Announcing the Buildbox Subscription

By August 27, 2015Buildbox, Buildbox Notes

Notice:  We have updated our subscription terms and have a yearly contract.

The subscription terms are very similar to other desktop software products. Here’s how it will work:

  • The Buildbox subscription price for Pro is $49.99 per month with a 1 year commitment totaling $499.99 and for Buildbox Plus the price is $19.99 per month with a 1 year commitment totaling $189.99.
  • With an active Buildbox subscription, you get access to every feature available in Buildbox including the full game creation, monetization, effects and export options.
  • You can cancel your subscription after fulfilling your terms, and your copy of Buildbox will revert to demo mode.
  • All updates, including new releases, are free during an active subscription.
  • Buildbox does not take any royalties or fees for the content you create with the full license purchase or subscription. Anything you create with Buildbox is 100% yours regardless if a subscription is active or not.

You can find more information about the subscription plans right here or by clicking the button below:

Buildbox Subscription Plans

Trey Smith

About Trey Smith

Trey Smith is founder at Buildbox.com and also owns a mobile game company with more than 55,000,000 downloads. 8 Games from his company have broken the Top 30 of the App Store including The Line Zen, Phases, Jump Pack and Monster Magic. Follow for updates on Facebook or Twitter.

60 Comments

  • Avatar bb says:

    hi in past buildbox is with sound box, animator, pixel box and more do are those still available ?>

  • Avatar Pakitune says:

    Hi there Buildbox team,
    Just wanted to know, what dose it mean ” Plus Plan, 1 World and 15 Scenes” is this for 1 game in a month or it means we can create 1 world and 15 scenes in a game in a every game in month? Can you please clear me?

    Thanks in advance.
    Regards,
    KS

  • Avatar Francesco Ardizzone says:

    Hi there, a Merry Christmas to you all! Buildbox is a hyperwonderful piece of software that I dream of. Just a question: What is the “Master Collection”?
    Thanks.

  • Avatar Kaori says:

    I am interested in Buildbox, but could you elaborate more on your license?

  • Avatar Ty says:

    Um… Hi. What if you only have enough money to pay for only one month and can’t pay off the whole year?

    • Avatar Tiana Crump says:

      Hi Ty, you can contact our team directly at support@buildbox.com and they can answer any questions you might have on pricing options.

      • Avatar besarad says:

        Hi there if i purchase the license for 1 year deal and i pay for one month because i dont have much money it will stop automaticlly the subscription or we have to pay something like penalty (punishment)

  • Avatar Carlos Garcia says:

    How can i cancel my subscription??

  • Avatar Tal says:

    How Do I terminate the subscription ? VERY UNCLEAR

  • Avatar Calvin says:

    Is the Full price for a lifetime license still available?

    • Avatar Trey Smith says:

      Hi Calvin, we do not have that option available right now. You can email support@buildbox.com and discuss it with them though :)

      • Avatar rithvik says:

        hi trey my name is rithvik i am from India i loved builbox so much finally i found a actual game development software without coding so the thing i am getting stuck up with is when i open up your website on the top right corner i see Get builbox, but when i register my email id and name it shows me an introduction video and thats it no free trail ,pls reply and one more thing do i have to buy your package in order to get buildbox.

      • Hey trey this is Sylvin Freeman I wanna know why I didn’t get a response back from the email y’all have?

  • Avatar Neeraj says:

    Hey Guys ?
    whats the process to terminate the subscription ? I got every detail except this.

  • Avatar Jay says:

    I would love to get started with your monthly plan but I have one question.

    Will the training be included as I want to be a success at both using the tools and going to market.

    With out the training the tools would be useless to us.

    • Avatar Tiana Crump says:

      Hi Jay, the subscription includes access to Trey Smith’s game training course within the Kajabi forum which is a forum for the community of Buildbox developers.

  • Avatar Tim says:

    Hey Trey, great option. I would subscribe if it was for the master collection. Will keep a look out if that becomes available otherwise it is another game engine that I need to source art / sound etc for.
    Cheers!
    Tim

  • Avatar Franklin says:

    Hey Trey, you might not have remembered but we met at the App Code workshop in San Diego, CA., a few years ago. Two questions, firstly, how long will this offer be up? Secondly, if I did the 1 year subscription and decided to get the full version, would I pay the full price at a one time?
    You are very gracious to be offering this product and thanks again. I am definitely going to give this a try! -Franklin –

    • Avatar Trey Smith says:

      Hi Franklin, The new subscription has been very successful so far so I do not see us bringing it down anytime soon. As for subscription payments going towards license purchase, unfortunately these are two different things completely. With the subscription model, you are leasing the license. When this lease is up and you decide to cancel then you lose access to the software. This is similar to how car companies lease cars or cable companies lease cable boxes during service. When it’s over, you don’t own the product unfortunately.

