I purchased Zorin Pro 17.3 literally a week before 18 was available (October 2025). I think I was given some bad advice. I was on some forum (Reddit maybe) and asked the effective question, "Should I wait for 18 or is it okay to buy 17 pro now?" In other words, why make the investment in 17.3 Pro if 18 is coming out soon. The answer I received basically said if you buy 17.3 Pro now, you'll get 18 Pro later. There was no mention of an additional fee for upgrading. I assumed that it would be gratis since I just invested in 17.3 Pro. Since there is no 18 Pro upgrade as of this writing, can anyone please point-blank answer me, will I have to pay an upgrade fee when 18 Pro upgrade is available? Also, is there an updated projected time frame for said upgrades?
Also, I received the notice to try out the 18 Pro upgrade, but when I did that, it asks for my support code. I put that in and it says it is not for 18 Pro, only for 17.3. I'm baffled as to why I would be offered to test the upgrade if it expects me to purchase a the new version?
actually there were a number of bugs to work out on 18 when it was released. The release was perhaps rushed in order to coincide with the end of security updates for Windows 10. But you did well to remain on 17.3 all this time, because you have avoided potential issues. The answer to your question unfortunately is this: whereas upgrading the core system is free, upgrading from one pro edition to another is not.
The rest is somewhat complicated. See below.
I did a search and found this: the Pro upgrader is technically there, but the path you’re probably waiting for is still in testing or not fully stable yet.
From the current Zorin help docs, the “Upgrade Zorin OS” app is the supported way to go from a free edition (Core/Education/etc.) to Zorin OS Pro in-place, and this part is documented as working: you open the upgrader, choose the Pro option, enter your purchase details, and it converts your existing install instead of doing a fresh reinstall.[zorin +1]
Where it gets messy is the version‑to‑version side (17 → 18 with Pro in the mix). Zorin’s own upgrade guide labels upgrades from Zorin OS 17 to 18 as “in testing,” currently exposed only to 17 Core/Education/Pro users who explicitly enable test upgrades via a gsettings flag, with a note that the full, stable launch is coming “in the coming weeks.” On the forums, users and moderators are still describing the 17→18 upgrader as beta, with explicit comments that the upgrader tool “is not ready yet… it is not the final version and it has not yet been officially released because there are still problems.”
so again, the smart move would seem to be to wait.
Each Zorin OS release is a separate release, so a user must purchase the Pro Release (not including point releases) each time a Release hits the market.
Releases are 16, 17, 18...
Point releases are 17.1, 17.2, 17.3...
A Pro purchase license covers all of (That includes point release) of a full release - like 17 or 18.
It is offering you to buy 18 Pro.
All of this brings us back to your primary question:
The ZorinGroup is understanding.
They can see the purchase history and they know the release dates. I recommend you contact the ZorinGroup:
And let them know your situation. Logic dictates that they would rather fully migrate you to Zorin OS 18, over a weeks disparity, than demand a full price purchase of 18 and lose the customer.
Onmimaxus - thank you for your submission. I'm trying to install the upgrade right now, but I do not see a discount for the Pro upgrade to 18. I've gone through all the steps but it is still indicating a $47.99 charge will be placed to my credit card. I don't want to continue if I'm going to have to be charged full price again. Cheers
hmm thats wierd.. when i upgraded from 17.3 pro to 18 pro there was a box on screen with and area to enter my email address for 17.3 as well as my 17.3 support number. so that was removed?
@Fobozzzzz please make sure to enter the exact same email address that you used when purchasing your previous copy of Zorin OS Pro, alongside its support code.