VCV unveils VCV+ subscription plan – but it’s not rent-to-own, and fans are disappointedVCV+ is a new subscription plan that gives users unlimited access to digital modular synth environment, VCV Rack Pro, and its comprehensive library of modules.
The subscription comes in at $29 a month, or $19 per month for a yearly subscription, amounting to $228 a year. Online fans of the brand have so far shown that they aren’t best pleased with the non-rent-to-own subscription model.

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For many, VCV Rack is an accessible, free way to toy with a digital modular synth. The open-source, cross-platform software has a VCV Rack Pro upgrade – however, the premium version of the software still costs less than the yearly cost of VCV+.
It costs $149 to buy VCV Rack 2 Pro outright, which also includes access to a library of high-quality modules. Crucially, VCV+’s FAQ page notes: “If you cancel your VCV+ subscription, you’ll no longer be able to use premium modules from VCV+.”
With this in mind, users could pay a full yearly subscription of $228, cancel, and have nothing to show for it, when they could have just bought it outright in the first place and owned it forever for $149.

Today we're announcing VCV+, a new way to get instant access to VCV Rack Pro with an extensive library of premium…
Posted by VCV on Saturday, September 7, 2024

The subscription model has become infamous amongst professional producers and budding synth fans in recent years. In 2023, Waves shifted from selling individual plugins to a subscription-only model, before quickly backtracking on its decision only days later following user backlash.
Minimal Audio also had similar plans, introducing its own subscription-only model for its Current soft synth. The company came under fire, and the backlash resulted in it shifting to a rent-to-own system.
While some users will no doubt welcome the option of gaining access to VCV Rack 2 Pro for a more manageable monthly cost, others have voiced their opposition to VCV’s new subscription-only model.
“At least make it a lease-to-own model,” one user says. “I would happily pay $300 for Pro 2 to own it before I paid $20 a month to rent it,” another user notes.

If you had to subscribe from the initial 2017 release, VCV Rack would have costed you $2,436 and you wouldn't own a single thing. pic.twitter.com/LlGPxHzvdp
— Benn Jordan (@bennjordan) September 7, 2024

"as low as $19/month." – at least make it a lease to own model. $240 per year and having nothing to show for it if you stop paying is wild.
— Tangent Moon (@TangentMoon) September 7, 2024

On Reddit, users are also disappointed by the news. “I’m all for people and artists making a profit for their work, but we’ve seen time and time again that subscription services are, in the long run, a rip-off and pretty anti-consumer,” one user writes.
Learn more about VCV+ and VCV Rack.
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