Transition to EASE 5-FE - Questions and Answers

FAQs

We are aware that the transition to a new software platform is associated with a number of questions. We have tried to address the most important ones below.

Please do not hesitate to contact our team in case you have any additional questions. We are looking forward to the exchange with you.

 

I am an EASE 4 user: Do I get an upgrade price for EASE 5-FE?

Customers who already own a license of EASE 4 are entitled to start directly with the renewal fees for licensing EASE 5-FE.

  • One-year license: Renewal Fee, 1 Year
  • Two-year license: Renewal Fee, 2 Years*

After the purchase, the existing EASE 4 license remains unchanged. Additionally a license for the new EASE 5-FE software is delivered.
This is not an upgrade within an existing software, but rather the purchase of a new software at a reduced price.

If you would like to receive a quote, please contact our Sales Team.


*The price for this is calculated as follows: Renewal Fee, 1 Year + Renewal Fee, 1 Year - 10 % package discount

    I purchased my EASE 4 license after March 12, 2018: When will I receive my free license for EASE 5?

    To help our existing EASE 4 customers make a smooth transition to the new EASE platform, AFMG has granted a free license of EASE 5 for each new commercial license of EASE 4.4 purchased between March 12, 2018 and October 3rd, 2022.

    These customers can retrieve their free EASE 5-FE license now or at a later date upon request. We will provide a regular time-limited two-year license of the corresponding feature level*. After this period, the regular renewal fee will be charged for subsequent licenses. The existing EASE 4 license remains unchanged.

    Please contact our Sales Team to initiate the delivery of your free license.

     

    * EASE 4 JR -> EASE 5-FE JR
      EASE 4 Standard -> EASE 5-FE Standard
      EASE 4 Standard + AURA Module -> EASE 5-FE Pro
      EASE 4 Standard + EARS Module -> EASE 5-FE Pro
      EASE 4 Standard + AURA Module + EARS Module -> EASE 5-FE Pro
    A higher feature level can be aquired by paying the difference between the price of a license with the higher feature level and the price of the license with the lower feature level delivered  for free.

     

    In which cases do you recommend to still work with EASE 4 instead of EASE 5-FE?

    EASE 5-FE is suited for all kinds of projects. While the provided feature set is already a great value for most user groups, some users may not yet find specific tools they need in their workflows, especially when they are in-depth users of EASE 4.4. For these application scenarios, EASE 5-FE will soon provide solutions through continuous feature upgrades.

    To evaluate if the current feature set of EASE 5-FE meets your requirements, we recommend to

    Please contact us for any more questions.

    Why is EASE 5-FE offered as a time-limited license?

    With EASE 5 First Edition we have introduced time-limited licenses instead of perpetual licenses.

    The main reason for changing the licensing model is that we want to deliver new, valuable features continuously and at a good frequency. This is a prominent expectation of many users today that we would like to fulfill. Additionally, the audio and acoustics world is innovative, the evolution of its technologies, methods and concepts requires our software to follow up.

    Similarly important to us, time-limited licenses allow us to reduce the entry costs into the EASE world measurably. This makes the software more accessible for a broad range of potential users.
    The new concept also makes it much easier to upgrade to higher feature levels as you can switch to a different feature level at the beginning of each licensing term at no additional cost.
    Budgets for the software can be planned reliably as you can assume that no chargeable updates will occur within the time limit of the license.  

    Last but not least, a reason for this change is that maintaining a software in the current IT environment, keeping it up-to-date and stable requires an on-going effort that is significant. This is not limited to the environment that the software runs in. It also applies to the environment in which the software is written, the tools it is built with as well as the platforms through which the software and related services are provided.

    While different, the costs for the new licensing model are moderate. The new fees are based approximately on the prices of the predecessor EASE 4.4 using the assumption of a three-year amortization time period.

    For example:

    • EASE 4.4 Standard costs 2.600 EUR whereas EASE 5-FE Standard is 800 EUR per year based on the two-year renewal fee.
    • EASE 4.4 Standard with AURA and EARS costs 4.356 EUR whereas EASE 5-FE Pro is 1.125 EUR per year based on the two-year renewal fee.
    I have recently purchased an AURA or EARS module for EASE 4, do I get a discount when upgrading to EASE 5-FE?
    I have recently purchased the AURA upgrade to version 4, do I get a discount when upgrading to EASE 5-FE Pro?

     

    You want to upgrade to EASE 5 First Edition?
     

    Get started with EASE 5-FE   >>

    - Your EASE 4 license remains unchanged!