PDF Expert Switching to Subscription Model - Forces Account Creation even if paid V2 Customer

[Phineasgage1848]

I previously purchased (and highly recommended) PDF Expert 2 for Mac. But with V3, they are moving to a subscription model. I made the mistake of clicking "Update Available" on PDF Expert 2 and it updated. I was unable to use the app or any of the features I previously paid for because it forces you to "create an account" with Readdle and tie your license to your new account. I have no interest in being forced to create an account for software I already bought and for Readdle to do who-knows-what with any user data tied to my account.

I had to re-download V2 from their website. If you make the same mistake I did and want to downgrade to V2, follow the screenshot below. V3 of the app forces you to create an account to continue using it as you did in V2, even without any features. Just thought I'd share my experience as a warning to those of you that are happily using V2...DON'T UPDATE!

 

[mmkerc]

Thanks for the heads up. I have been seeing this switch to subscription models on several apps I use. Total BS.

 

[theluggage]

On the Mac App Store version, upgrading from V2 to V3 seems to be OK and work as before - except there's now a "Pro" option at extra cost (may be subscription and/or need a Readdle account - didn't investigate) needed to activate many of the new features touted for V3.

 

[diamond.g]

Thanks for the heads up, they did the same subscription update for the ios app locking features away that you had in older versions.

 

[Nikita Tanchuk]

Hi there! Thank you for the feedback you have given us regarding PDF Expert accounts. All feedback is valued and taken very seriously so that we can improve our user experience.

Having an account allows us to facilitate using one license across Mac, iPhone & iPad, thereby improving user experiences and ultimately reducing costs, as the need for multiple licenses disappears. At present, there is no other way we can link your devices easily to activate the benefit of one license across Apple devices without a verified email address.

If you're an existing user of PDF Expert, creating an account lets you link your license to the new version. It also means if you take a Premium subscription a single account ID will let you seamlessly access Premium across all your Apple platforms (Mac & iOS).

As there is no option to use PDF Expert on Mac without an account, we would be happy to provide you with a refund.

Kindly note that PDF Expert is fully GDPR compliant, and you have the right to request information about your data or its deletion.

 

[RainCityMacFan]

So wait.. I just upgraded today and linked my account. I'm not opposed to that step but my biggest qualm is, did we just lose features that we paid for in the previous version?

For those of us that bought PDF Expert licenses for the Mac, will upgrading cause us to lose features that we paid for in 2?

 

[Phineasgage1848]

So wait.. I just upgraded today and linked my account. I'm not opposed to that step but my biggest qualm is, did we just lose features that we paid for in the previous version?

For those of us that bought PDF Expert licenses for the Mac, will upgrading cause us to lose features that we paid for in 2?

No, you don't lose any features from 2 IF you create an account. You are forced to create an account so they can link your license across devices. But if you don't want to do that step, they've taken away features you already paid for in V2 unless you redownload and never update.

 

[Phineasgage1848]

Hi there! Thank you for the feedback you have given us regarding PDF Expert accounts. All feedback is valued and taken very seriously so that we can improve our user experience.

Having an account allows us to facilitate using one license across Mac, iPhone & iPad, thereby improving user experiences and ultimately reducing costs, as the need for multiple licenses disappears. At present, there is no other way we can link your devices easily to activate the benefit of one license across Apple devices without a verified email address.

If you're an existing user of PDF Expert, creating an account lets you link your license to the new version. It also means if you take a Premium subscription a single account ID will let you seamlessly access Premium across all your Apple platforms (Mac & iOS).

As there is no option to use PDF Expert on Mac without an account, we would be happy to provide you with a refund.

Kindly note that PDF Expert is fully GDPR compliant, and you have the right to request information about your data or its deletion.

Your explanation about accounts makes sense for those looking to be subscribers. However, for people that purchased V2 outright and then updated the app they are unable to use the software they bought until they create an account. This is a huge misstep and you all need to correct it. Make V3 a separate app like so many other companies have done. Don't ask your previous customers to update to V3 to milk them for subscriptions and lock their app features behind an account they never had to create until now.

