Steinberg sells a licence for a product generation and charges for moving to a later one. The vocabulary is specific: an update, an upgrade, a crossgrade, a grace period update and a change of ownership each lead to different entitlements and different evidence. This article sets out how each works, based on the Steinberg Help Center, the product pages and the EULA.
Updates and upgrades
For Cubase, Steinberg draws the line as follows. An update takes a licence from a previous generation to the latest generation of the same edition, for example Cubase Pro 14 to Cubase Pro 15 or Cubase Elements 14 to Cubase Elements 15. An upgrade switches to a more advanced edition, for example Cubase Elements 15 to Cubase Pro 15, and upgrades can also go from a previous generation to the latest, for example Cubase Artist 11 to Cubase Pro 15.[1] Both are bought in the online shop and there are several paths, so the right one must be selected.
The EULA frames the rights behind this. A user may use an update, upgrade or crossgrade only with a valid licence for the previous or lower version. The right to use the new software ends if the earlier version is transferred to a third party, the right to support for the earlier version ends when the update or upgrade is installed and activated, and the eligibility is verified, with failure to complete verification able to make the software unusable.[2] The practical consequence is that a licence that has been updated cannot be both kept in the new version and sold as the old one.
Steinberg describes major releases as paid updates and maintenance releases as free; maintenance updates are downloaded through the Steinberg Download Assistant as usual.[3] The Dorico FAQ expresses the same: a perpetual licence for Dorico Pro covers version 6 and all its free maintenance updates, and a new major version can be bought as an update priced by the version the licence covers.[4] The licence of a later generation also affects older ones. A Cubase 15 licence opens Cubase 12 to 14 but not earlier generations, which used eLicenser.[1]
Grace period free updates
A grace period lets a customer who bought shortly before a release get the new version free of charge. The Help Center says a licence may qualify if a Download Access Code for an older version is redeemed in the Steinberg Download Assistant shortly before or after the release of a paid update. The decisive date, usually several weeks before the paid update’s release, marks the start of the grace period, and in most cases applies to all editions such as Elements, Artist and Pro.[5] The table in the same article lists the following starts, among others.
| Free update to | Entitled licences | Grace period starts |
|---|---|---|
| Cubase 15 | Cubase SE/SL/SX 1 and later | 2025-10-08 |
| Dorico 6 | All previous versions | 2025-03-26 |
| Nuendo 15 | All previous versions | 2026-02-25 |
| WaveLab 13 | WaveLab 6 and later | 2026-01-01 |
| SpectraLayers 13 | SpectraLayers 6 and later | 2026-06-03 |
| HALion 7 | All previous versions | 2022-10-31 |
| Groove Agent 6 | Groove Agent 2 to 5 | 2026-01-22 |
| Absolute 7 | All previous versions | 2026-01-22 |
[5] Licences for more recent software are updated automatically; for older software the new Download Access Code is shown under Vouchers in MySteinberg, and it can take up to 30 minutes after the older code was redeemed.[5] The Cubase FAQ confirms that every Cubase licence activation from 8 October 2025 results in a free update to Cubase 15.[1] The EULA contains a general promise of a free update if a later version appears within six weeks after purchase and installation.[2] The grace period program records this. For a software asset manager, the date of activation or code redemption determines the entitlement, so purchase dates and redemption dates should be kept for licences bought close to a release.
Crossgrades
A crossgrade is a discounted switch from one software product to another, for example Cubase to Nuendo or a third-party program to Steinberg software. Steinberg lists, among others, changes to Cubase from Live, Logic Pro, Pro Tools, Sonar, Fruity Loops, Digital Performer, Studio One Professional and Reason, and from Sibelius or Finale to Dorico.[6] A crossgrade requires that the customer owns the corresponding licence and it is not available for rental or subscription licences. The buyer begins a verification process, signs in with the Steinberg ID and uploads proof as a JPG, PNG or PDF. Steinberg reviews it, usually within one to two working days, and sends an e-mail with a link back to the shop. The authorisation is limited in time and must be requested again after it expires; the Help Center notes one exception, that crossgrades from Finale to Dorico are completed in the MakeMusic online shop, while the Dorico FAQ says the single-user crossgrade can be bought in Steinberg’s own shop, so the current shop should be checked.[6]
Cubase Pro competitive crossgrade
The Cubase Pro competitive crossgrade is a specific offer that the product page says saves up to 40 per cent on Cubase Pro.[7] It requires proof of purchase of an eligible third-party DAW. The list includes Ableton Live 8 or later (Standard and Suite, excluding Intro), Apple Logic Pro 9 or later, Avid Pro Tools 9 or later including subscriptions with exclusions for Artist and First, Bitwig Studio 1 or later excluding the 16-Track edition, Cockos Reaper with the commercial licence only, FL Studio 11 or later in the Signature and Producer editions, PreSonus Studio One Professional or Studio One+ Hybrid, Reason Studios Reason 10 or later and several more.[7] The list shows how eligibility is defined: edition, minimum version and licence type. An asset manager who relies on a crossgrade should keep the proof for the same reason as for education.
