The VALD Pricing Model: Our commitment to innovation

We often receive questions about how VALD’s pricing model works, what it includes, how it is structured and what it means for our clients. This article outlines the model and explains why it provides the most effective and scalable pathway for delivering value across the musculoskeletal (MSK) industry.

Apart from our digital health offerings – which we offer completely free of charge – all other VALD products are sold via a subscription model. Subscribing to a VALD product means you are not purchasing a piece of hardware that will become obsolete, an app that will remain stagnant or a reporting tool that you could build yourself in Excel.

…you are not purchasing a piece of hardware that will become obsolete, an app that will remain stagnant or a reporting tool that you could build yourself in Excel.

Instead, your subscription gives you access to continuous innovation. That means access to data that was otherwise inaccessible, along with a centralized ecosystem that extends beyond any single product and an ever-expanding pool of normative datasets and insights.

…your subscription gives you access to continuous innovation.

Above all, you are investing in our commitment to our clients – to continually support, innovate, upgrade and roll out improvements to VALD products over the course of your subscription, with the ultimate goal of helping you succeed.

Every VALD subscription provides our clients with access to the following:

• Measurement Devices: Innovative, objective measurement technologies that unlock access to the rest of the VALD ecosystem, including apps, data, reports, insights and educational resources.
• Software: Mobile, desktop and web apps available to your entire team:
  • Data Collection Apps – mobile and desktop apps for seamless data capturing across all VALD systems.
  • VALD Hub – a centralized platform for secure data storage, remote monitoring, reporting and managing users, clients and data across all VALD systems.
  • MoveHealth App – a patient-facing app for delivering exercise programs, assigning clinically-validated outcome questionnaires, sharing educational content and tracking progress in real time.
• New Features: Continuous development and new feature releases that make your products better over time.
• Warranty and Support: Built to last, but if something goes wrong, we will repair or replace it at no cost to our client – not even for shipping.
• Truly All-Inclusive Pricing: No hidden costs for software updates, servicing, replacement parts or extended warranties, which are often added extras under outright purchase models.
• Unlimited Training: Continuous guidance from our international Client Support and local Client Success teams to help our clients and their staff integrate VALD technology into their daily workflows, along with ongoing education and professional development.

VALD: A Data and Insights Company

VALD is a world-leading MSK technology business, but our investment in innovation is quite different from what many outsiders may think. While we are known for many of the names of our hardware devices (NordBord, ForceFrame, HumanTrak, ForceDecks, DynaMo, SmartSpeed), it is our software and data that set us apart.

We see our hardware as the gateway to what matters most: the integrated VALD ecosystem. Designed to be accurate, reliable, easy to use and durable, our devices reach their full potential when synchronized with our software – transforming raw data into meaningful insights.

…our devices reach their full potential when synchronized with our software – transforming raw data into meaningful insights.

VALD’s devices and apps bring all of your MSK data together in one place: VALD Hub.

As of 2025, our research and development team (which we call our “Product” team) consists of over 80 engineers, product managers, designers and quality specialists. At any given time, as much as 90% of that team is dedicated to advancing our software; building new apps, releasing new features and making our data more accessible and useful to our clients.

Our mission is enabled by well-designed hardware, but ultimately driven by continuous software innovation and the exponential growth of data.

More Than Just a Pricing Model: It Is a Business Model

VALD operates on a subscription model spread over a 3-year agreement. We do this because we believe that a subscription model fosters mutual alignment between VALD and our clients.

Why? Like any business, at VALD we want to retain our clients and build long-term, trusting and mutually beneficial relationships over time. To do that, we know we must continue to innovate, update and evolve our products, while providing greater insights to our clients and supporting them whenever they need it.

…we want to retain our clients and build long-term, trusting and mutually beneficial relationships… to do that, we know we must continue to innovate, update and evolve our products…

We pride ourselves on this commitment because sustained innovation is essential to retaining trust and delivering lasting value to our clients.

Truly All-Inclusive Pricing

When clients begin a subscription with VALD, they lock in an agreed price over the term of their subscription. That includes the subscription fee plus any one-off costs such as shipping and optional accessories.

