# A photo organizer with no subscription: what 'pay once' really means

> firelet.media Gallery costs $160 once and never stops working. Updates are an optional $100 a year, and skipping them turns nothing off. Here is exactly what you get, and when a subscription is still the better fit.

Source: https://firelet.media/blog/photo-organizer-no-subscription
Published: 2026-10-21 · Updated: 2026-10-21
Applies to: Windows

firelet.media Gallery costs **$160 once per computer** and keeps working for good. **Updates are optional**: $100 buys a year of new releases, and skipping a year turns nothing off. That's the whole model — no subscription, no tiers, no feature that disappears when a payment stops.

## What you pay, and when

| | What it costs | What happens if you stop |
|---|---|---|
| The gallery | $160 once per computer | Nothing — it keeps working |
| A year of updates | $100 per computer, optional | You keep every release from that year; newer ones need another year |
| Moving to a new PC | Free | Release the seat from your account and activate the new one |

So the cheapest way to own it is $160, total, for as long as you use it. If you like having every new release, you buy a year at a time — when you want, at the same price, with no back-pay for years you skipped.

> [!TIP]
> **Founding 50, until 31 December 2026.** While seats last, the first 50 buyers get a year of updates free with their purchase. The pricing page shows how many are left.

## What "yours for good" means here

- **It never expires.** There is no date after which the program stops.
- **It works offline.** It checks in about once a month and keeps working for three months without internet — your library is never at risk from this.
- **Releases stay yours.** Every build published inside a window you bought can be reinstalled years later, on a new machine.
- **Your files are never held hostage.** Folders stay where they are, originals are never rewritten, and ratings and keywords can be written to standard XMP sidecars that other programs read.

The details, in full, are in [how the gallery is priced](https://firelet.media/blog/pay-once-pricing-explained).

## What you get for it

Every feature, with no tiers: search by description, text in photos, faces, near-duplicates, bursts ranked best-first with a quality score, stars, flags, labels, keywords, albums, a non-destructive editor, export presets with watermarks, the calendar and On this day, and the free Android companion over Wi-Fi.

## When a subscription is still the better choice

Be honest with yourself about what you need:

- **You edit camera RAW files.** You need a RAW editor. firelet.media Gallery keeps RAW+JPEG pairs together, but it does not decode RAW files yet.
- **You want your library on every device, everywhere.** A cloud service syncs it for you; the gallery keeps it on your PC, with your phone joining over home Wi-Fi.
- **You never want to think about backups.** A cloud service is a backup of sorts. A local library needs one of its own — see [back up photos and the library](https://firelet.media/help/back-up-photos-and-library).

If none of those apply, paying once is simpler. [Try it free for 14 days](https://firelet.media/download/) on your whole library, and if you buy and change your mind, refunds within 14 days are one click.

## Questions

### Does the gallery stop working if I don't buy updates?

No. The version you bought keeps working for good, on this computer or a new one. Updates only decide which newer releases you can install.

### What does a year of updates cost?

$100 per computer, bought at the checkout or later from your account. Every release published inside that year is yours to keep and reinstall for good.

### Is there a free trial?

Yes: 14 days with every feature and no limits on pictures or folders. No card and no account are needed.

### Can I get a refund?

Yes. Within 14 days of buying, a whole order can be refunded from your account in one click.