Curio Subscriptions

Frequently Asked Questions (Still have questions?)

What are the pros and cons of a Curio subscription from the Mac App Store compared to a traditional Curio license purchase?

A subscription or a traditional license may make more sense to you, depending on your specific needs, so we're happy to be able to offer you a choice.

Subscription Pros:

Apple handles your purchase and uses secure receipts to validate your installation instead of easy-to-lose license keys.
You're always running the most up-to-date Curio with the very latest major and minor features, enhancements, compatibility updates, and important fixes.
Downloading and installing app updates are all performed behind the scenes automatically and securely by macOS.
The app declarations and restrictions required to pass Mac App Store review result in a more secure, sandboxed product.
Monthly and yearly subscription plans:
- Permit a lower cost of entry to get started with Curio.
- Allow for a predictable, periodic cost for billing and accounting purposes.
- Provide flexibility if you only need Curio for specific projects, classes, or client work.
- Remove the hassle of periodically purchasing, downloading, and installing traditional major version upgrades, especially if you're one that typically purchases each major release.

Subscription Cons:

Unlike a traditional license purchase, once your subscription expires you can no longer edit your Curio project documents. You can only view, export, and print existing projects in a read-only mode. You would need to re-subscribe, even if just for a brief period, to modify projects again.
While the initial cost is lower, over time subscriptions can end up costing more. With traditional licenses you can choose when and whether to purchase a major version upgrade, although there’s no guarantee older versions of Curio will run on newer macOS releases, of course.
Those same app restrictions imposed by the Mac App Store can limit certain functionality as detailed below.
In-app subscription purchases are not eligible for academic or volume discounts or family sharing.
To begin a 2 week trial you are first required to purchase a monthly or yearly subscription, and cancel a day before it expires if you don't wish to begin charges.

We invite you to read our Curio Traditional License FAQ if you'd like to learn more about traditional licenses.

What are the key feature differences with Curio from the Mac App Store compared to Curio from Zengobi’s website?

AppleScript figure actions are not supported.
To enforce secure https connections, insecure http remote connections are not supported in embedded web view figures, as Organizer documents, as Sleuth sites, or during web archive or favicon retrieval. However, you can still create http web link figures, figure actions, and figure references, which will open in your default browser.
Curio Professional’s External Asset Folders and Lock Files advanced features are only supported with projects located in the default Projects folder specified in Curio’s Preferences.
Mailing from within Curio is handled by the macOS sharing service and may not be compatible with 3rd party mail clients, such as Outlook, until they update their support. As a workaround, you can export to the Desktop then manually create a mail message and include the attachment.

How are product updates handled?

You're always up-to-date with the latest version of Curio, even if you don't have an active Curio subscription, because macOS updates all Mac App Store apps behind the scenes automatically and securely.

What about major upgrades?

These are included, as well! That means all new major and minor features, enhancements, compatibility updates, and important fixes are automatically downloaded, installed, and ready for you.

How does the 2 week free trial work?

Install Curio using the Mac App Store app (or click here). On first launch, our bundled Welcome to Curio project will automatically open in read-only mode allowing you to learn about Curio’s features before starting your trial.
Begin the 2 week free trial by purchasing a Standard or Professional monthly or yearly plan as an in-app-purchase from within Curio via the Curio > Subscription menu item.
Instantly after beginning your subscription the interface will refresh with full toolbar, inspector, and shelf allowing you to create and modify projects and work with all of Curio’s features.
If you cancel at least 24 hours before the end of the free trial period you won't be charged for using Curio.
After the 2 week free trial the subscription automatically renews at the specified monthly or yearly rate.
Your Apple ID account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours before the end of the trial period.
You can manage and cancel your subscription by going to your account settings on the Mac App Store after purchase.
The free trial period can only be used once and cannot be extended.
Changing your subscription plan after beginning the trial will forfeit any unused portion of the free trial.

How do subscription purchases work if I'm not eligible for a free trial, because I've already trialed a Curio subscription plan?

It’s actually almost identical to the above...there’s just no initial free trial period:

Purchase a Standard or Professional monthly or yearly plan as an in-app-purchase from within Curio via the Curio > Subscription menu item.
Payment of the selected subscription plan will be charged to your Apple ID account at the confirmation of purchase.
Subscription automatically renews unless it is canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period.
Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period.
You can manage and cancel your subscription by going to your account settings on the Mac App Store after purchase.

How can I manage or cancel my subscription to Curio?

Visit your account settings on the Mac App Store any time after purchase to manage or cancel your subscription to Curio. If you cancel your subscription then its auto-renewal is disabled, but you still have access to the plan features until its expiration date.

How can I update the credit card I'm using for billing?

If you have a new or updated credit card you can edit your billing details with the changes.

Can I switch between Standard and Professional and/or monthly and yearly after subscribing?

Yes, you can update your account settings on the Mac App Store or from within Curio via the Curio > Subscription menu item.

