What Does Your Reaper License Cover?
Your Reaper license is a perpetual, one-time purchase. You don't ever have to pay for it again. But . . .
Upgrades
You can use whatever version you buy, until you die of old age or AI-driven robots enslave us all.
In practicality, you'll want to upgrade. Your Reaper license covers two versions of Reaper. So if you buy @ version 7.34, you'll be good until version 9.0. This will likely last a few years. I've done the math and my Reaper expenses work out to just a little over $1/month for the past 14 years or so.
That's $1/month for multi-track recording ability, routing FX, etc., far beyond the studios I used to work in that had tens of thousands of dollars of tape machines and consoles. It's an absolute, unbelievable bargain.
What If I Don't Want To Upgrade?
Don't, then. You'll miss out on new features, but Reaper is yours to use.
Installing Reaper On Multiple Devices
Sure, go ahead. You can install Reaper on as many computer as you have, but you can only use it on one computer at a time. So you can run Reaper on your desktop at home, and then go to a coffee shop with your laptop and use it there, too.
Does Reaper Work Without A License?
Yes, it runs in evaluation mode for 60 days, and then there's a reminder screen, but Reaper is still fully functional.
Is Reaper Free?
No. As of this article date, it's $60 for the discounted version and $225 for the commercial license (for those earning over $20k). Reaper has a free 60-day evaluation period and no restrictions after 60 days beyond the reminder screen. Why do they do it this way?
Because they're good people in this regard. They're trusting you to do the right thing. It's not free. If you use it beyond the 60 days without paying for it, well . . .
Just because they don't place restrictions on the program after the evaluation period is over, doesn't mean it's free. It just means it's easy to take advantage of the developers.
License Recovery
If you lose your Reaper license, it's still in your email from when you bought it. If you can't find the email, you can request support from Cockos their email is support @cockos (and then the usual .com). But it might take some time for them to respond. In the meantime, Reaper is fully functional. You just have to wait a few seconds for the reminder screen asking you to buy a license.
You hear that? FULLY FUNCIONAL!
Reaper License Email
Entering Your License
Any time you want to check what version you're on and how many versions your license is good for, go to the same place 🙂
