TreeSize won’t renew perpetual-license support unless users subscribe

TreeSize 将不再为永久授权提供支持，除非用户订阅

The company behind the disk space analyzer TreeSize has irked some users by no longer offering support or updates for perpetual licenses beyond their maintenance period unless customers subscribe. 磁盘空间分析工具 TreeSize 的开发商近日引发了部分用户的不满，因为该公司宣布，在维护期结束后，除非用户转为订阅模式，否则将不再为永久授权提供支持或更新。

Further frustration has come from JAM Software’s long-standing policy of not providing license keys or installers to TreeSize perpetual license holders after that support period ends. 此外，JAM Software 长期以来的一项政策也加剧了用户的挫败感：一旦支持期结束，公司将不再向永久授权用户提供许可证密钥或安装程序。

Since 2025, JAM Software has been transitioning most TreeSize editions to subscription models. Today, it sells perpetual licenses only for personal use, which include 12 months of updates, support, and “downloads of older versions, and your license,” plus the option to extend the support period. 自 2025 年起，JAM Software 已将大部分 TreeSize 版本转向订阅模式。目前，该公司仅针对个人用途销售永久授权，其中包含 12 个月的更新、支持以及“旧版本下载和许可证获取”权限，并提供延长支持期的选项。

TreeSize currently has “no plans to discontinue the sale of perpetual licenses for TreeSize Personal,” product manager Hendrik Christ told Ars Technica. 产品经理 Hendrik Christ 在接受 Ars Technica 采访时表示，TreeSize 目前“没有计划停止销售 TreeSize Personal 的永久授权”。

As perpetual-license maintenance periods expire, customers are discovering that extending support now generally requires subscribing to software they already own the right to use. On Reddit, a user shared an email informing them that support for their perpetual license ends in September, after which they will lose access to updates and support because those “are only available in the subscription.” 随着永久授权维护期的到期，客户发现若要延长支持，通常需要为他们已经拥有使用权的软件进行订阅。在 Reddit 上，一位用户分享了一封邮件，通知其永久授权的支持将于 9 月结束，此后他们将无法获得更新和支持，因为这些服务“仅在订阅中提供”。

Christ told Ars that considering the “current economic conditions,” the change was “necessary to keep developing and supporting TreeSize reliably over the long term.” Christ 向 Ars 表示，考虑到“当前的经济状况”，这一调整对于“长期可靠地开发和支持 TreeSize 是必要的”。

One of the biggest criticisms is that JAM Software will not provide backup installation files or license keys to customers with unsupported licenses. TreeSize’s email urged the user to make backups. “Honestly, it feels quite low to strip paying customers of the ability to simply download the installer for a software version they already paid for,” the Reddit user said. 最大的批评声之一在于，JAM Software 不会向支持期已过的客户提供备份安装文件或许可证密钥。TreeSize 的邮件曾敦促用户自行备份。该 Reddit 用户表示：“老实说，剥夺付费客户下载他们已经购买过的软件版本的安装程序的能力，这种做法让人感觉很卑劣。”

But even before it sold TreeSize subscriptions, JAM Software didn’t permanently retain every installation file and key after a customer’s support period ended, Christ said. This is because “older software versions can contain known bugs or even security vulnerabilities,” he said, adding: Making these available for download indefinitely and without restriction is something we consider a risk to our customers, particularly in business environments. There’s also the technical and organizational overhead of maintaining and supporting old versions and their associated keys indefinitely. 但 Christ 表示，即使在销售订阅模式之前，JAM Software 也不会在客户支持期结束后永久保留所有的安装文件和密钥。他解释称，这是因为“旧版本的软件可能包含已知的漏洞甚至安全隐患”，并补充道：“无限期且无限制地提供这些下载，我们认为这对客户构成风险，尤其是在商业环境中。此外，无限期维护和支持旧版本及其相关密钥也存在技术和组织上的开销。”

Although TreeSize says this is a long-standing policy, the backlash highlights the disconnect between what many people expect when buying a perpetual license and what they get when a software vendor shifts its business model toward subscriptions. 尽管 TreeSize 声称这是一项长期政策，但此次反弹凸显了许多人在购买永久授权时的预期，与软件供应商转向订阅模式后实际提供的服务之间存在脱节。

“To make sure customers aren’t caught off guard, we proactively notify them by email, well before their maintenance ends, to back up their installation file and license key themselves. This is meant to ensure no one loses access to software they’ve already purchased,” Christ said. Christ 表示：“为了确保客户不会措手不及，我们在维护期结束前会主动通过电子邮件通知他们自行备份安装文件和许可证密钥。这是为了确保没有人会失去对已购买软件的访问权限。”

Should this be a subscription? There’s also the question of whether it makes sense to subscribe to a disk space analyzer, especially when there are free alternatives like WinDirStat. Christ admitted that the change has been “frustrating for some customers.” When asked about online requests for refunds, Christ said, “since our customers do receive what was agreed, namely indefinite use of the software version they purchased, we don’t consider a refund to be warranted…” 这真的需要订阅吗？还有一个问题是，为磁盘空间分析工具付费订阅是否有意义，尤其是当市面上已有 WinDirStat 等免费替代品时。Christ 承认，这一变化“让一些客户感到沮丧”。当被问及在线退款请求时，Christ 表示：“由于我们的客户确实收到了协议约定的内容，即无限期使用他们购买的软件版本，我们认为退款是不合理的……”

A free version of TreeSize exists, but it lacks some features, including the ability to search for duplicate files, deduplicate redundant files, and compare disk space usage over time. It is not for business use. TreeSize 确实存在免费版本，但它缺少一些功能，包括搜索重复文件、删除冗余文件以及对比不同时期的磁盘空间使用情况。且该版本不可用于商业用途。

TreeSize’s evolution illustrates the growing subscription economy, particularly the software industry’s fixation on recurring revenue. Over the past decade, software vendors have increasingly shifted to subscriptions in pursuit of more predictable revenue streams. TreeSize 的演变反映了日益增长的订阅经济，尤其是软件行业对经常性收入的执着。在过去十年中，软件供应商为了追求更可预测的收入来源，越来越多地转向了订阅模式。

In TreeSize’s case, JAM Software wanted to “continue offering our customers a relevant, well-maintained product over the long term,” Christ said. “The broader economic environment is more challenging today than it was a few years ago, and we feel that too as a software vendor,” he added. “To continue meeting our own standards and our responsibility to business customers who rely on high-quality software, we are placing greater emphasis on predictability in development and support. A subscription model gives us that predictability in a way one-time purchases do not.” 对于 TreeSize 的情况，Christ 表示，JAM Software 希望“长期为客户提供相关且维护良好的产品”。他补充道：“当前的宏观经济环境比几年前更具挑战性，作为软件供应商，我们也深有体会。为了继续达到我们自己的标准，并履行对依赖高质量软件的商业客户的责任，我们更加强调开发和支持的可预测性。订阅模式为我们提供了这种可预测性，而一次性购买则无法做到这一点。”