You are right about the math(s) but have made a bold assumption.
With inflation in the UK forecast to hit 18%, Roon should be increasing monthly and annual subs by $1/$12 or more imminently.
I paid $700, have no regrets and won’t lose any sleep each time rates increase in future.
As it happens, this has also been a great exchange rate hedge but that was luck.
Sleep well.
I got mine in May 2015
Stick it to the man, buy a lifetime sub, and never worry about it again. Having said that, the time to do it is in the first year, not after 6 or 7!
It’s been 5 years for me…that decision has been paying dividends for a while now.
Bought 2 lifetime licenses almost 5 years ago. Was cheaper back then but would do the same now if I was just starting with Roon, don’t regret it in the slightest.
I agree. Here they tax your bank account and the government is thinking about taxing the surplus (value minus mortgage) of one’s own house, but they don’t tax your lifetime subscription. So it is better to spend your money and have debts, be a poor man on paper, in The Netherlands.
I bought it in the first week when it really was a gamble and, almost, nothing supported it. Now it’s across a whole raft of products and is the defacto platform for digital reviewers.
Cannot remember now but 3 or 4 years ago purchased a Lifetime for about $400 and after the exchange rate conversion to the GB Pound it seems like a bargain now.
I understand that as a support for Roon
Roon is still worth every penny, even if you decide to pay $699. “Audiophile” switches and cables of all sorts cost many times multiples. I started Roon lifetime in summer 2015 and then bought a second lifetime sub in 2018. Too cheap, compared to anything else in the audio world.
I’ve been playing on the house’s money for over a year.
Got a lifetime subscription on June 2, 2015 at $450. Fast forward today, if I had taken a yearly subscription at $119.88 for 7 years, that would have been an extra $389.16. If I had taken a monthly subscription instead, that would have been an extra $641.16. Doesn’t seem silly to me 
I bought the lifetime a year plus ago and don’t regret it. It works exceptionally well.
I had bought a competitors “lifetime” license the month before and it lasted 18 days before it went monthly subscription only. My license was good now for a version left to bitrot.
It may not work out mathematically for me until 2026, but today I feel I have gotten my moneys worth.
It’s not just about the cost/benefit math. It’s also about having options. When you have options, it shifts the focus away from whether you even need the thing at all.
Personally I precisely chose lifetime to avoid constant second-guessing whether I will keep it and whether I should invest time into grooming the library
I think the Op forgot that yes technology moves on, But Roon continue to develop and moves forward with every release, so for a lifetime sub development is free past a point.
The only issue really is if they loose Qobuz or Tidal then for many Roon has little value if you don’t wish to create your own library , unless Roon provides its own streaming service as a back end to Roon.
So far Ive done a mix of monthly and yearly as it support Roon better, and at 62 who knows how long I would use Roon.
I was planning on going for the lifetime in Feb. 23 when my sub terms. However, @anon63794049 you make a good point about where the tech will be in 5.8 years and if Roon will still be competitive for what I use it for.(I sub annually) I hadn’t really given this any thought along these lines.
Hmm…
You take that chance every day you buy a gadget or computer. The day you buy it you are committing to today’s technology for the life of the gadget.
Or any other software you buy.
At least with Roon you get updates while they are still in business.
Not really true…
Everyone knows a computer 2, 3, 5 years from now will be better than a computer today. We buy computers KNOWING it will be outdated in relatively short order - depending upon use.
As for software, I will simply mention Apple’s Aperture. I used it, I loved it and then they abandoned it. It was an absolute nightmare moving my entire photo library to Lightroom.
I paid the $700USD (I’m in Australia and that’s a lot of Aussie $) just over a year ago after paying yearly for 3 years. I’ve had a few moments where I have regretted paying for a lifetime license but really, the money is gone now and I don’t have to worry about finding the money every year, especially since my personal life has now got a lot harder, financially and otherwise.
I’m just really glad I get to use Roon everyday, as for me nothing else compares and I am still waiting for another piece of software that is better to arrive! So far I haven’t seen anything on the horizon that fits the bill for me.
And I guess that I have some loyalty towards the Roon Team, I know that it is harder for them to interact here on the forum now but in the past they would spend a fair amount of time here with us users.