Visual Basic (VB) and VB.NET remain the backbone of millions of legacy enterprise applications. When source code is lost, documentation is outdated, or a critical vendor goes out of business, developers face a nightmare scenario.
If you run a business, buy the Business License. Trying to save $400 by using a Personal license is a textbook example of "penny wise, pound foolish." The cost of a software audit, legal fees, and retroactive licensing will easily exceed $10,000.
Verdict: For a one-time recovery, outsourcing might be cheaper than a business license. But for an IT department that handles multiple legacy clients, the VB Decompiler Business License pays for itself after two uses.
: Full license starts at approximately $295+, with annual renewals around $145. Business Enterprise License
Critical warning: Using a Personal License to decompile a competitor’s VB application for a commercial report, or to recover source code for a revenue-generating product, violates most End User License Agreements (EULAs).
A German auto parts manufacturer had a legacy machine controller written in VB3 (yes, VB3) running on Windows 98. The source code was on a dead IDE drive. Using VB Decompiler, engineers extracted the serial communication protocol and ported it to a Raspberry Pi Pico. Business license cost: €1,200. New machine cost: €85,000.
: Best for individual contractors or single developers within a company. one named user one computer (physical or virtual). Transferability