While you're here: what data is collected from PDF Expert and linked to the new "account"? Can you see the PDFs I've viewed or modified?

 

[Big Bad D]

So wait.. I just upgraded today and linked my account. I'm not opposed to that step but my biggest qualm is, did we just lose features that we paid for in the previous version?

For those of us that bought PDF Expert licenses for the Mac, will upgrading cause us to lose features that we paid for in 2?

The Readdle website is not at all clear. But it seems that if you upgraded you do not lose the previous functionality. You just don’t get any additional functionality without paying the new premium subscription.

So I don’t think I’ve lost anything by upgrading but I certainly will not be paying another subscription. But it’s frustrating that this has been poorly explained and hidden what seemed to be a regular update.

 

[Amazon Rainforest]

I would like to inform everyone that the new version is NOT subscription-only. I know this for fact because I upgraded a few days ago to the v3 app and received a new license. I cannot comment on which features are missing upgrading from v2 (if any). The upgrade is 50% off full price.

Now for the disclaimer.... I too looked at the purchase page and did not see a third option for upgrading so I sent the Readdle folks an email asking them how to do it. They sent me back a discount code which I used to buy the new version. Completely painless upgrade, although, technically, it's not an upgrade since I bought the full version using a discount code. I removed PDF Expert v2 completely before installing v3.

I should also note that I loathe software subscriptions and will not buy them. I have two programs that I've used everyday for years which I can no longer get upgrades/updates for because they have gone subscription-only. I will continue to use them until an OS update breaks them. Then I will have to find an alternative.

I made a point of telling Readdle my opinions/reasons and thanked them for not going subscription-only. They replied with a nice email telling me they would continue using both models. Their customer support is very good. I have used them often for how-to questions which weren't covered in their manual. Quick responses with good information!

 

[Phineasgage1848]

I would like to inform everyone that the new version is NOT subscription-only. I know this for fact because I upgraded a few days ago to the v3 app and received a new license. I cannot comment on which features are missing upgrading from v2 (if any). The upgrade is 50% off full price.

Now for the disclaimer.... I too looked at the purchase page and did not see a third option for upgrading so I sent the Readdle folks an email asking them how to do it. They sent me back a discount code which I used to buy the new version. Completely painless upgrade, although, technically, it's not an upgrade since I bought the full version using a discount code. I removed PDF Expert v2 completely before installing v3.

I should also note that I loathe software subscriptions and will not buy them. I have two programs that I've used everyday for years which I can no longer get upgrades/updates for because they have gone subscription-only. I will continue to use them until an OS update breaks them. Then I will have to find an alternative.

I made a point of telling Readdle my opinions/reasons and thanked them for not going subscription-only. They replied with a nice email telling me they would continue using both models. Their customer support is very good. I have used them often for how-to questions which weren't covered in their manual. Quick responses with good information!

I don't think anyone here claimed V3 was subscription only. V3 forces you to create a Readdle account to use your previously purchased features, even for customers that previously purchased V2 and that was never a requirement.

 

[diamond.g]

I don't think anyone here claimed V3 was subscription only. V3 forces you to create a Readdle account to use your previously purchased features, even for customers that previously purchased V2 and that was never a requirement.

I think I got upgraded to v3 via the Mac App Store. I was presented an offer to upgrade to the premium version (I declined), on a whim I clicked restore purchases, but so far I haven't seen anything that is actually locked behind a premium upgrade. Yet.

This is so far better than my iOS experience where features like reduce file size are actually locked behind the subscription.

 

[Phineasgage1848]

I think I got upgraded to v3 via the Mac App Store. I was presented an offer to upgrade to the premium version (I declined), on a whim I clicked restore purchases, but so far I haven't seen anything that is actually locked behind a premium upgrade. Yet.

This is so far better than my iOS experience where features like reduce file size are actually locked behind the subscription.

Glad the MAS version is a better experience. Mine was purchased directly via the website and has been a bad experience. I have no desire to create a Readdle account to use my software.

 

[Analog Kid]

Nevermind, kept reading...

