Subscriptions

A subscription is charged at the point of order, and at the renewal date of the subscription.

You can be offline (disconnected from the internet) for periods of time.

However, there are some important things to know for software licenses (Indie & VFX) and dongle licenses (RFX, our legacy plans Base & Pro).

For dongle based licenses (RFX, our legacy plans Base & Pro), simply plug in your licensing dongle on the machine you wish to use and away you go.

For software based licenses (Indie & VFX), you can use your license on up to two PCs simultaneously. Read more on details here.

No. Each license is available either as a software or a dongle-based license only, and there is no changing this or transferring between them. This is intentional, as each license has specific intended uses and need different licensing methods.

Yes projects are interoperable between VFX and RFX. However, please note that exposed parameters (for media server blocks) configured in RFX will not persist when they are opened in VFX.

The free trial is intended for learning and exploring the possibilities of Notch, and as such, projects saved with the Trial cannot be opened in VFX or RFX. Projects created in the free trial or Indie can be opened interchangably. Projects created in Trial or Indie cannot be opened in VFX or RFX without first being converted by the Notch team. There are two situations where you can have your Trial or Indie projects converted to VFX or RFX projects:

1. When you start a VFX or RFX annual subscription, conversion of your projects saved with Trial or Indie is free.
2. When you purchase a Project Conversion. Please note that there is a limit to how many projects can be converted using this option.

Please get in touch with us for more information.

When you place your order a Codemeter dongle will be sent to you by courier. You’ll receive instructions via email as to how to activate your license on that dongle when it arrives.

Your subscription begins on the date that you initially purchased the subscription. However, for RFX licenses we add 7 days to your subscription term at no cost, to cover the time it takes to ship your licensing dongle to you.

In general, yes, you can use any Codemeter USB dongle, including ones you’ve purchased previously for PLE, Base, Pro or any of our Playback products.

You just need to ensure that the serial number of the dongle starts with a 3- i.e. 3-9999999. If your dongle starts with a 2- then it is unfortunately too old to use with Notch.

Please purchase a replacement licensing dongle and get in touch with us at our Contact Us page to have your license transferred. Please note: There is a fee for transferring licenses between dongles, as this is a manual process.

There is a fee for transferring licenses between dongles, as this is a manual process. Please get in touch with us at our Contact Us page to request a license transfer.

Current Plans (Indie, VFX & RFX) do not have a minimum term, but when cancellation is requested, it will take place at the end of the current billing period (i.e. just before your next renewal date.)

Annual subscriptions of VFX or RFX come with a considerable discount, compared to the monthly subscriptions. Also, annual subscriptions include the ability to convert project files that have been created in Indie and the free Trial. Monthly does not include file conversion, but a conversion package is available for purchase (limited to 5 project files).

Yes, you can add an invoice & notification email address in My Account->Billing->Account Details. Complete the field titled: “Optional: Receive invoices & notifications to an additional address”.

This is useful for companies that need to send their invoices or receipts to their finance department, for example.

Subscription plans can be cancelled in My Account->Subscriptions. Cancellation will take place at the end of the current billing period (i.e. just before your next renewal date).

Downgrades: You cannot downgrade from RFX to VFX.

Upgrades to RFX: Yes, we do offer upgrades from VFX to a RFX. In these scenarios, we will calculate the pro-rata remaining value of your current VFX subscription and apply that as a discount towards the purchase of a new RFX subscription. Please get in touch with us at our Contact Us page to request an upgrade to RFX. Please note:

• RFX plans require a Codemeter dongle. If you don’t have a compatible Codemeter dongle, you can purchase one from our online store.
• When upgrading, the currency will be the same as your current subscription currency.

The purchaser of a subscription can re-assign the user of a license under certain conditions:

• If the license is dongle based (Base/Pro/RFX)
• Or, if the license has not been assigned to any user previously
• Or, if the purchasing account is part of the Studio Programme (coming later in 2026)

To re-assign the license:

1. Go to My Account->Subscriptions
2. Find the subscription
3. Click the ‘Re-assign license’ button in the Licensee field.

