💡 軟件行情貼士 | 拆解軟件收費模式：Subscription 同 Perpetual License有咩分別？Subscription 唔一定等於 SaaS？
買software會遇到好多好面善嘅詞語，好似知佢講咩但又好似唔係好知，其實做software 呢一行嘅人，有時都未必分得清邊個打邊個。自己軟件自己揀，知多啲有著數。今次我哋用買傢俬同租傢俬做比喻，講講 Subscription 同 Perpetual License。
🏢 1. Subscription（訂閱制）＝ 租傢俬
呢十年幾乎 9 成 Software 都變晒做 Subscription。
- 點玩法？ 你定期交租，有交租就有得用，一斷租？對唔住，即時收走，你就用唔到套 Software。斷租後，有啲供應商會免費俾你拎番入面啲家當（資料Data），有啲就要收錢。
- 好處： 入場費平，彈性大，機會成本較低，唔啱用要走時通常無咁傷。
- 壞處： 溫水煮青蛙。每到續約期，供應商都有權加租。
- 常見費用單位：按人 / 用戶 / 公司 / 員工數目 + 按 年 / 月
🏠 2. Perpetual License（永久授權）＝ 買傢俬
呢個係傳統做法，一次過俾一筆大錢「買斷」個軟體。
- 點玩法？買左你可以永遠用落去。不過，通常每年都要強制或自願交一筆 Maintenance Fee（保養費）。只要你有交保養費，有事時供應商就會幫你維修下（執 Bug）同提供有限度嘅小更新。
- 好處： 因為你買咗，供應商就算想加價，都只能加你保養費，無權收走件傢俬。用得越耐，除開每年成本就越平。
- 壞處： 開頭一筆過俾錢真係好肉赤，非常考驗公司現金流。而且如果幾年後你想轉用其他牌子，舊錢就變咗沉沒成本，無得賣 / 租出去，因為永久授權只係你永遠可以用，唔代表你可以賣 / 租。
- 常見費用單位：按人 / 用戶 / 公司 / 員工數目 + 每年 x % 保養費
🚫 3. 踢爆行內大迷思：Subscription 唔一定等於 SaaS
好多人，甚至行內人都會以為：「Subscription即係 Cloud / SaaS啦！」
- Subscription 係「收費模式」（點收你錢）
- Cloud / SaaS 係「部署模式」（舊嘢擺喺邊）
好似 Microsoft Office 桌面咁，你每個月俾錢（Subscription），但你依然要 download 套 Software 落自己部電腦度用。
相反，有啲好貴嘅核心系統（例如會計或 ERP 系統），你一筆過買斷咗（Perpetual），但你可以選擇唔擺喺公司Server房，而將佢擺喺公司專用雲端 Server（Private Cloud）度用。
兩者成日一齊出現，但唔係同一樣嘢。
💡 老闆同 Finance 可能關心嘅細節
- 長期預算（5-Year Budgeting）：如果你預計套系統只係用 1-2 年，租一定贏。但如果用到第 5 年，累積嘅總租金，可能夠你擁有一件傢俬。而且無人知每次加幾多錢租，就預算（Budgeting）而言，只要套軟件 / 系統你打算用 5 年以上，買斷通常都係比較慳錢同穩陣嘅方案。
- 現金流（Cash Flow）：買斷開頭第一年要攞一筆大錢出嚟，對現金流壓力就好大。
- 營運開支與資產投資（OpEx vs CapEx）：租（Subscription）屬於營運開支（OpEx），通常今年收到發票就可以直接全數扣稅；買（Perpetual）屬於資產投資（CapEx），喺會計賬目上要逐年做折舊（Depreciation）。唔同地區有唔同稅務操作及優惠，詳情要因應個別地區當年規定。
要知道邊個對公司最有利？記得同你嘅財務 / 會計部主管商量，順便請佢飲杯咖啡聯誼下。
想要搵軟件方案，又唔知點入手？同我地傾下 📞 (852) 5772 8290 📧 info@softmap.com.hk
閱讀更多類似文章 👉 https://softmap.com.hk/category/blog/software-insider-tips/
💡 Software Insider Tips | Demystifying Software Pricing Models: Subscription vs. Perpetual License (And Why Subscription Doesn’t Always Equal SaaS)
When selecting software, you will come across many terms that sound familiar but remain fuzzy. To be honest, even people in the IT industry sometimes fail to tell them apart. But remember: your software, your choice. Knowing more gives you an edge. Today, let’s use a simple analogy—renting furniture vs. buying furniture—to break down Subscription and Perpetual Licenses.