 

[fwmireault]

Honestly for me it’s not a big deal to create an account if it means keeping the features you paid for. Readdle keeps the data collection to the minimum, they don’t ask a lot of information to keep your app running. If you believe it’s an overstep, you can look for an other alternative. Personally, I will not subscribe or upgrade to PDF Expert 3 as I have no use for the extra functionalities, but I’ll be happy to stay on the paid version of PDF Expert 2

 

[TightLines]

Didn’t PDF Expert developers once claim to be a better solution than Adobe Acrobat because “it was not” subscription based pricing? It looks like another developer out there has an opportunity to aquire not only Acrobat users, but now PDF Expert Users… and make off with a new happy new customer just as Affinity has done with its suite of graphic design software… by being smart and using the one time, lifetime, perpetual license pricing model….

 

[ivan86]

Reverting back to v2 Pro.

I can only see design regression. Menu bar got even darker and now looks completely out of place when using light macOS theme.

Not sure how the design team came out with this. Asking to pay for such upgrade must be a joke from Readdle team.


Edit: v2 and v3 screenshots attached.

 

[headlessmike]

Didn’t PDF Expert developers once claim to be a better solution than Adobe Acrobat because “it was not” subscription based pricing? It looks like another developer out there has an opportunity to aquire not only Acrobat users, but now PDF Expert Users… and make off with a new happy new customer just as Affinity has done with its suite of graphic design software… by being smart and using the one time, lifetime, perpetual license pricing model….

You can still buy a lifetime license for just like you could in version 2. They've just added a monthly subscription as an alternative. I bought a license for PDF Expert 2 a few years ago and it's one of my most used apps. Have upgraded one of my machines to version 3 and it recognises my old licence and lets me keep the features I bought. The only difference that I notice (for now, without paying for the upgrade) is an updated interface.

 

[thenahon]

EDIT: **** this. I just tried to use PDF Expert to convert .doc to .pdf. It used to work in V2 but this new version wants me to buy the subscription. Going to downgrade now.


Original post
PDF Expert is created by Ukrainian developers. They need the revenue to stay profitable.

That said, I'm not subscribing to the app because I don't need the features it offers beyond what I paid for originally. I only wish there was a way to hide the features I'm not using.

 

[Big Bad D]

You can still buy a lifetime license for just like you could in version 2. They've just added a monthly subscription as an alternative. I bought a license for PDF Expert 2 a few years ago and it's one of my most used apps. Have upgraded one of my machines to version 3 and it recognises my old licence and lets me keep the features I bought. The only difference that I notice (for now, without paying for the upgrade) is an updated interface.

I noticed there was a lifetime version. But in the comparison to the subscription model I recall that it said it only gets limited upgrades? So, to me, it seems to be a somewhat limited lifetime version? Am I missing something?

 

[headlessmike]

I noticed there was a lifetime version. But in the comparison to the subscription model I recall that it said it only gets limited upgrades? So, to me, it seems to be a somewhat limited lifetime version? Am I missing something?

The only difference I saw in the comparison was that the lifetime version is for a single platform (i.e. macOS) while the subscription model gives access to the full feature set on any device connected to an account.

 

[n(H@rD$e]

I had purchased the "lifetime" license for the previous version from a Cult of Mac deal last fall for a very nice price.

When this version came out I simply emailed the folks at PDF Expert and asked if there was a upgrade path for previous version users. I was answered promptly and after I supplied my purchase receipt I was given a very generous discount on purchasing the new version for MacOS only.

All you gotta do is ask.

Yes the new version want's to link your license to an email address. They don't ask anything beyond that.

 

[astroboylrx]

No, you don't lose any features from 2 IF you create an account. You are forced to create an account so they can link your license across devices. But if you don't want to do that step, they've taken away features you already paid for in V2 unless you redownload and never update.

I found that we lose some features. Page extraction from a PDF file was included in previous version. But now it ask me to pay to upgrade to a premium version.
Furious!!

 

[pastrychef]

Are there any good non-subscription alternatives?

 

[6916494]

All feedback is valued and taken very seriously so that we can improve our user experience.

Freudian slip?