act premium v21Act v21 Pro is no longer available. Sorry. It’s been discontinued.

David F wrote this email to me today:
“I’m using version 20.1.120.0 Update 8.  I’ve been using Act! almost from the time of it’s entry into the marketplace.  As I understand the situation, Act! Pro version 21 will become unsupported after Nov. 30, 2021 and Act! Pro will no longer be sold.  Am I correct? I’m trying to decide if I should switch to Act! Premium.  I am a one-man business, using Act! for personal contacts, a home-based reading and math teaching business, and a home-based network marketing business that is starting to expand.  The only advantage I see to Act! Premium is it’s cloud based so I would have access to some functions on my cell phone, but it sounds like a cell phone interface is a web browser interface that doesn’t provide as much function as my Windows based desktop.  Would the cell phone interface give full access to contact information, scheduling and contact notes and history?  Am I missing significant reasons for choosing to now switch to Act! Premium instead of moving up to Version 21?”

Michael C wrote:
“I called ACT! previously and was told that they did not sell a non-subscription anymore. That their program would lock-up after a year, if your subscription was not renewed.  It looks like your disk requires no subscription? Does this disk/program come with any included support from ACT!? I want to upgrade but not excited about getting on a subscription. I need ACT! support though.”

So lets breakdown the fallacies:

  1. TRUE: As I understand the situation, Act! Pro version 21 will become unsupported after Nov. 30, 2021 and Act! Pro will no longer be sold. You can no longer purchase the Act Pro product.
  2. FALSE: Act! Premium is cloud based. Although Premium can be hosted/web-based you can also install it on your computer in the same exact way you installed Act Pro.
  3. TRUE: I would have access to some functions on my cell phone with Act Premium.  The Premium subscription version includes “Act Mobile” which will allow you to view your contacts from your smart phone app on Android and Apple devices; this does not require that you use Act Premium for web but it does make it a whole lot easier.
  4. FALSE:  The cell phone interface gives full access to contact information, scheduling and contact notes and history. By definition, an app is a mini piece of software. The Act Mobile app does not look exactly like your current Act layout but it does give you access to your Contacts, Notes, Opportunities and Activities.
  5. TRUE: I called ACT! and was told that they did not sell a non-subscription anymore. Act! is no longer selling Pro.
  6. KIND OF: Act will lock-up after a year if you do not renew your subscription. Your data is your data; if it resides on your own computer it will not go away. If you have Pro installed your data will be accessible as long as you can continue to open Act. If you are on a Premium subscription and “let it lapse” you will not be able to open Act  to see your data but your data is still intact.
  7. FALSE: Act Pro includes a “disk.” Considering the fact that most modern computers don’t include CD drives it’s no wonder that ALL versions of Act are now sold as a downloadable file.
  8. TRUE:  Act Pro does not come with any included support from SwiftPage. Only Act Premium includes support. However, you can purchase support plans if you need Pro support. Or you can always reach out to Tech Benders as we will continue to support Act Pro.

Please feel free to leave a comment after this post if you still have questions. Click Here to learn more about the differences between Act Pro and Act Premium.