Capture One discontinues Express, locks existing users out of their photo library

Capture One Express will be discontinued without replacement. (Image: Capture One)

Capture One appears to be pushing more customers to take out an expensive subscription: after the company made the purchase version of Capture One Pro more expensive and less attractive, the free express version is being summarily discontinued, thus locking out existing users.

Hannes Brecher (translated by Jacob Fisher), Published 12/13/2023 🇩🇪

Over the past few years, Capture One has been increasingly urging customers to take out a subscription, which currently costs US$42 per month or US$311 per year, because the US$519 purchase version no longer contains any updates for a few weeks after the purchase date, apart from minor bug fixes, and a license has to be purchased again to support a newer camera.

Now, the Danish camera and software provider has announced that Capture One Express will be discontinued on January 30, 2024. After this date, the software can no longer be used by existing users, even though the application runs locally and does not rely on cloud services. This effectively locks Capture One users out of their photo library. The company has not given a reason for the end of Capture One Express.

Capture One Express was free to use, but could only handle RAW files from Sony, Fujifilm or Nikon. Those wanting to have continued access to their photos after the end of January will either have to export them beforehand or switch to Capture One Pro. In order to convert as many Capture One Express users as possible into paying subscribers, Capture One is offering a 40% discount on the first year of the subscription or on the purchase of the Pro version, which is only worthwhile to a limited extent for reasons already mentioned. To receive the discount, however, users have to subscribe to the e-mail newsletter.

Editor of the original article: Hannes Brecher – Senior Tech Writer – 14016 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2018

Since 2009 I have written for different publications with a focus on consumer electronics. I joined the Notebookcheck news team in 2018 and have combined my many years of experience with laptops and smartphones with my lifelong passion for technology to create informative content for our readers about new developments in this sphere. In addition, my design background as an art director at an ad agency has allowed me to have deeper insights into the peculiarities of this industry.

Translator: Jacob Fisher – Translator – 470 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2022

Growing up in regional Australia, I first became acquainted with computers in my early teens after a broken leg from a football (soccer) match temporarily condemned me to a predominately indoor lifestyle. Soon afterwards I was building my own systems. Now I live in Germany, having moved here in 2014, where I study philosophy and anthropology. I am particularly fascinated by how computer technology has fundamentally and dramatically reshaped human culture, and how it continues to do so.

Hannes Brecher, 2023-12-13 (Update: 2023-12-13)

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