Your VALD subscription gives you unlimited access with no hidden costs. This provides peace of mind and enables our clients to focus on what matters most – using our technology to deliver better outcomes for their patients, athletes and personnel, enhance their business’ processes and offerings and improve their team’s efficiency.

Flexible Pricing

The VALD pricing model is designed to be flexible, giving clients the freedom to choose from the following billing options:

• Monthly payments
• Annual payments
• Full payment upfront, if it suits your organization

We are also happy to offer different payment cadences – within reason – for example, if your business works on a fixed payment schedule or has inflexible budget windows.

Recurring Revenue: The Key to Continuous Innovation

When we ask our clients what they love about VALD, the answer is almost always related to a feature in our software or a key insight derived from it. Whether it is how easy and efficient it is to collect data, the visualization of results that enables genuine buy-in or the meaningful insights from VALD Hub reports, all of these features have been a direct result of our continuous investment in research and development.

Committing to an agreed price within a subscription enables VALD to confidently and continuously invest back into the business – developing new features, improving workflows, expanding educational resources, enhancing support and driving client success. In addition to providing our clients with peace of mind, it allows us to commit to constant innovation.

In addition to providing our clients with peace of mind, it allows us to commit to constant innovation.

Accordingly, VALD systems have evolved significantly in recent years – just look at how VALD Hub has changed over the past few years, since its predecessor called “DashBord.”

For businesses that sell their products outright for a one-time fee, it can be difficult to maintain the confidence to invest in ongoing innovation, as doing so relies on selling the same products over and over – often to the same clients.

…you may find that [businesses that sell their products outright] regularly try to sell you the next greatest thing… [but] innovation often slows or ceases over time, [and] quality of support for your product decreases…

If you work with a business that operates this way, you may find that they regularly try to sell you the next greatest thing, the newest model or add-ons.

Additionally, innovation often slows or ceases over time, the quality of support for your product decreases or is discontinued and you may be forced to purchase the same or similar product again – often resulting in a significantly greater total outlay than that of a subscription model.

Comprehensive Warranty: Built to Last, but Covered for the Unexpected

Every VALD subscription includes a comprehensive warranty. If something goes wrong at any point during your subscription, we will fix it at our expense. We do not ask our clients to pay for spare parts, call-out fees or shipping costs.

If something goes wrong at any point during your subscription, we will fix it at our expense.

Because we do not make money on servicing or replacing equipment, we build our products to last. We want to spend our time and resources on feature improvements and helping our clients succeed – not fixing broken hardware. Above all else, we want our clients to have operational, usable products – not broken, obsolete paperweights collecting dust in a corner.

Do Not Take Our Word for It: Our Long-Standing Clients Speak for Themselves

Many clients have expressed gratitude for VALD’s unique pricing model and commitment to innovation based on their experiences over time.

We have heard countless stories from our clients whose outright purchases of expensive technology or equipment left them with a bad impression. It could be the servicing and maintenance (or lack thereof), the unused equipment sitting in the corner collecting dust (with no incentive for the supplier to change that) or the inevitable “upsell” when a new version is released – or all of the above.

Our clients’ feedback gives us confidence that the VALD pricing model works for them. Nearly all VALD clients choose to renew their subscription at the end of their agreement.

Our clients’ feedback gives us confidence that the VALD pricing model works for them – but their actions speak just as loudly. Nearly all VALD clients choose to renew their subscription at the end of their agreement.

What About Research? Our Funding Model Is Different

VALD was spun out of an Australian university, and we continue to place a high value on research, education and innovation. We also understand the commercial challenges that exist in many large, institutional organizations such as universities.

Since our founding, we have worked with hundreds of universities and similar institutions to overcome these hurdles and make VALD technology accessible, even when the path is not immediately clear. If you are interested in VALD technology but your organization places restrictions on budgets, purchasing or payment structures, we will do our best to find a way to make our pricing model work for you.

If you would like to learn more or to get a quote for a VALD product, please get in touch.