS term licensing.
In contrast with perpetual licenses, term licenses offer a significantly lower upfront investment, making them attractive for those short-term needs. While it varies based on the length of term for your license, even for a single year of SOLIDWORKS, getting the 360-day license could make more sense financially, depending on your situation.
Why Try Term Licensing?
If you’re in a situation where you need to get a license for a temporary employee, term licensing is pretty much designed for you. It has a low cost of entry and you get the latest version of the software. This makes it perfect for seasonal employees, contractors, or even if you want to try the software for your latest project.
Where term licensing falls short, however, is once you get past that one-to-two-year commitment. Owning your license gives you the peace of mind that you’ll always have it. You’ll never lose access to your intellectual property, making it the right choice for those that know SOLIDWORKS will continue as part of their toolbox going forward.
Want to get started with SOLIDWORKS Term Licensing as soon as possible? Give CATI a call and see how we can help get you some short-term licenses