Finale to Dorico Pro
After MakeMusic discontinued Finale on 26 August 2024, Steinberg offered a crossgrade to Dorico Pro at a special price for a limited time. It covers single-user licences for the full Finale product or Finale PrintMusic through the online shop, while Finale site licences or other multi-user licences are converted to multi-user Dorico Pro by e-mail quotation that must include the serial number and number of seats.[4] The result is a perpetual licence for Dorico Pro version 6, activated on up to three computers for the holder’s own non-simultaneous use and not to be shared with anyone outside the household.[4] The offer is described as time-limited, so its availability should be checked in the shop. The catalog records it as the Finale to Dorico Pro crossgrade.
Rent-to-own through Splice
Steinberg offers Cubase Pro and Backbone through Splice by instalment. The customer needs a separate Splice account for the rent period, which need not match the Steinberg ID e-mail address, and the Splice app must run in the background, although offline use of 30 days is the same as with regular licences.[3] The licence is valid for the version it started with only. Major releases are not included and no update can be bought at Steinberg; updates are offered at Splice and the extra cost is added to the plan. Crossgrades from rent-to-own licences, such as Cubase to Nuendo, are not possible. The licence shows “(Splice)” in the Activation Manager and becomes a regular perpetual licence after the final payment, eligible again for regular Steinberg updates.[3] The EULA says that Steinberg acts only as a vicarious agent of the provider, that the instalment terms bind, and that it may prevent use after the last paid period if instalments lapse.[2] The rent-to-own licence metric records this.
Trials
Steinberg offers free trials of many products. A trial licence is added to the MySteinberg account without a Download Access Code, runs for the period shown on the product page counted from the request, and expires on its own with no hidden renewal.[8] It cannot be activated offline, and the EULA does not allow trial software to be assigned or to qualify for updates.[8][2] The software is the same installation as the full product, so buying during a trial only requires redeeming the new code.[8]
Resale and change of ownership
Steinberg Licensing licences
Steinberg’s position is that licences can be resold, but under a process. The EULA allows assignment of all rights to another person if the Agreement, the licence in the Steinberg account and the software with all copies and earlier versions pass to the buyer, the seller keeps nothing and the buyer accepts the Agreement.[2] The Help Center Resale Wizard sets out the steps for a Steinberg Licensing licence.
- Deactivate every active computer in the Steinberg Activation Manager, because a licence transfer is not possible while it is in use.
- Send a change-of-ownership request by e-mail with the e-mail address and full name of the MySteinberg account, the name of the registered licence and, if possible, a screenshot.
- After Steinberg verifies the request, the seller receives a new Download Access Code, which may take several business days. The code goes to the buyer, who needs it to download the licence through the Steinberg Download Assistant.[9]
Steinberg reserves the right to refuse the service if it suspects a violation of the licence agreement.[9] EULA section 2.9 adds that licences found to have been fraudulently or illegally obtained can be disabled even if support previously verified them or they were transferred, which is the risk in buying a secondhand licence without a documented transfer.[2]
Licences that cannot be sold
- Education licences are personal and cannot be passed on. To resell, the owner must exchange the licence for a full commercial one through an update or upgrade.[9][10]
- OEM software such as Cubase AI, Cubase LE, WaveLab LE and Sequel LE, and bundled plug-ins such as the Basic FX Suite, must not be sold separately from the hardware.[9]
- Free products, trial versions and not-for-resale software may not be assigned under the EULA.[2]
- Soft-eLicenser licences can effectively not be sold since the service closed; USB-eLicenser licences can be sold, with a change-of-ownership request if the dongle was registered. See Steinberg and the end of the USB-eLicenser.[9]
Consequences for the secondary market
Steinberg’s resale model leaves the transfer in the vendor’s hands, which has two effects. A buyer cannot verify a licence without the seller’s cooperation, since the new code is issued by Steinberg after the old licence is removed. And a licence that has been updated cannot be sold as the older version, because the right to the update ends when the earlier version is transferred.[2] No court decision involving Steinberg’s resale process was found, so this wiki does not assess the process under exhaustion law.
Practical checks
- Record for each licence whether it was bought as a full version, update, upgrade, crossgrade, education or grace period update, and keep the order e-mail and Download Access Code.
- Keep proof of eligibility submitted for crossgrades and education.
- Before disposing of a computer or selling a licence, deactivate the activations and ask for a change of ownership instead of handing over the account.
- For Splice licences, track the instalment end date and the version.
Out of scope
- Prices of updates, upgrades and crossgrades, which are shown only in the dynamic online shop.
- Time-limited promotions.
- Reseller terms and the policies of the Splice service.