Upcoming Changes to Unraid OS Pricing
Upcoming changes to Unraid OS pricing and some FAQs are answered in this blog.
02.28.24 Update: New FAQ section added to this post.
As you may have heard, we will be making changes to our pricing model so that we can provide more value to all users under a more sustainable business model.
The most important thing for everyone to know upfront is:
We are committed to grandfathering all Basic, Plus, and Pro license holders. This has always been the plan and is non-negotiable. Nothing will change with current users, and you will still have the option to upgrade from Basic to Plus/Pro or Plus to Pro.
Please read on for a larger description of the changes, a long-form interview with our Co-CEO's, and some FAQs surrounding these changes down at the bottom.
What Is the New Model?
The new pricing model at Unraid will introduce three new license types:
- Starter - Supports up to 4 attached storage devices. This will be offered at a lower price than today's Basic key.
- Unleashed - Supports an unlimited number of devices. This will be offered at a similar price as today's Plus key.
- Lifetime - Essentially the same as a Pro key at a higher price point.
Starter and Unleashed licenses will include one year of software updates with purchase. After a year, customers will be able to pay an optional extension fee, making them eligible for another year of updates.
If you choose not to extend your license, no problem. You still own the license and have full access to the OS—you simply will not be eligible for future updates unless or until you pay the extension fee. There will be no penalty for extending your license at a later date, other than it being subject to the current published extension price.
Again, this change does not apply to any Basic, Plus, or Pro license holders. You will still be able to access all updates for life, as promised, and upgrade your Basic or Plus license.
However, buying new Basic, Plus, or Pro licenses will cease once Starter, Unleashed, and Lifetime licenses are released.
Please see our recent Uncast Show interview for more on why we are changing our pricing and to learn about the origin story of Unraid and our future plans.
FAQs—taken directly from our community
Yes, there is a genuine commitment. We are striving to shift to a more sustainable business model so that we’re stronger and better than ever in the decades to come, all while maintaining our commitment to the community who got us here. See Tom’s response here.
We will announce the date of the changeover to the new license types along with new pricing with one week’s notice. We are aiming to make the change by the end of Q1, 2024. All current trial users between now and the changeover will be emailed regarding the changeover date. Once the changeover happens, trial users will only be eligible for the new Starter, Unleashed or Lifetime keys as Basic, Plus and Pro licenses will no longer be available for purchase.
No. Legacy upgrade pricing will be changing alongside the new license tiers. We are aiming for the end of Q1, 2024 to launch the new license types as well as an increase in Basic, Plus, and Pro upgrade costs. We will pre-announce all of the changes 1 week prior to launch.
You will be able to upgrade from Starter to Unleashed at any time by paying the difference between the two license types (announcing soon). This will reset the extension timeline and get you another year of updates. Users can purchase a Lifetime license at any time—this will be a new license versus an “upgrade”.
No. Already purchased activation codes for Basic, Plus, and Pro that have not been activated do not expire.
There will be an option for Basic and Plus license holders to swap their licenses for an Unleashed license. This is the most straightforward way to support us going forward along with continued recommendations to friends, family and colleagues. 🙂
If your license extension lapses (as in, you do not pay your annual fee), you can download patch releases within the same minor OS version that was available to you at the time of the lapse.
Our naming convention for releases is: <major>.<minor>.<patch>.
For example: Your system is eligible for Unraid 7.1.0 when your extension lapses. You qualify for the remaining patch releases of the Unraid 7.1.x series. Once Unraid 7.2.0 is released, the 7.1.x patch releases will only include security patches. Once Unraid 7.3 is released, version 7.1.0 will be EOL, and there will be no more 7.1.x updates.
The Unraid Story: Lime Technology Co-CEO's Discuss the Past and Future of Unraid OS
Learn more about the Unraid origin story, our upcoming pricing change and exciting plans to come. Subscribe to The Uncast Show wherever you listen to your podcasts, or check it out on YouTube.
Productive Feedback Wanted
If you would like to participate in a productive, respectful discourse about this change, please join the conversation in the forums. Our staff is listening, and we are here to address any concerns.
Try before you buy
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