5 $ license ( legacy codebase)

[insha]

Hello, and sorry if i opened New thread for this. I couldnt find license thread for this i wanted to write, admin can push post to It.
But i have an idea,for Legacy codebase 5 $ internal datacenter licenses.
If there would be one-time payment, or yearly for updates, to upgarde for PRO PACK features and still using 5 $ licenses.
Is this could be doable?
Then all license holders could have the same codebase, just still using old pricing + additional fee for all features like in normal licenses pack.
I would love to hear what everybody else thinks about this?

 

[Imtek]

They don't want people to pay once or a low amount, they only want users who use their new license model.

There is no middle way now, all the thing you want with the old codebase is becoming premium like newer versions of MariaDB. So basically you are forced to upgrade to a new license.

I still understand that pay-once and get support in perpetuity is not viable, but there must be a reasonable middle road for legacy license holders but they keep on locking down stuff like ipv4/ipv6 and if you want to do it for unreasonable pricing to unlock it.

Still i hope they wake up an not alienate their old client base and offer reasonable solutions like support packages with a yearly package or something like that.

I hope they never become a part of Oakley Capital (also owners of cPanel, Plesk, SolusVM and WHMCS) but it feels inevitable.

 

[netswitch]

Aldready proposed some other pricing schemes in the dedicated thread, no feedback from Directadmin..

 

[floyd]

They have turned their backs on those who helped them grow.

 

[smtalk]

I hope they never become a part of Oakley Capital (also owners of cPanel, Plesk, SolusVM and WHMCS) but it feels inevitable.

It’s important to recognize that change, while sometimes unsettling, is not always a precursor to negative outcomes. Adjustments in policy to ensure that DirectAdmin remains robust and self-sufficient are contradictory to the notion that selling to a venture capital firm is inevitable. Those who cannot survive sell to VC.

Aldready proposed some other pricing schemes in the dedicated thread, no feedback from Directadmin..

As I mentioned in the other thread, there’s no immediate need for a change at this moment, especially since lifetime licenses are not under threat at the time being? The sense of urgency may seem premature (to me). Rest assured, proposals, especially with detailed schemes, have been seen. A lack of response does not imply that your suggestions were unheard, disregarded or ignored

 

[Richard G]

A lack of response does not imply that your suggestions were unheard, disregarded or ignored

Unfortunately as seemed from conversations with Mark, they aren't accepted either. Really hope those are still "for the time being" decisions and might change later on.

 

[Imtek]

At least they did not add notices to the login page about the DirectAdmin version being of the legacy codebase yet....

If you want to push your old "customers" to a pay-per-month structure do it without pushing them without these kind of sneaky steps.

I have spoken.

 

[dlong500]

It’s important to recognize that change, while sometimes unsettling, is not always a precursor to negative outcomes. Adjustments in policy to ensure that DirectAdmin remains robust and self-sufficient are contradictory to the notion that selling to a venture capital firm is inevitable. Those who cannot survive sell to VC.


As I mentioned in the other thread, there’s no immediate need for a change at this moment, especially since lifetime licenses are not under threat at the time being? The sense of urgency may seem premature (to me). Rest assured, proposals, especially with detailed schemes, have been seen. A lack of response does not imply that your suggestions were unheard, disregarded or ignored

I appreciate and respect the work you've put into DirectAdmin over the years and the help you've given in the forums. However, to say that "lifetime licenses are not under threat" when basic support for new database versions are not included in legacy licenses just doesn't make any sense. While of course nothing will just stop working right now, MariaDB doesn't support older software forever, and in fact support for the 10.6 LTS release ends in less than two years. So beyond that point the lifetime license pretty much becomes useless as even security fixes won't make it into the older database versions.

Support for core software like webservers, databases, PHP, etc was always a very basic part of the DirectAdmin package. Not allowing lifetime license holders to upgrade core software is even worse than I thought would happen after the "Pro Pack" fiasco. I figured the lifetime license was pretty much in maintenance mode from then on, but now it is being killed off plain and simple. Without core software upgrades the license will soon become worthless.

 

[Richard G]

when basic support for new database versions are not included in legacy licenses

Even support for newer OS is not included anymore. 2026 it's all eol on LL. and 2027 for Alma 9.

 

[pat0]

@Richard G Full EOL (no free security updates from vendor) for Alma 8 is May 2029, and for Alma 9 is May 2032.
DirectAdmin EOLs for those systems are August 2029 and August 2032.

OS General | Directadmin Docs

DirectAdmin Knowledge Base

docs.directadmin.com

 

[Ohm J]

@pat0
For legacy license, will only support for mariadb 10.6 and mysql 8.0, so it will become EOL of license anyway in 2027.

 

[Richard G]

Full EOL (no free security updates from vendor) for Alma 8 is May 2029, and for Alma 9 is May 2032.

I know, normal EOL is 2027 and security support until 2032. But we won't get there anyway as the database are already EOL in 2026. So one can keep it running but not if you want to use an up to date system.

EOL of license anyway in 2027.

Respectivaly juli and april 2026.

 

[pat0]

@pat0
For legacy license, will only support for mariadb 10.6 and mysql 8.0, so it will become EOL of license anyway in 2027.

