I got Zorin 16, Paid for Pro as I felt it was worth it to support the Zorin project.
Then Zorin 17 came along . I could find no way of upgrading 16 Pro to 17 Pro so I paid full price again for Zorin 17 Pro.
Can I update from Zorin 17 Pro to Zorin 18 Pro without needing to pay the full price? I'm happy to support Zorin, and went out of my way to do so but a third iteration of having to pay full price does niggle. I am happy to pay a smaller fee for the Zorin 18 Pro but don't really think it's conducive to know that 1-2 years down the line I'm going to have to pay again for Zorin 19...
Unfortunately, no, it is not possible.
At frequently asked questions about Zorin pro on the webpage of Zorin you can read:
"Will I get access to future updates of Zorin OS Pro?
The purchase will give you access to Zorin OS 17 Pro as well as future updates within the 17 release series, such as upcoming point releases. Zorin OS 18 Pro will need to be purchased separately when it will be released in the future. We will continue to support Zorin OS 17 with software updates until at least June 2027, and you will be able to use Zorin OS 17 Pro for life."
From the consumer's point of view, it would be good for existing Zorin customers to have a discount for coming from previous versions, as a thank you for their support. Even if it's a 15% discount, it would be a symbolic gesture.
I will also propose the idea of a policy to get a free upgrade if there's a new version less than x months from pruchase. Let's say 6 or something. They can decide themselves, of course, but the current situation is very unfair to whomever purchases ahead of release expecting they would get the new one as well.
There is a 20% discount (at least there was for me) by going through the upgrader and entering my 17Pro Support Code. This then gave me a link to a discounted copy of 18Pro. I did get 17Pro early on in its lifecycle rather than recently. I have been running the 18Core beta for the past few weeks though and performing the upgrade through there. For those on 17, it may be a while before the upgrade is pushed out.
we do, wait for the upgrade path and go through the upgrader or reach out to support and they give you 20% off
Source:
Just bought Zorin 18 at 20% off after support included the code in an unrelated ticket and bought Zorin 17 at 20% off through the upgrader.
I bought Zorin 17 pro in July. So if I am understanding what the thread says, I will need to purchase 18 pro? If that is the case, I'll move to a free distribution.
Yes. Each Major release is a new release, same as Windows OS or Mac or any other Operating System.
Zorin OS is a Free Distribution -only the Pro Version is pay for. You do not need to purchase 18 Pro in order to use Zorin OS.
I always err on the side of caution when upgrading. Just make sure you backup all critical data. Users in the past have had issues using the Upgrade tool from earlier to subsequent versions in the past. This is where manual partitioning comes into it's own. You overwrite the existing '/' partition, remark the '/home' partition as '/home' but DO NOT overwrite it!
I have to admit that I'm pretty upset about this. I went out of my way to support Zorin by purchasing the pro version of 17 a few years ago, but I really don't see why we should have to pay again only a few years later. I get that you can't expect the free pro upgrades forever, but 2 years feels like a ripoff. I'm really not happy.