If you're on a Standard plan and purchase an upgrade to Professional then it will occur immediately, and you will receive a refund of the prorated amount of your original subscription.
If you're on a Professional plan and purchase a downgrade to Standard then your current subscription plan continues until the next renewal date, then is renewed at the lower level and price.
If you're on a monthly plan and switch to yearly, or you're on a yearly plan and switch to monthly, then the subscription continues until the next renewal date, then is renewed at the new price and frequency.

How does Curio’s read-only mode work?

If you haven’t subscribed or your subscription expires without renewal, then Curio will go into a read-only mode. In this mode you can only view, export, and print existing projects. You cannot create new projects or modify existing projects.

Note that your Curio app will still continue to be auto-updated by macOS, receiving not only bug fixes and macOS compatibility updates, but also new features and enhancements ready for you to use if you later decide to renew your subscription.

It’s worth noting that this functionality means you can easily share Curio projects with friends and colleagues that don't own Curio, as they can simply download Curio for free from the Mac App Store and view your projects in read-only mode.

Why can't I find Curio in the Mac App Store in my country?

Curio is only available at the Mac App Store in countries where Apple collects and remits sales taxes, as defined in Exhibit B in Apple’s "Paid Applications Agreement Schedule 2" developer contract.

I've purchased a subscription but am now installing on a new or second Mac... how I can restore my purchase?

Launch the Mac App Store app on your new or second Mac.
Click your name in the lower-left corner of the window.
Find Curio in the list of previously purchased apps, then click the little cloud download icon to install it.
Open Curio.
The Subscription window should automatically appear, or choose the Curio > Subscription menu item to reveal it.
Click the "Already subscribed? Click to restore purchase" link.

That should work for most everyone but if you have any issues see the next question.

Why isn't the restore subscription working on my new or second Mac?

On rare occasion, the Mac App Store may have cached outdated information or is perhaps confused as to what's installed. We found this solution will get things going again.

Quit Curio.
Using Launchpad, delete Curio by clicking and holding the mouse down on its icon then click the little "x" to delete it.
Launch the App Store app.
Choose Store > Sign Out.
Reboot.
Follow the restore subscription steps in the question above.

How come the Mac App Store doesn't finish installing Curio and just stays at almost 100% done?

If you have previously downloaded and installed Curio from our website, then the Mac App Store may get stuck trying to install Curio from the Mac App Store.

The solution is to simply drag that previously installed Curio app to the Trash, then install Curio from the Mac App Store. (You can always re-download Curio from our website later if necessary.)

Is the Curio Core edition available for subscription?

Only Curio Standard and Curio Professional are available for subscription.

Are academic or volume discounts available? How about family sharing?

In-app subscription purchases are not eligible for discounts or family sharing.

Can I purchase Curio from the Mac App Store as a traditional license instead of a subscription?

Curio from the Mac App Store is only available by subscription as Apple strongly encourages that mechanism for ongoing, sustainable product development, as opposed to traditional upgrade schemes. This means it is always up-to-date with the latest major and minor updates, and isn’t stuck on a specific major version.

Therefore Curio from the Mac App Store can’t work with traditional license keys, as those keys are specific to a major version. Only Curio purchased and downloaded from the Zengobi website can accept license keys for a specific version of Curio.

Do I get a discount on a Curio subscription if I own a traditional Curio license? What about vice versa?

There are no discounts on traditional licenses or subscriptions if you'd like to move from one to the other.

However, if you're currently on a traditional license and typically upgrade to each major release, but at the next major release you decide to switch to an annual subscription instead, then if a future major release comes around and you wish to switch back to traditional then you would be eligible for a discounted upgrade based on your most recent traditional license purchase.

What happens when I migrate from traditional licensed Curio to a Curio subscription?

Both Curio products use the same project file format, so your existing Curio projects should open with no problems.

When you launch Curio from the Mac App Store for the first time macOS will automatically:

Copy your traditional Curio preferences file to the sandboxed Curio container.
Move your traditional Curio application support folder which includes your personal styles, stencils, and templates to the sandboxed Curio container. Note this is a move, not a copy (for some reason).

What happens when I migrate from a Curio subscription to a traditional licensed Curio?

Both Curio products use the same project file format, so your existing Curio projects should open with no problems.

If you launch a traditional Curio 13 (or greater) and it can't find its app support files then it will automatically check the sandboxed Curio container location and copy them back if found.

If you need to launch an older traditional Curio then you'll need to copy those app support files manually from ~/Library/Containers/com.zengobi.curio/Data/Library/Application Support/Curio to ~/Library/Application Support/Curio.

What is Curio’s license agreement?

Curio purchased from the Mac App Store is covered by Apple’s standard License Agreement.

What is Apple’s privacy policy?

Apple’s Privacy Policy details what personal information they collect, why they collect it, and how they use it. You may also want to read Zengobi’s Privacy Policy which details what personal information we collect, why we collect it, and how we use it.