Changes to the Windows/macOS One-time Purchase (Perpetual) Version in 2023

Thank you for using Clip Studio Paint.
Ten years after the initial release of Clip Studio Paint 1.0, we will be welcoming the release of Version 2.0 in the first half of 2023. Over the past ten years, across over 80 free updates, we have continued to bring new features to Clip Studio Paint. However, from 2023 onwards, the current Version 1 (the one-time purchase, perpetual version for Windows/macOS, “Version 1.x” hereafter), offered as a download and physical version will no longer receive feature updates free of charge.

Clip Studio Paint Version 2.0 will offer a slate of new features to make use of in your digital art. At this time there are no major changes planned to the existing features or the UI. If you are a current user of Version 1.x and would like to use Version 2.0 without purchasing an additional perpetual license, you can purchase an Update Pass (annual), which will be on offer from next year.
Customers with an Update Pass or a Monthly Plan (purchased through app stores or the Clip Studio Paint site) will be able to use the most up-to-date version of the app for as long as their plan or pass is valid. Version 2.0 will also be available as a one-time purchase (perpetual license).

You will be able to use Version 1.x forever provided it works on your device. We will continue to provide free updates with new features until the end of the year, before the app moves to Version 2.0. We will also provide free stability updates for major bugs or errors caused by the OS or specific devices, into next year and beyond the transition to Version 2.0. There are no planned changes to the access of Clip Studio Assets, or any of our other services including technical support. They will continue to be available during and beyond the transition to Version 2.0.

We want to thank all of our users for continuing to use Clip Studio Paint, and for all the support over the last ten years. We will continue to develop Clip Studio Paint and hope to keep exceeding your expectations moving forward. In order to sustain the development of the app and keep providing a better creative tool in the future, this is a necessary change to our business model. We ask for your kind understanding, and hope that you continue on this journey with us.

Q&A

Update Passes are products that allow customers of the one-time purchase version (“perpetual version”) of Clip Studio Paint for Windows/macOS to access updates to the latest version without the need to purchase another perpetual license. They are valid for a period of one (1) year and can be activated at any time after the Update Passes are launched next year.

Pricing is still to be confirmed and will be announced as soon as it is finalized. Update Passes will be sold for a lower price than Monthly Usage Plans. At the current time, there are no plans to significantly change the pricing of the perpetual version.

You will no longer be able to use the latest version, but may continue to use the last perpetual version you had. If the latest perpetual version you purchased was Version 1.x, you will be able to go back and continue using Version 1.x. If you do not renew your Update Pass at the time of expiry, you can always purchase a new one at a later date.

No. To update your app to the latest version, please purchase an Update Pass, or purchase the latest one-time purchase version of the app (Version 2.0).

Yes. The perpetual version will still get free stability updates when necessary to address major bugs in the app. Version 1.x will be supported in this way until Version 3.0 is released in the future. Moving forward we will provide this support for the current and previous major version of the app. So, until Version 3.0 is released, Version 1.x will continue to receive stability updates. However, even after support is discontinued, you are still free to use the permanent license of Version 1.x for as long as you like, provided your device and OS can run it.

New features for the perpetual version will be included in each major version (2.0, 3.0, etc.), however, new feature updates will not be provided free of charge. Even if you have purchased the perpetual version of Version 2.0, you will still need to purchase an Update Pass in order to get access to new feature updates. If you are a Monthly Usage Plan or Update Pass customer, you will receive access to new feature updates (2.1, 2.2, 3.1, 3.2, etc.) as they become available for no extra charge.

No. If you currently have an active Monthly Usage Plan, you will continue to receive the latest version of Clip Studio Paint, including Version 2.0 onwards, for no extra charge.

Yes. However, there may be cases where you may not be able to edit parts that make use of new Version 2.0 features when the .clip file is opened in Version 1.x. Further details will be announced in due course.

Using Clip Studio Paint beyond Version 1.x

*1 If Update Pass expires, you will be able to go back and continue using Clip Studio Paint Version 1.x
*2 Until the release of Version 3.0

Product update flowchart

There are two types of update:
Feature updates: e.g. 2.0.0, 2.1.0 (the second digit signifies a feature update)
Stability updates: e.g. 2.0.1, 2.1.1 (the third digit signifies a fix for a bug, or support for a new OS update, etc. with no additional features)