Convert
SSA/Forward
to Archicad
Subscription

Our customers want us to be innovative and to benefit from state-of-the-art technology. Moreover, in a competitive landscape, we need a sustainable business model. While perpetual license & SSA was a sustainable business model until the 2010s, today, it is clear that sustainable means a subscription model, which guarantees that we can continuously invest in our solutions. The difference is not in pricing but in using the best available technology. At the same time, we respect the preferences of our customers, so our shift to Subscription is gradual.

Graphisoft’s “SSA/Forward to Subscription” conversion program is intended to be a multi-year program. Conversion with Phase 1 conditions was available between April 1st, 2024 and December 31st, 2024, conversion with Phase 2 conditions is available between January 1st and March 31st, 2026. Conversion with Phase 3 conditions will be available between April 1st , 2026 and March 31st, 2027. Market-specific terms and conditions may apply.

Customers can choose not to take advantage of the “SSA/Forward to Subscription” conversion program and continue using their perpetual license(s) of Archicad without SSA/Forward coverage once their SSA/Forward contract runs out in the period April 1st, 2026 up to 31st March 2027. Customers with SSA/Forward term beyond this period should consult their local Archicad provider.

Customers will have a choice to upgrade their non-SSA/Forward Archicad perpetual licenses to the latest version of Archicad with SSA/Forward until the end of 2025. Then, these customers will also be eligible to participate in Graphisoft’s SSA/Forward conversion program. Archicad perpetual licenses without active SSA/Forward still entitle customers to use their Archicad software indefinitely but will not be updated with the latest software/hardware developments.

DDScad is out of the scope of the current conversion program. Graphisoft may offer a similar conversion program for DDScad in the future.

SSA/Forward customers can convert their SSA/Forward licenses to 3-year or 1-year Archicad Collaborate subscriptions any time during their SSA/Forward term. For 3-year upfront-paid subscriptions, Graphisoft guarantees price parity with the SSA/Forward list price for the initial subscription term and the same discount percentage at the first renewal. Yearly paid subscription plans are available for a 10% markup compared to the 3-year upfront-paid option. 3-year subscriptions can be renewed once, 1-year subscriptions can be renewed twice with the same discount calculated from the standard subscription list-price. SSA/Forward license pools may only be converted as “all or nothing”.

Graphisoft offers an SSA/Forward-level +8% conversion price for the 1-year subscription. Graphisoft limits annual price increases to 8% until 2028. Graphisoft is committed to predictable, modest annual adjustments and has no plans for sudden or disproportionate  price changes after your subscription transition. Find out more in our full CEO statement.

Optionally, SSA/Forward customers can convert their SSA/Forward licenses to 3-year billed annually, at the end of their SSA/Forward term. Graphisoft also offers Archicad Collaborate subscriptions at Archicad Studio + Euro 300 / unit conversion price to be paid then 8% price increase per annum locked in until 2028. SSA/Forward license pools may only be converted as “all or nothing”.

NOTE: Special conditions may apply on individual markets. Price increase is subject to inflation and FX threshold.

Graphisoft offers an SSA/Forward-level +8% conversion price for the 1-year subscription. Graphisoft limits annual price increases to 8% until 2028. Graphisoft is committed to predictable, modest annual adjustments and has no plans for sudden or disproportionate  price changes after your subscription transition. Find out more in our full CEO statement.

Optionally, SSA/Forward customers can convert their SSA/Forward licenses to 3-year billed annually, in specific markets at the end of their SSA/Forward term. 

Graphisoft offers Archicad Collaborate subscriptions at Archicad Studio + Euro 300 / unit conversion price to be paid then 8% price increase per annum locked in until 2028. SSA/Forward license pools may only be converted as “all or nothing”. Unconverted SSA/Forward contracts will automatically lapse independently from the customer’s conversion decision.

NOTE: Special conditions may apply on individual markets. Price increase is subject to inflation and FX threshold.

Archicad Studio, a complete Building Information Modeling (BIM) solution, is a subscription product for those looking for tailored solutions for independent work or local teamwork. It brings all the benefits of a well-known Archicad license to a subscription platform at an affordable price. Archicad Studio supports Teamwork locally and speaks your language. Available subscription terms for new purchases are 1 month, 1 year, in specific markets, and 3-year billed annually.

For customers, converted subscriptions will be renewed at a price adjusted with a similar magnitude price increase % as guaranteed until 2028 but without an exact % guarantee in the future.

Customers terminating their converted subscriptions, having started or renewed not later than 2028, may choose to receive back their perpetual licenses. In such cases, their perpetual licenses will be upgraded to the then latest available perpetual version – albeit without the SSA/Forward coverage going forward.

