A few months ago I published an article about some of the digital drawing and illustration software that is considered the best in the industry. In it (spoiler alert) I concluded that in my personal opinion the winner among them all was the very popular Clip Studio Paint.

Why? Let’s recall those points in its favor that made it, by then, the best choice:

  • Wide range of tools and functions.
  • Lightweight and does not demand a lot of resources from your computer.
  • Possibility of achieving traditional finishes.
  • Inexpensive. 

And in this last point lies the point of this new article or update.  Well, just a couple of weeks ago Clip Studio Paint released a statement published on its official Twitter account, from which the following fragment especially stood out:

“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”

This is a drastic change for all users of the platform who had been promised since the platform’s launch that only a one-time payment would be required for lifetime access to all that the software had, has, and will have to offer. Of course, as soon as the announcement was published, the comments began to pour in.

There was hope that these reactions would lead to the company coming to its senses.

But the collective anger did not stop when CPS later came out to, according to them, “clarify” what was bothering their users, with a tweet that in fact, reaffirms everything that their users were complaining about with statements disguised as positive points.

Again the reactions were of discontent and indignation, noting that the biggest problem of the new measures had not been touched: the subscription system. Although many of the comments considered it a fair deal to purchase the software license again to access version 2.0, few agree with the obligation to make frequent payments to have access to future updates.

So far, Clip Studio Paint has not commented on the matter, and it is unknown if they will reverse their decision as many users expect. In the meantime, you can check other illustration software options in our article Digital Illustration, choosing the right software.