Does Final Cut Pro have an expiration date after purchasing?

Question

I have been trying to Google about this but have not been able to find an answer. Hopefully there is someone that can tell me if Final Cut Pro has any expiration date after purchasing?

Answer 1

No there is no expiration date. The software is yours permanently. To be more specific, that version is yours permanently, but that does not mean you are entitled to any future versions.

Answer 2

Software such as Final Cut Pro which is downloaded from the Mac App Store is tied to the Apple ID you used when purchasing it.

While it is possible to have apps installed on a single Mac from multiple Apple ID accounts, it means bouncing in and out of the accounts when doing updates and such. Apple wants you to use their Family Sharing feature if you need to share apps among multiple users who have separate Apple IDs.

As for "expiration," no, apps do not expire as such. However, sometimes newer versions of apps come out that only support newer versions of OS X, and this usually leads to the abandonment of the older version, which often won't work on the newer OS. The best example of this is Mac OS Server, which must be re-purchased for every new OS. A lesser example is the iWork suite, where the old versions delivered on physical media don't entitle you to a Mac App Store license, and since the old versions don't run on current versions of Mac OS X, you're effectively forced to abandon iWork or buy a fresh license on the MAS.

The same thing that happened with iWork did happen with Final Cut Pro and its companion apps Motion and Compressor, but the transition from physical media to the MAS was so long ago (2011) that those of us who bought fresh MAS licenses — which, to be fair, were much less than the cost of upgrades in the physical media days — have been getting free upgrades for years.

Bottom line, there are no guarantees of perpetual licenses, but usually the break-off point is under your control, such as by choosing not to upgrade to the latest shiny version of OS X, if doing so would create a compatibility conflict.