Is RWS no longer selling permanent licences for Trados Studio (2026)?

I'm a bit confused about the pricing for the new Trados Studio 2026. There's a bunch of stuff on the website about subscriptions, but I don't want a subscription. I think this would be the only one I would be interested in (see below).

Screenshot of the Trados pricing page for freelance translators, showing options for Trados Go and Trados Freelance with monthly and annual pricing details.

For context:

Going back in time:

  • on 16-Jul-2024, I paid £534.00 to "Upgrade from Trados Studio 2022 Freelance Plus to Trados Studio 2024 Freelance Plus"
  • on 04-May-2022, I paid £168 to "Upgrade from Trados Studio 2021 Freelance Plus to Trados Studio 2022 Freelance Plus"
  • on 24-Sep-2020, I paid £235.95, to "Upgrade from Trados Studio 2019 Freelance Plus to Trados Studio 2021 Freelance Plus"
  • on 04-Sep-2018, I paid £397.78, for "Level 1 Desktop - Support and Maintenance Agreement - 1 Year"
  • on 04-Oct-2017, I paid £303.07, for "Level 1 Desktop - Support and Maintenance Agreement - 1 Year"
  • on 22-Aug-2016, I paid £168.51, for "Level 2 Desktop - Support and Maintenance Agreement - 1 Year"
  • on 18-Aug-2016, I paid £147.60, to "Upgrade from SDL Trados Studio 2015 Freelance Plus to SDL Trados Studio 2017 Freelance Plus"
  • on 29-Mar-2016, I paid £547.35, for "SDL Trados Studio 2015 Freelance Plus + SDL AutoSuggest Creator Add-On"

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prices include VAT

That's £2,502.26 paid to RWS/SDL since 2016. Over roughly 8 years, that averages about £313/year.

Dropping the Support & Maintenance Agreements (which I no longer buy!) brings my effective Trados spend down to roughly £160–200/year.

On the current pricing page, £28.33 per month works out to £339.96 per year, which is a lot of money. Especially because I also need to keep my stupid memoQ up to date.

Is RWS no longer selling permanent licences? Or will they become available once Trados Studio 2026 is officially launched?



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[edited by: RWS Community AI at 9:49 PM (GMT 1) on 25 Jun 2026]
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  • Hello,

    Thank you for sharing your detailed history and concerns regarding Trados Studio pricing and licensing options. Let me clarify the situation for you.

    1. **Perpetual Licenses for Trados Studio 2026**: RWS has not officially discontinued perpetual licenses for Trados Studio. However, the focus on subscription-based pricing models has increased, as seen on the pricing page you referenced. This shift aligns with industry trends to offer more flexibility and cloud-based features. That said, perpetual licenses are typically made available alongside subscriptions, especially for users who prefer a one-time purchase model.

    2. **Availability of Perpetual Licenses**: If perpetual licenses are not currently visible on the pricing page, it is possible that they will be made available closer to or after the official launch of Trados Studio 2026. Historically, RWS has offered both options to cater to different user preferences.

    3. **Cost Comparison**: Based on your calculations, your historical spend on perpetual licenses and upgrades averages around £160–200 per year. The subscription model, at £28.33 per month (or £339.96 annually), is indeed higher. However, subscriptions often include additional benefits, such as seamless cloud integration and automatic

    emoji
Reply
  • Hello,

    Thank you for sharing your detailed history and concerns regarding Trados Studio pricing and licensing options. Let me clarify the situation for you.

    1. **Perpetual Licenses for Trados Studio 2026**: RWS has not officially discontinued perpetual licenses for Trados Studio. However, the focus on subscription-based pricing models has increased, as seen on the pricing page you referenced. This shift aligns with industry trends to offer more flexibility and cloud-based features. That said, perpetual licenses are typically made available alongside subscriptions, especially for users who prefer a one-time purchase model.

    2. **Availability of Perpetual Licenses**: If perpetual licenses are not currently visible on the pricing page, it is possible that they will be made available closer to or after the official launch of Trados Studio 2026. Historically, RWS has offered both options to cater to different user preferences.

    3. **Cost Comparison**: Based on your calculations, your historical spend on perpetual licenses and upgrades averages around £160–200 per year. The subscription model, at £28.33 per month (or £339.96 annually), is indeed higher. However, subscriptions often include additional benefits, such as seamless cloud integration and automatic

    emoji
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