NIK ...questions re: ON1 version and alternatives

Been using NIK for a couple of years... on my PC and Laptop. Flawless, zero grief. I sometimes use PS as a final step tho could probably do that with NIK alone if I wanted to.

DO YOU USE NIK ?

Are you using the (wonderful) free Google version? (I am).

OR, did you get yours via ON-1?

I don't think ON-1 would be useful for me except for NIK...I might not mind buying NIK BY ITSELF via ON-1 EXCEPT that
ON-1 terms seem tricky...they seem to want to hit for more $$ by forcing periodic upgrades.

I think of NIK as a way to quickly produce something that closely approximates what I visualized when I exposed...then doing a bit more with PS....for me, the post-processed file is effectively the "original" more than the camera's file is. In other words, I almost always visualize something that the film couldn't deliver without post-processing.

I use On1, but not Nik (I have the old version somewhere, maybe). I haven't seen anything from On1 about adding Nik (it comes from DxO). On1 doesn't really "force" updates. You don't have to buy the next version unless you want the new things they've added. At least if you buy On1, you own it. BUT, I don't know if it works as well on PCs as it does on a Mac (I use an iMac). Someone I know who used it has a PC and was frequently finding bugs. I didn't have the same bugs and have rarely (knock on wood) had any. On1 does really have a lot of cool features and ways to add textures and other things non-destructively. I've gotten used to how it works and uses masks, so I like it. But I can't help you with tying it to Nik.