Since the demise of Act Pro on September 15, 2023 my mailbox has been flooded with the same question: “Can I still buy an Act Perpetual license?” In a nutshell, my answer is “NO!” To fully understand perpetual licensing you need to understand two key concepts:
- End User License Agreement (EULA): Most software has a EULA and Act is no exception. The EULA is that legal jargon that most of us ignore by clicking NEXT when installing software.
- Perpetual license: This allows end users to use the software as long as the end user complies with the terms of the End User License Agreement (EULA).
Act Pro was sold as a perpetual license; however the EULA did not state that the manufacturer would continue to support the software forever, nor did it state that the software would continue to work even if you changed your operating environment. That means that many of the folks that had Act Pro versions that were older than Act v18 Pro used your Act Pro for years and years – until they decided to reinstall the software or did something like upgrade your operating system. That’s when they found that their Act software would not register.
So back to my phone calls. Can you buy an Act Perpetual License? NO!
So what is an existing Act customer to do if they can no longer access their Act Software? You have three options:
- Upgrade to an Act Subscription. And no, this doesn’t mean you have to be “in the clouds.” Act Premium Desktop installs on your machine in the same exact way that your old Act Pro installed.
- Consider Act Premium Cloud. Note: I highly recommend some basic database cleanup if you intend to upload a fairly old Act Database.
- Consider moving to another CRM. I highly recommend Zoho. There are subscriptions starting at $84/year.
If you have additional questions about purchasing an Act License or want to check out other CRM products, please send me an email or add a comment below.
I have used Act Pro for years. It meets my needs perfectly. Currently using Act! v22 Pro which I understand loses support in Nov 2021. I am a one person business and Act! v22 along with my data are resident on my laptop. Is Act! v24 something, along with my data, that would be resident on my local computer (not on a network)? If I buy a new laptop do I need to re purchase another Act! v24? How long would Act! v24 be supported?
Hi Harry,
I am a bit confused by what you mean by “supported.” The Pro products are discontinued and receive no further updates. You can purchase support for two years from the release of the product.
The Premium products include support.
* Currently using Act! v22 Pro which I understand loses support in Nov 2021. Actually, the product is currently unsupported as it was discontinued. That doesn’t mean you can’t use it, it just means that it won’t be updated to things like Windows 11
* Is Act! v24 something, along with my data, that would be resident on my local computer (not on a network)? Yes, both Act Premium 24 and Act Pro 24 will reside on your computer.
* If I buy a new laptop do I need to re purchase another Act! v24? No, licenses are transferrable between computers.
* How long would Act! v24 be supported? Really not sure what you mean by “supported.” The Pro product has no support and will theoretically not have any additional updates. The Premium product will include support for two years as long as you continue with your subscription.
If you are interested in purchasing either Act! Pro 24 or Act! Premium 24 please let me know.
I am in the process of upgrading my ACT to a new non subscription one that has an activation key – can you help
Hi Chris,
Thanks for stopping by Tech Benders. Absolutely, we can help! At the moment you have two alternatives: Act Pro v22 and Act Pro v24. In case you’re wondering, there was never an Act Pro v23. The big question is: do you use Office 365? If so, Pro is not the right product for you.
We can also help you get your database converted to Act Pro v22 or Act Pro v24.
Will ACT v24 receive updates (patches and fixes) and for how long? What’s Swiftpage’s obsolescence policy for ACT v24. I use ACT Pro v22 which expired for updates on Nov 30, 2021. I thought I could by a single user license of Act v24 for $450 if I am upgrading from ACT Pro v22. Your comments above seem to indicate to me that that is not possible. I’m confused.
Hi Harry,
You can absolutely purchase Act Pro v24 for $449.99. Or you can continue to use Act Pro v22 for as long as it continues to work for you. Act Pro v24 brings 64 bit performance and Windows 11 compatibility to the table.
As far as obsolescence that’s where I try to be cautious. Act Pro is theoretically “discontinued” and I have no idea as to how long Act Pro V24 will remain on the market. For that reason, I advise against purchasing this product if you rely on Office 365 to integrate with Act Pro v24. As Office 365 evolves and updates I can’t guarantee that Act Pro v24 will receive the necessary updates to maintain compatibility.
Hope this helps!
I run a two person business and have Act 2011 V13 running on Windows 7 now.
No integration to any Microsoft Office programs nor email but it has a lot of customization of fields plus about 15 years of records and notes I don’t want to lose.
Looking forward to upgrading our office to Win11 so need to purchase, not subscribe to some version of Act, probable V24 in some basic form.
Is this possible and can I upload my database to the newer version?
Hi Phil,
Thanks for reaching out to Tech Benders!
Since you don’t integrate to any of the Office products (Excel, Word or Outlook/Email) you would be a good candidate for Act v24 Pro; you can purchase Act Pro v24 here.
Since you are moving to Windows 11 then Act v24 would be a good choice for you as it is both 64 bit and Windows 11 compatible.
As far as your database is concerned, yes, it can be brought up to v24 without you losing a drop of data. Theoretically you could do it yourself by finding a copy of Act v16, installing that, updating your database, uninstalling Act v16 (and SQL) and then installing Act v24. If that sounds a bit challenging for you we also offer that service at very low rates.
Is Act (Web) version 24.0 a perpetual license?
No. Both Act Premium for Web and Act Premium for Desktop require an annual renewal.