  • Avatar June Ramli says:

    Hi Trey,
    I am a non tech person who is interested in games and someone from the Sydney developer scene got me in touch with your company and I am now trying the software through the trial but the same developer who introduce me to u says that you conduct master classes but I understand it is currently filled up at the moment. Please keep me inform when you plan to open it next.

    Thanks

  • Avatar Eris says:

    Hello trey this plans is a good news for me… but i want ask you something if me join to this monthly subcription can you support us ( all Customers) to help publishing our game in Monster Developer Like Ketchapp ? and can you teach us all marketing menthod you have to make our game have more download ? because make awesome game without good marketing is same like make Good product without any sales .

    Thank You :)

    • Avatar Trey Smith says:

      Hi Eris, Buildbox comes with a big course that covers every aspect of game development. I need to make note of that somewhere ;)

  • Avatar Sina says:

    Hi there,

    I very like and love your art pack

    I creating game with unity

    Can I buy only Full art pack ?
    How ?

  • Avatar Jerson says:

    Hi Trey I hope there’s a feature soon that I can envite someone to edit or modify the game for me. Client based thing …kinda reseller of games

  • Avatar BuildBoxDreamer says:

    I second BuildboxFan suggestion.

    That would be great knowing we will eventually own the full/lifetime once we fully pay the subscription.

    Otherwise, this will be in my wishlist and dream only.

    Regards.

    • Avatar Kevin says:

      I was wondering about this very thing. $99/mo with a one year commitment means that I’ve spent nearly half the cost of the software. It would be nice to offer a pro-rated purchase option. Just because Unity does it one way, doesn’t mean you can’t continue to forge new paths in this space. :)

      • Avatar Trey Smith says:

        Thanks for the feedback, Kevin. Our goal was not to make a cheaper option than we have available now… that would not be fair to the hundreds of people who have purchased Buildbox. Instead our goal was to make it more accessible to people who could not afford to purchase the license. Both options definitely have their individual benefits.

  • Avatar BuildboxFan says:

    Hello Trey Smith! How about down payment?? and just little by little accomplish the full payment? If that happens it will be awesome but if not people should not buy subscription but instead collect their $99 for 2 years and a half so they could get the full payment.. :)

    • Avatar Trey Smith says:

      Yes, unfortunately that will not work as the subscription and purchase of a license are two completely different things. Just like Unity and other software with subscription commitments, if you stop paying you lose access to the software. Adobe, Autocad and all other desktop software on the subscription model does the same.

  • Hi Trey

    I am currently using 1month free subscription to understand Buildbox. I can say using buildbox is pretty simple you have created an awesome software but 12month commitment time will be very costly for me as I am from India.
    Please consider making flexible commitment time.

    Regards
    Dheeraj Yadav

  • Avatar Rex Ellacott says:

    Trey,

    What a fantastic option you have put together. I think its a very good offer to anyone serious about gaming. Have been following you for a while and seen how you’ve grown your business, well done. I’ll have a talk with some of our guys and see if one of them wants to jump into gaming, as we have a pile of stuff happening and this would be a great opportunity to get it happening, finally for real. Thanks for you proactive attitude, and openness to share. Creativity unhindered I reckon, cheers.

  • Avatar Joe C says:

    I was one of those who has suggested since inception that buildbox should offer a subscription. I applaud that choice.

    I have been a monthly subscriber to Adobe Cloud (49/month) since its beginning. And Unity is $75 a month to create a game – the extra cost is for when you want to deploy – and additional 75 per month per platform – and they have 22 platforms! BUT, Buildbox is the only one requiring a yearly commitment.

    Logically, I do not see the need. If the user actually makes use of buildbox, they will WANT to keep their subscription. For new games, to support and improve what they have, for the updates, and so on, and so on. If they are not, they should be able to leave. And frankly, having tried various types of subscriptions the past 15 years for my software, trying to enforce a commitment can be an expensive pain in the rear. I could only see a valid reason for a minimum commitment if you were getting extra value, such as the masters collection.

    The subscription is a good idea – it can be extremely profitable, it allows many more people a way to use the tool, which grows the user base, product and the business faster (and frankly, better) – it is just the implementation that needs some adjustment. :-)

    Joe C.

    • Avatar Trey Smith says:

      Hi Joe, thanks for the kind words. Just an FYI, but Unity does requires a full year subscription. Same with Adobe unless you want to pay 2X more per month.

      • Avatar Joe C says:

        You are right about Unity, though when I emailed my friends there, they are considering changing the commitment requirement (it would seem, that in this economy, they are finding enforcement to be . . . difficult and distracting), and are considering adding 1 platform to the basic membership. Also, with Adobe, you do not get just one product – you get EVERY product they have included for $49 per month – I have 13 installed on my system!