Note: Re-assigning a dongle-based license does not transfer the license from the dongle itself. Once installed, the license remains bound to that dongle—only user assignment and control change. If a dongle is lost or stolen, contact Notch Support to request a license transfer.

Yes, one Notch account can purchase & manage multiple subscriptions.

Go to My Account->Subscriptions to view & manage purchased subscriptions.

You can specify and change subscription user assignments during and after purchase (with some coditions). See the the Can I re-assign a license I have purchased to another user? for more details.

Later in 2025 we’ll be starting our Studio Programme to give greater license control to studios. Eligibility criteria TBA.

Yes, you can access both 2026.1 and 0.9.23 versions with your Builder Pro subscription. When running in 2026.1, your Pro dongle acts as an RFX license. To start using 2026.1, simply download it, ensure your Pro dongle is plugged in, and away you go. Learn more about accessing 2026.1 & 0.9.23…

2026.1 is a vast upgrade to the Notch product, with few areas left untouched: new unified renderers, shareable assets, overhauled fields, deformers, shader and physics systems, and enhanced nodegraph & timeline workflows. Despite the upgrade, we’ve ensured that existing users still feel comfortable and agile in the tool. You can read more details in the 2026.1 manual.

No, your Builder Pro price stays the same (£189 + VAT per month).

You can continue to use your Builder Pro plan for the time being. We’ll contact you later in 2025 to help smoothly transition you to a new plan at that point.

Yes, you can still upgrade and downgrade between Base & Pro as you have in the past until the end of 2025. To upgrade or downgrade, go to the self-management portal.

Your upgrade to Pro will usually take effect within a few minutes. You’ll receive an email notification, at which point it will be available immediately to use.

Simply restart Notch Launcher on your PC (with the relevant Notch dongle plugged in, if a dongle based license). It can take up to 30 seconds for the upgrade to apply to your PC or dongle after starting Notch Launcher. If you have any issues, then please get in touch through our Contact Us page.

RFX is the equivalent and natural successor to Pro.

There is no rush for Pro users to move to an RFX plan. However, later in the year, we’ll be adding features to the RFX plan (such as an additional render license for another PC) that will be advantageous to users.

If you are on an annual Builder Pro plan, we can migrate you to an RFX annual plan at any time. If you wish to move from your existing annual Pro plan to a monthly RFX plan, simply wait for your existing license to expire and then sign up for an RFX monthly plan.

If you are on a monthly Builder Pro plan, you can migrate to RFX, but there is no rush since your Pro license acts as an RFX license in 2026.1.

Eligibility to move to RFX:

• You can migrate to an annual RFX plan from Pro at any time.
• To migrate to a monthly RFX plan, you must have completed the minimum 6-month commitment of your Base or Pro subscription.

It is not possible to migrate to a VFX plan from a Builder Pro plan. Instead, we recommend that you cancel your Builder Pro subscription and start a VFX plan.

Differences between Pro & VFX:

• VFX uses an account-based software license (no dongle) and can be active on 2 PCs simultaneously.
• VFX cannot export media-server blocks, watermarked media-server blocks, or standalone executables.
• VFX cannot access or edit exposed parameters.
• VFX only provides access to 1.0; to access 0.9.23, you need an RFX or Pro license or purchase an End Of Life Perpetual Base 0.9.23 license (available from July 2025).
• VFX has no minimum term commitments and cannot be downgraded to a lower-tier plan.

During 2026, you can continue using 0.9.23 Builder Pro with a Pro or RFX license. From 2026, you will need an RFX to access 0.9.23 Pro.

Yes, your Pro dongle acts as a 4K Playback license for blocks exported from both 0.9.23 and 2026.1.

No, you will need to purchase an RFX subscription, which is the successor to Pro.

Pro monthly plans had a six-month minimum term. To offer users more flexibility, RFX monthly plans have no minimum term, which accounts for the slight price difference. We’ve also reduced the first-year price of annual plans.