I know bunch of hosts still using MySQL 5.7 or even 5.6, but when it comes to updates you are right.

 

[klasje]

To me, the worst part is that they are pissing of all their partners as well, stealing their clients.
Several big hosting providers selling Directadmin datacenter licenses, are now also all on legacy.
This means that they will lose all the customers they brought Directadmin for 20+ years...

This is just putting a knife in your most trustworthy partners...
If you kill lifetime supporters it's one thing, but killing monthly paying partners, that's a whole other level of boldiness.
This will harm the reputation and willingness of partners to even mention Directadmin.
If they sell plesk, they also don't give their own clients a legacy version...

 

[Richard G]

This means that they will lose all the customers they brought Directadmin for 20+ years...

Come one, get real. What customers? They were able to sell their servers with cheap of free licenses, they got customers, DA did not.
Next to that, they have been able for many years to get licenses which they could use indefinately for $89 lifetime, some even for free.

It was the intention that this would bring DA customers, but obviously, would you get a $29/month license if you get a server with DA included for only $5/month or for free?

So it's not stealing clients, datacenters had a great profit of the very cheap lifetime licenses for many years. Earned big money at DA's back. It made DA known, but ofcourse didn't bring DA customers this way or almost not.

This is just putting a knife in your most trustworthy partners...

Yeah right, DA got nothing from the datacenters except some advertising and the datacenters (most of them) made money for years (even if only $5/month) on their cheap or free licenses.

If they sell plesk, they also don't give their own clients a legacy version...

Yeah sure. First of all, Plesk stopped lifetime licenses years ago. Go and inform yourself as what a "lifetime" license of Plesk would costs you if it still exist, to have upgrades every year.
At least DA's lifetime is legacy, and ofcourse it's irritating. But think in it this way:

1. Not a single other professional panel is having so many lifetime licenses out there with free updates.
2. DA is still giving updates and... if possible, you can go to MariaDB 10.5 and still have support/updates until end of OS or 2032
3. DA is still giving the free DA version updates and other updates like php/apache, so lifetime still goes
4. Any "remaining" lifetime license of the competition, cost a lot of money per year to even get any updates or have it working. More stronger, a re-activation of a lifetime license plesk costs $250. So who are stealing here?
5. DA until now never ever had 1 price raise, which is already very special for any company on the internet. Next to that, every businessman and company knows that lifetime is never lifetime as "until I die", just like a lot of hosters sell to customers with "unlimited hdd space and datatraffic" which is also never unlimited, so compare to that.
6. Other software which would be lifetime is at a certain point, as costs get over benefits just declared "end of life" and you can keep using it (like you can keep using DA) but without any support or updates. DA is still giving forum support on old crap.

I'm also angry about this. But considering this all, comparing with other company's, knowing that a lifetime the way DA had it with everything free, could business wise never be kept forever, you know there would be a time that it would stop.
And again, we're still living, can still use the licenses and still get our updates.

Be glad DA did not declare the licenses EOL yet. Because do know that IS also possible and it's not uncommon in software country to declare things EOL.

Now think again.

 

[Active8]

Datacenters / VPS providers stil make great profit of the cheap datacenter licenses.
Transip just raised their Legacy DA license with 1,50 euro without any justification (DA license dint get any price rise)

DirectAdmin licence	€ 6,99 new price :	€ 8,50

Price excl 21% VAT !!!

 

[Richard G]

Transip just raised their DA license wit 1,50 euro without any justification (DA license dint get any price rise)

Transip raised all prices, also domain prices are raising high. Remember they still use the old legacy licenses, so price raise on something which they already earned back years ago. And in fact shouldn't even count money for.

 

[netswitch]

At our side we do provide support to our customers on "Legacy Licences", so it also has a cost.
And with all the limitations slowly put in place, new licencing system, OS support discontinuances and "legacy warning banners" the number of support request is rising so it costs us more.

Also if we want to be able to transition our customers from "old legacy cheap model" to "new model 3 times the price" or "other expensive panel but not so expensive at the end" we have to increase the prices steadily.

We haven't done it yet but we will have to.

 

[Richard G]

we have to increase the prices steadily.

As does everybody, even we with external licenses wich were more than 3 times expensive than datacenter licenses so it's going for all.
And still even with the new model with discounts it's still cheaper than others.
So yes, everybody has to at a certain moment.

 

[DirectAdmin Sales]

We appreciate the feedback. Not only was our internal $5 license (among other internal licenses) an extreme discount at the time (>80%) we stuck to that price for 20 solid years without any adjustments, even as the market, inflation, and tech landscapes shifted dramatically.

That’s an unheard-of span for a software license, especially at that price point, and something we’re really proud to have offered.

But, all software offerings have their lifecycle, and no license—whether it’s $5 or $1,000/month—will go on forever. This change isn’t about forgetting our roots or undervaluing our partners; it’s about adapting to ensure we can continue in a sustainable way.

For context, over the years, our competitors have consistently adjusted prices, structures, or products, while we’ve kept this going a long time without interruptions. We wish we could maintain that forever, but realistically, it’s not something we can sustain indefinitely.

If fair, modern pricing feels like a shock, it's because our old pricing was such an incredible deal for so long—highlighting just how exceptional the value has been over the past 20 years.