🏢 1. Subscription = Renting Furniture
In the last decade, almost 90% of software has shifted to a subscription model.
- How it works: You pay rent regularly. As long as you pay, you can use it. What if you stop paying? Sorry, the vendor takes it away immediately, and you lose access to the software. Upon cancellation, some vendors let you retrieve your belongings (your data) for free, while others will charge you a fee.
- The Pros: Low upfront cost, high flexibility, and lower opportunity cost. If it doesn’t fit your needs, walking away doesn’t hurt as much.
- The Cons: The “boiling frog” effect. Every time the contract comes up for renewal, the vendor has the right to raise the rent.
- Common Pricing Units: Per user / per seat / per company / per employee + billed monthly / annually.
🏠 2. Perpetual License = Buying Furniture
This is the traditional approach—paying a lump sum upfront to “buy out” the software.
- How it works: You bought it, so you can use it forever. However, you are usually expected (sometimes optionally, sometimes mandatory) to pay an annual Maintenance Fee. As long as you pay this fee, the vendor will fix leaks (bug fixes) and provide limited minor updates.
- The Pros: Because you own it, even if the vendor wants to raise prices, they can only increase the maintenance fee. They have no right to take the software away. The longer you use it, the cheaper the average annual cost becomes.
- The Cons: Forking out that huge lump sum at the beginning can be painful, putting serious pressure on the company’s cash flow. Furthermore, if you want to switch brands a few years later, that initial money becomes a sunk cost. You cannot resell or rent it out to someone else, because a perpetual license only means “you can use it forever,” not that you own the rights to resell it.
- Common Pricing Units: Per user / per seat / per company / per employee + an annual x% Maintenance Fee.
🚫 3. Debunking the Biggest Myth: Subscription ≠ SaaS
Many people, even those within the tech industry, often casually assume that Subscription equals Cloud/SaaS.
- Subscription is a “Pricing Model” (How they charge you).
- Cloud / SaaS is a “Deployment Model” (Where the stuff is placed).
Take Microsoft Office Desktop App as an example: you pay a monthly fee (Subscription), but you still have to download the software onto your own computer to use it.
Conversely, for certain expensive core systems (like ERP or Accounting systems), you might buy the software outright (Perpetual License), yet choose not to host it in your office server room. Instead, you deploy and use it on your company’s dedicated cloud server (Private Cloud). The two concepts often appear together, but they are absolutely not the same thing.
💡 Details that Bosses and Finance Care About
Choosing between these models is rarely just an IT decision; it’s a call made by the business owners and the Finance team. They look closely at these three details:
- Long-Term Budgeting (5-Year View): If you only plan to use the system for 1–2 years, renting wins hands down. But by Year 5, the accumulated rent might already equal the cost of buying a piece of furniture outright. Plus, nobody knows how much the vendor will hike the rent at each renewal. For long-term core systems intended for 5+ years of use, a Perpetual License is usually the more cost-effective and secure option for budgeting.
- Cash Flow: Buying outright requires a massive cash outflow in Year 1, which heavily impacts short-term liquidity.
- OpEx vs. CapEx: Subscriptions fall under Operational Expenses (OpEx) and can usually be 100% tax-deducted in the current year. Perpetual licenses are Capital Expenses (CapEx), which are typically depreciated year by year on the balance sheet. Different regions have different tax operations and incentives. It all depends on local regulations at the time.
Want to know which model benefits your company the most? While looking at the quotation, remember to ask your Finance Head—and maybe buy them a cup of coffee to catch up.