        So, as I said before, the objective to me, is to make the cost within reach, so you can grow your user base. I have been a software engineer for 30+ years, for myself and companies like AT&T, DEC and IBM. It is not the size of the company that is critical, but the number of people using the software. That is what will make it, and you, a success. Borland introduced Delphi at $49 – $99 for th Pro edition. And kept it there for 3 years, till they reached over 1 million dedicated users, like myself. Now we pay $999 for the latest new version.

        And it is fact that programmers and Indie shops are “poor” – cost is always in the top 3 considerations. Even AT&T was a cheapo when we looked at software purchases – the damn bean counters didn’t care about features, just the bottom line.

        Also small shops are even more leary of the user base size: the larger that user base, the more confident they are of assistance with problems from the “community”, availability of “programmers” for help or hire, and the probability that the tool will survive and be there to use.

        So I would advise, (free of charge ;-) either eliminating the commitment, or give a bit more of the Masters Collection value to the subscribers. It takes even a good shop several months to really truly know if a tool is worth it – they need to know they can stop using it/paying for it, if it does not work out. I already know, for example, that buildbox is currently incapable of creating 3 game app designs we have.

        I would advise to you the same thing I did as a consultant for AT&T (they sent me to other companies) – focus on growing the number of users of your tool, not on how much you can charge for it now. You will not be alone in this type of tool for very long – Delphi. Xojo, LiveCode and 4 or 5 others I know of, are working on this sort of “done-for-you-no-programmer” approach built on top of their code engines. (I know, I have done work for several recently). Grow your base – entice users, not millionaires. You have made an excellent start.

        Now I have to get back to work. :-)

        Joe C.

  • for third world country its very costly and 12 month commitment also not helping. i think adobe has a single month plan

  • Avatar Oliver Solomon-Clarke says:

    If I get the subscription and eventually I pay £1,188. Will the subscription keep on going or as soon as that’s paid will I not need to pay anymore.

    • Avatar Trey Smith says:

      The subscription is ongoing, but you also get free access to future versions, including major releases.

  • Avatar mark uriarte says:

    Hey Trey, it has been awesome watching you grow this business. I have not been able to participate for monetary reasons, but this seems viable. Does full access include everything that was recently released, or is buildbox a part of what was released?

    • Avatar Trey Smith says:

      Hi Mark, thanks. It’s been a REALLY fun business to grow and we are really excited to see it becoming a leading platform. As for access, this is just for Buildbox itself. We are not offering a subscription model for Masters collection.

  • Avatar mohit says:

    hey that’s the great news to listen…Amazing….i was shocked.But i didn’t understood that,if i subscribed for one year plan and want to unsubscribe in the middle of the year(say for example 5 months after subscription).Then what should i do.can i do like that or can’t..
    Thank you,
    Regards,
    Mohit.

    • Avatar Trey Smith says:

      Hi Mohit, the minimum commitment when joining is one year. So you would not be able to cancel your subscription in 5 months. After 1 year, you are moved to a month to month plan and can cancel at anytime. Of course if you cancel, you will lose access to Buildbox. Full details on the subscription are here: https://www.buildbox.com/subscription-terms/

  • Avatar Steve says:

    This is seriously amazing Trey! Thanks for making this an option! It’s time to consult the wife and hopefully pull the trigger!

  • Avatar Thomas says:

    If I understand this correctly you pay $99.00 a month for 12 months, then if you do not continue to pay $99 per month you loose access to the software that your what Renting? That is $1,188.00 to rent your software for one year, most platforms have a version cut off you can still use the software that you paid for at least most of the time that is the case, never heard of a scheme like this before not sure if your going to be successful with that kind of bad business model.

    • Avatar Robert says:

      Seems to be working for Adobe

    • Avatar Trey Smith says:

      Hi Thomas, this business model is actually becoming industry standard with high-end desktop software. It’s the same model that Adobe, Autodesk and Unity are now doing. This is why we have both full pay and subscription options. With full pay, you own the license and can use it forever. With subscriptions, you are leasing the license. This again is the same way most other companies are currently handling monthly payment options.

      • Avatar Troy says:

        While that may be true, you can get an entire Adobe Creative Cloud for at most $49 / month which their suite is more than BuildBox. With that $99 seems a bit steep unless you want to include all the other tools you recently announced for basically $5K.

        • Avatar Trey Smith says:

          While we might be taking a similar approach to Adobe, we are in a very different market and obviously a much smaller company.

          Maybe one day we’ll be a monopolistic company with vast reach, but until then a better comparison to us would be Unity. They are charging a total of $225 per month (or $4,500 full payment) for their comparable pro version with Android and iOS export.

          The goal with Buildbox – for me personally – is to build a sustainable company that continues to innovate and create a great products for the right people. I want to create the best platform available out there and change the way people are creating games. I am very serious and passionate about that and know the resources it will take.

          My goal is not for it to be the cheapest (or most expensive) solution, it’s be the best solution for the general market. Also, I know it won’t be for everyone, but the unexpected increase we got today in sales shows that the new pricing is helping out the people it is for.