This is normal.  Groupy 1 keys cannot activate Groupy 2 and we have never said otherwise.  When you purchase a product you purchase that product and updates for that version.  So buy Groupy 1.1, you get all the updates upto a theoretical Groupy 1.99.  But Groupy 2.x is a paid update.

Stardock have always charged for major updates, often with a discount available to those who purchased a prior version.  This can be checked on the Groupy page at the bottom on the Upgrade button.

If I understand correctly. It is between  $15.98 (2x) vs $19.98 (2x), yes? So its not the same, discount around $4.

Thank you,

Basj,
Stardock Community Assistant

I really don't understand, how can a big company do this kind of nonsense. When I bought it, I remembered it as a lifetime upgrade. Now there is a new version to buy new, upgrade, the price is the same.

The funny thing is that the price is 9.99, but when I click on it, it is still 15.98. WTF?

I am quite annoyed with this kind of work.

The company has lost its reputation.

Firstly. Microsoft supports free upgrade of Windows 7 to 10 for free. Windows 10 to 11 is free.

Second. I don't buy 2 licenses. When I click upgrade, your system automatically adds 2 packages. I had to manually delete it myself. Is this an arbitrary act to mislead customers?

Third. In 2021, I had to spend about 10$ to buy Groupy. Evening recommend to many buyers. Now there's Groupy 2. I have to tell them how while I myself am quite annoyed with this kind of money making. I have to spend another 6$ to use it. While the feature is still tabs.

It's your job to make it run on Windows 11 and your responsibility. It's not your client's business.

What you do is like asking customers who used to trust your products to turn their backs on using other companies' products.

I would just like to add that in the case of Start11 MSFT completely rewrote explorer so it shares almost no code whatsoever with previous versions.

This means a huge rewrite of Start* to support new features as well as making it work period. I can understand how moving from Start10 to Start11 would be major. 

EDIT:

I just realized the OP is referring to Groupy. While the above is true Groupy also relies on explorer and also adds a ton of new options.

While I do understand the frustration you have (I have about 35 paid apps I have to keep up) it's important to note that there are dozens of pay models used by software companies. Some charge a monthly service fee that you pay for no matter what. Most Offer an upgrade path where minor updates (1.0->1.1) are free while major Upgrades (1.0->2.0) cost a value. In most cases the Upgrade is heavily discounted as a loyalty reward.

Stardock has always used the same pay model and it's no different here. Unless your argument is that the latest groupy should not have been a major upgrade. I'm sure you could make a case for that but i would remind you as I said earlier that a lot of code had to be rewritten. While Groupy2 does in fact share some features with Groupy1 it also has several new ones.

Moral to the story here is comparing one companies pay model to another is not a good comparison. You could argue that because some software is 100% free then all software should be free. 

Also i'm confident that while you may need to bite the bullet this time, Groupy2 will be around for a long minute so you likely won't have to worry about it for a long time.

And, Stardock isn't Microsoft.

Stardock is a separate corporation and has its own rules on payment, rules shared by many other software companies, and they have been explained to you. They are the same rules that have been in effect for as long as I can remember this topic. They aren't about to change.

Are you serious?

You think or believe Stardock employs people to run around changing things you think you remember just to cheat you? That's astonishing.

You have an assortment of people (Stardock staff, customers, and a Moderator) challenging that belief. Were I you I'd rethink that assertion.

This is here to stop.

I lost faith in them. At the end of the 30-day trial, if I find it necessary, I pay more to upgrade.

I also don't buy any of their software. And also advise relatives or friends or groups not to buy.

Dear who!