No, customers who decide to leave Graphisoft’s conversion program will revert to the perpetual license track without SSA/Forward and will not have the option to re-enter the conversion program.

When a customer enters the Conversion Program, they must surrender their perpetual Archicad licenses. In return, they will receive an equal number of Subscription licenses. However, to ensure backward compatibility for customers’ projects created with Archicad 25 or earlier versions, Graphisoft will also provide the customer with a set of perpetual Archicad 25 licenses, called Compatibility Licenses, to be used for working on those earlier projects. Please note that the customer cannot use their Subscription and Compatibility Licenses simultaneously – they can use one or the other at any given time. Furthermore, the customer cannot sell, lease, or transfer a Compatibility License to a third party.

As part of our conversion program’s benefits, we are providing file compatibility back to Archicad 8.1 by leaving converted perpetual licenses as Archicad 25 perpetual licenses in your hands. This way, you can open/edit projects that are up to 15 years old.

Customers’ existing (earlier purchased) licenses are independent of the “SSA/Forward to Subscription” conversion program, so Graphisoft’s standard subscription terms and conditions (including pricing) apply to those licenses.

Graphisoft’s subscription products run using modern “cloud licensing” technology. Thus, licenses can be freely assigned to individuals using Graphisoft’s license management portal. As an additional benefit, both Archicad Studio and Archicad Collaborate subscription customers can also assign their licenses to a group of users as a license pool, where users can fetch these licenses on a first-come-first-serve basis. Users can also go offline with named cloud licenses for up to 7 days.

For clarity: “private cloud” means you can host BIMcloud on your own servers, in a data center of your choosing, or even in your local office. And yes, Graphisoft is working on a solution to provide this option with the same cloud licensing technology. Part of the package will be “bring your own license” functionality, meaning that users can collaborate on a different BIMcloud as guests but using their own license from their own company. We will provide you with an ETA for these options later.

Graphisoft offers the opportunity to convert SSA/Forward licenses at their renewal term only. Customers with a multi-year SSA/Forward term should consult their local Archicad provider.

Perpetual license in software means that you have a perpetual right to use the software for which you purchased it (i.e., the version that you purchased it for). This means any perpetual license of Archicad purchased before December 31, 2025, gives you the right to use the software “as is” for as long as you have compatible hardware and operating system to run them on. The counterpart to “perpetual” is not “cloud” licensing (that’s a technical solution – see next question), but rather “subscription” licensing, which gives you the right to use the software (the most up-to-date version of it) as long as you have an active subscription.

Cloud licensing is a specific technical solution to software licensing. It is called “cloud” because the license is hosted by the vendor (Graphisoft) in the cloud, and the customer can manage access through a web interface. By default, cloud licenses are “named” licenses, meaning they are each connected to a specific user. As mentioned above, Graphisoft also offers a network/floating type licensing for Archicad Collaborate customers. This table gives an overview of license types vs. licensing technologies:

Licensing is about access to software, not access to content created by the software. This means Archicads running with cloud licenses can open projects created with Archicads running physical key-based licenses and vice versa. The same is true for Archicads running with perpetual vs. subscription licenses. Thus, companies with a mixed license pool (perpetual and subscription) will be able to open, edit, and work on the same project.

Naturally, subscription products provide more frequent updates for license holders because they allow more agile delivery of innovation and bugfixes. This, however, doesn’t mean “forced” updates—the control (and responsibility) of updating remains with the customers. This also supports customers who prefer to keep their differently licensed Archicads on the same build to ensure compatibility.

According to the recent announcement by Graphisoft SSA/Forward contracts will be serviced until their term expires, latest in Q1 2027. Market-specific terms and conditions may apply.

Up to March 31, 2026, customers can choose to renew their SSA/Forward contract. After this date and up to 31st March 2027, such contracts will be offered a last chance to convert to a subscription.

Existing customer means customers who own at least one active or (S2S) converted perpetual license of Archicad (no SSA/Forward coverage is required!). Trial, Educational, and subscription-only customers do not fall into this category and will not be able to purchase perpetual licenses beyond 2024. Existing customers are also eligible to upgrade their old version Archicad licenses with SSA/Forward until March 31, 2027.

Individual subscription contracts (subscription licenses purchased at the same time) can only be managed as one unit at the current moment. That is, cancellation applies to all licenses under the same contract; additional subscription purchases will create an additional contract. For additional/new subscription purchases, the actual subscription list price always applies.

Graphisoft set up a dedicated cross-functional support team to help customers with migrating tasks related to legacy BIMcloud SaaS setups. Customers operating smaller/simple BIMcloud tenants will receive help in the form of migration process guides, and customers operating larger/complex BIMcloud tenants will receive help in the form of migration assistance at a pre-scheduled term.