Why are Mercedes more expensive than Subarus?

If you look beyond price and consider features and support, you'll find it very competitive I think.

The main reason is we have some things, like the portal, that other software doesn't include or that you have to pay extra for. We're not a new company, so our pricing was never set to undercut anyone. We might not do as many new sales as some of the cheaper competitors but we have a good track record with return customers, either renewing or buying more licenses. This allows us to focus more on what our current customers want instead of what we need to do to attract new customers.

Well, the standard license doesn't include advanced support, what exactly does it mean?

If I buy the software, and after the year then can I still use it, if I don't payed for updates.

So it is a lifetime license?

Advanced support is only necessary if there is some technical issue that can't be resolved by normal means. For example if someone is having some type of an issue that they just can't figure out even with standard help via a ticket and forum, and they want me to login to their server and debug it for them, then that would fall into Advanced Support.

Advanced support is pretty rare, out of all of our tickets and help on the forum I maybe have a couple a month.

Yes, the license for the version you currently have installed at any time does not expire, it's good for life. You only need to renew if your access has expired and you want to download a newer version.

Alright. Thanks for the answers Rick.
Can you get discount on the upgrade?

Upgrades are optional, not required.

Unlike other bills you may have, this one only requires future payments if you want them.

AFAIK the only discounts are on bulk licenses; but this would be a better question for sales versus the lead programmer.

though it may be prudent to state that some security issues may arise where an upgrade would be noted as critical, although rare

So security fixes and bug fixes aren't free to somewhat "old releases"? So you have to pay for the upgrade for security and bug fixes?

"bugfix releases" are generally new versions; I have heard in the past of people getting a critical bugfix release through the support desk when their license had expired.

It's also good to keep in mind that Rick has stated that he plans on the major releases to be pushed out regularly, which means major features added quickly and more often than in the past, so you could easily see several major revisions within a simple 2 month period in which bugfixes would also be pushed out for.