While projects can be opened in 2026.1, they will likely require modification to provide similar visual outcomes or performance profiles. Have a look at our project migration guide.

Later in 2026, we will launch our Studio Programme, offering additional license flexibility for studios with more seats and access to higher support levels.

Yes, you can access both 2026.1+ and 0.9.23 versions with your Builder Base subscription acting as a VFX license. To start using 2026.1+, simply download it, ensure your Base dongle is plugged in, and away you go. Learn more about accessing 2026.1 & 0.9.23…

2026.1+ is a vast upgrade to the Notch product, with few areas left untouched: new unified renderers, shareable assets, overhauled fields, deformers, shader and physics systems, and enhanced nodegraph & timeline workflows. Despite the upgrade, we’ve ensured that existing users still feel comfortable and agile in the tool. You can read more details in the 2026.1 manual.

No, your Builder Base price stays the same (£99 + VAT per month).

You can continue to use your Builder Base plan until mid-2026. We’ll contact you then to help smoothly transition you to a new plan.

Yes, you can still upgrade and downgrade between Base & Pro as you have in the past until mid-2026. To upgrade or downgrade, go to the self-management portal.

Your downgrade to Base will apply at the end of the current billing period, on your renewal date.

This depends on your use case:

• Like Base, VFX is focused on users delivering rendered video. It has account-based licensing that can be used on two PCs simultaneously and offers discounted annual licensing with no commitment monthly plans.
• RFX targets users who need real-time output, such as media-server blocks, standalone executables, or direct playout from Builder. It uses dongle-based licensing for portability and supports exposed parameters and direct playout (including Turbo Mode).
• VFX and RFX can share project files, but VFX does not support media-server block exposed parameters during load or save.

You can compare both on our pricing comparison page.

If you are on a monthly Legacy Builder plan, eligibility depends on the plan you wish to move to and your minimum six-month term commitment.

Eligibility to move to RFX:

• You can migrate to an annual RFX plan from Pro at any time.
• For a monthly RFX plan, you must have completed six months of your Base or Pro subscription.

Yes, migration from a Base plan to a VFX plan is possible.

Eligibility to move to VFX:

• You can migrate to an annual VFX plan from Base at any time.
• For a monthly VFX plan, you must have completed a six-month subscription commitment.

VFX benefits include:

• Account-based software licenses that can be active on two PCs simultaneously.
• No minimum term commitments (plans can be canceled anytime).
• VFX cannot export media-server blocks or access exposed parameters.
• VFX only provides access to 2026.1+. To access 0.9.23, you need an RFX or Pro license or purchase an End Of Life Perpetual Base 0.9.23 Access License.

You can use 0.9.23 Builder Base until mid-2026. From then onward, you will need either an RFX or an End Of Life Perpetual Base 0.9.23 Access License.

No, the Base Subscription is no longer available for purchase. You can purchase either a Indie, VFX or RFX subscription.

Base monthly plans had a six-month minimum term. To offer users more flexibility, VFX monthly plans have no minimum term, which accounts for the slight price difference. We’ve also reduced the first-year price of annual plans.

Yes, you can open 0.9.23 projects in 2026.1+, but modifications may be required for similar visual outcomes or performance profiles. Refer to our project migration guide.

Options for continued access:

• Until mid-2026, you can use your Base license to access 0.9.23.
• From mid-2026 onwards, access requires either an RFX or an End Of Life Perpetual Base 0.9.23 Access License.

Later in 2026, we will launch a Studio Programme to provide additional licensing flexibility for studios and access to higher levels of support.

You can continue accessing 0.9.23 with your PLE license indefinitely.

For 2026.1 access:

• Notch Trial (60 days) for dongle-free testing.
• Notch Indie for hobbyists and early-career users (50% off the first year for previous PLE purchasers).
• Notch RFX short-term trials for testing media server workflows (eligibility required).

In 2025, we provided an offer of 50% off the first year of an Indie subscription for previous PLE purchasers. That offer is now closed.