SharpCap Pro FAQ

Here are some FAQs about SharpCap Pro.

Q: Is SharpCap still free?

A: You will still be able to download, install and use most SharpCap functionality for free. A small selection of the more powerful features in SharpCap will require you to buy a SharpCap Pro license if you want to use them.

Q: What features will need a license?

A: Live flat frame subtraction and assisted focusing (new in 3.0) will both require a license. Additionally Dark subtraction, scripting and the final guide-in stage of polar alignment(*) (all improved in 3.0) will all require a license in future. Learn more about the SharpCap Pro features.

Q: How much will a license cost?

A: SharpCap licenses will cost £12 per year for a personal license. Selling an annual license rather than a ‘buy once, lasts forever’ license allows the price to be kept low.

Q: Can I install my license on more than one PC?

A: Yes, you can use your personal SharpCap license on any PC that belongs to you or a member of your immediate family (someone who lives at the same address as you). You can also use it on one additional PC that belongs to someone else as long as you are the primary user of that PC (ie a work laptop). Anyone who wants to use SharpCap Pro on multiple computers in an educational or commercial environment needs to get in touch to discuss a site license.

Q: Can’t I just carry on using Dark Subtraction and Polar Alignment in 2.9?

A: Yes, sure, if you want to. However you might want to remember that 2.9 will stop being supported with bug fixes and camera SDK updates once SharpCap 3.0 is released and those features have been improved in 3.0 too.

Q: Is this the end of the road for new features in the free part of the program?

A: Absolutely not – SharpCap 3.0 adds new free features including Plate Solving and filtering Live Stack frames by brightness to allow detection of patchy cloud.

Q: I have a problem with SharpCap – will buying the Pro version solve it?

A: No! The free and Pro versions of SharpCap are the same – the Pro license just removes the locks that stop you from using some pieces of functionality. If you have a problem, please report it in detail on the forums.

Q: Where can I buy a license?

A: Here

Q: How can I try out the SharpCap Pro features before I pay?

A: There are two options for this:

  1. You can use most Pro features with SharpCap’s built in Testing Cameras without needing a license – these cameras show sample images and let you play around with the program when it’s cloudy or you don’t have a camera to hand.
  2. If you want to try the Pro features on a real camera, that’s fine too, but as soon as you do all of SharpCap’s ability to save images or movies to disk will be disabled for that session. So you’ll be able to try out the features as much as you want – you just won’t be able to save your images.

Q: What if I want a refund?

A: Because you have the ability to try the Pro features before you buy, SharpCap Pro licenses are non-refundable.

Q: Why have you made SharpCap into a paid product?

A: SharpCap started out as a fairly simple program, but over the years has become more sophisticated. In the last couple of years some of the new features like Live Stacking and Polar Alignment have really started to gain a lot of popularity. The downside of this has been that SharpCap is taking more and more time to maintain, support and improve. If that’s going to carry on, I need to be able to justify the time that goes into SharpCap is my time well spent.

(*) Polar alignment error measurement will remain free.