The VALD Pricing Model: Our commitment to innovation

At VALD, we get a lot of questions about our pricing model; how it works, what it includes and excludes, and what it means for our clients. This article will help explain how the VALD pricing model works and why we think it’s the best possible way for us to deliver value to health and performance professionals and the broader musculoskeletal (MSK) industry.

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

Apart from our digital health offerings – which we offer completely free of charge – and our AirBands Wireless Blood Flow Restriction Cuffs, all other VALD products are sold via a subscription model. This is because by subscribing to a VALD product, you are not purchasing a piece of hardware that will become obsolete, an app that will stay stagnant for years or a reporting tool that you could build yourself in Excel.

… you are subscribing for unlimited access to continuous innovation.

When you subscribe to a VALD product, you are subscribing for unlimited access to continuous innovation. That means access to data that was otherwise inaccessible, access to a centralized system that extends beyond any one product and access to exponentially growing normative datasets and insights. Above all you are investing in our commitment to our clients – to continually support, maintain, innovate, develop, upgrade and roll out improvements to your products over the course of your subscription, and ultimately to help you succeed.Every VALD subscription provides our clients with:

• Access to measurement devices – our innovative, sensor-based objective measurement technologies unlock access to the rest of the VALD ecosystem: apps, data, reports, insights and educational resources.
• Unlimited access to software – mobile, desktop and web apps available to unlimited users, unlimited patients and unlimited data collection within your organization.
• Unlimited access to new features – our team is constantly developing and releasing new features and innovations that make your products better over time, at no additional cost.
• Unlimited warranty and support – we build our products to last, but if something goes wrong, we will repair or replace it at no additional cost to our client – not even for shipping.
• Truly all-inclusive pricing – no hidden costs for software updates, servicing, parts or extended warranties, all of which are common with outright purchase models. The VALD pricing model is – quite literally – all-inclusive.
• Unlimited training – our international Client Support and Client Success teams are here to ensure our clients and their staff are able to integrate VALD technology into their daily workflows and continue to upskill with ongoing education and professional development.

VALD: A data & insights company

VALD is a world-leading MSK technology business, but our investment in innovation is quite different from what many outsiders may think. Whilst 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 sets us apart.

we view our devices as the keys that unlock access to the true value of our products … when they begin to communicate with our software, that is where the magic happens.

At VALD, we view our devices as the keys that unlock access to the true value of our products. Our devices are world-class in their own right – accurate, reliable, easy-to-use, portable and durable – but when they begin to communicate with our software, that is where the magic happens.

As of 2023, our research and development team (which we call our “Product” team) consists of over 70 engineers, product managers, designers and quality specialists, and 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 it is ultimately delivered by continuous innovation in software and exponentially expanding data. 

In this article, we delve into the VALD business and pricing model, focusing on the subscription-based approach that enables us to provide our clients with world leading solutions for their organizations.

More than just a pricing model, it is a business model.

VALD operates on a fixed-price 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.

we want to retain our clients and forge long-term, trusting and mutually beneficial relationships … in order to achieve this we know we must continue to innovate, update and evolve our products

Why? Like any business, at VALD we want to retain our clients and forge long-term, trusting and mutually beneficial relationships over time. However, in order to achieve this we know we must continue to innovate, update and evolve our products, provide greater insights back to our clients and support them whenever they need it.

We know that if we don’t, they probably won’t be our clients anymore.

We know that if we don’t, they probably won’t be our clients anymore. This is a commitment we pride ourselves on delivering on.  

Truly all-inclusive pricing: no hidden costs.

When clients enter into a subscription with VALD, they are locking in an agreed price over the term of their subscription. That includes the subscription fee plus any once-off costs such as for shipping and optional accessories.  

• There are no upgrades or upsells for new features.
• There are no consumables to replace or repair fees to pay.
• There are no additional packages to unlock additional users, licenses or data storage.
• There are no obsolete products that must be re-purchased to access the latest technology.

Your VALD subscription grants you unlimited access at a fixed price 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 with no penalties.

The VALD pricing model is also designed to be flexible, with billing options including:

• Weekly payments,
• Monthly payments,
• Quarterly payments,
• Annual payments, or
• If it suits your organization, all upfront.

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.

unlike many subscription products, we do not charge a penalty or higher rate for paying more frequently in smaller amounts.

Most importantly, unlike many subscription products, we do not charge a penalty or higher rate for paying more frequently in smaller amounts. If you pay monthly, your monthly fee will be one twelfth of the annual fee – no catch. 

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’s 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. 

As well as providing our clients with peace of mind, it allows us to commit to constant innovation.

Committing to an agreed price in a subscription enables VALD to confidently and continuously invest back into the business – new features, improved workflows, more educational resources, better support, more client success. As well as providing our clients with peace of mind, it allows us to commit to constant innovation.Accordingly, VALD systems have come a long way in just a few years. Just take a look at how VALD Hub has changed in just a few years, since its predecessor called “DashBord”:

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

if you work with a business from whom you purchase products outright, you may find that they regularly try to sell you the next greatest thing … innovation slows or ceases over time … quality of support for your product decreases … you may be forced to purchase the same or similar product again

As a result, if you work with a business from whom you purchase products outright, you may find that they regularly try to sell you the next greatest thing, the newest model or add-ons. Alternatively (or additionally) you may find that their innovation slows or ceases over time, their 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 replacements, 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. 

Don’t 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 through their experiences over time.

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.

We’ve heard countless stories from our clients whose outright purchases of expensive technology or equipment left them with a bad taste over time. It could be the servicing and maintenance (or lack thereof), or that it sits in the corner, unused and 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, but their actions speak just as loudly – nearly all VALD 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’ve 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 want to work with you to find a way to make our pricing model work for you.

The VALD pricing model allows us to continuously invest in the innovation, data and support our clients rely on, while providing peace of mind for our clients, letting them get on with what matters most – helping their patients, athletes and personnel achieve their goals. 

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