Clip Studio, a popular painting software, changes its payment method to a new version, causing controversy

Clip Studio, a very popular painting software among painters, officially announced today (August 22) that the payment method of the Windows and MacOS versions of the software will be changed starting with the upcoming 2.0 version.

Previously, users could purchase the software directly and enjoy all subsequent updates without paying any additional fees. The official announcement today stated that users who have already purchased version 1.0 will continue to use the software without paying any additional fees, but when version 2.0 is launched, these users will not receive any updates.

Most importantly, after version 2.0, if you want to continue to get updates, users need to purchase the annual update pass starting next year. Only with an update pass or a monthly subscription can you use the latest version of the software.

Although the official said that version 2.0 of the software can also be purchased as a one-time purchase, "even if you purchase the perpetual version of version 2.0, you still need to purchase an update pass to access new feature updates."

This move has caused strong dissatisfaction among many users. For many digital artists, Clip Studio is their main productivity tool.

As Twitter user Alix Balica said, there are not many options for digital artists at present. For example, the price of the more famous Paint Tool SAI is too expensive for some users, and Adobe Photoshop is currently a subscription-based tool and is also very expensive; Clip Studio Paint's move will also cause some users to choose to use other tools.