Are lifetime software deals worth it?

When a lifetime deal makes sense

Native apps are the safest bet. If the app runs on your own machine, it can keep working after the deal, and often even after the company stops updating it.

Do the sums against what you'd pay otherwise. If a licence costs the same as ten months of a subscription you'd keep anyway, it pays for itself within the year. If you're buying it because it's cheap, it's a cost, not a saving.

When to be careful

Hosted services have running costs, and a one-off payment doesn't cover those forever. Plans can change: KeepSolid's VPN Unlimited removed some features from legacy lifetime plans, according to its Wikipedia entry.

Be especially careful with AI features, cloud storage and anything that sends email, because each of those costs the company money every time you use it.

Six questions to ask first

Run through these before you pay. If you can't answer one from the pricing page or terms, ask the maker.

• Does it run on my device, or on their servers?
• How many devices does it cover?
• Are future major versions included?
• What's excluded, especially AI and cloud features?
• Is there a refund window, and how long is it?
• Would I buy this at the full price?

• See current lifetime deals →

Questions people ask