I usually buy Orbx products only from my Orbx account since they keep track of what I own and I get cross sim discounts

However today, by mistake I bought Vienna airport marked as Goya simulation (didn't realize its an Orbx release) from my MSFS2020. I checked my account in Orbx and it does not show I own this airport.

Did I make a mistake? 

Manny

I've so far bought all my ORBX products (and Gaya's LOWW) through ORBX Central but I've bought other products through MSFS marketplace and both options have worked fine. You didn't make a mistake buying through the MSFS marketplace but the two stores are not linked, so anything you buy from within the sim won't show in your ORBX account. 

I don't think it makes a difference one way or the other unless you MUST have patches ASAP.

I bought my KTIW (Tacoma Narrows) from ORBX directly.  I bought the London Landmarks via the marketplace.  Both work fine.

The marketplace is slower to provide patches (because Orbx has to submit the patch updates to Marketplace to post).  I believe Marketplace updates only occur monthly.  

They are also treated differently by the Sim.  If you bought them from the marketplace, they go in the "official" folder in you profile.  If you use Orbx central, they go into the ORBX install location and ORBX creates symbolic links in your Community folder to them.  

Virtuali from FSDT gives on their forum a nice breakdown of the differences between buying on the MSFS Marketplace or elsewhere : http://www.fsdreamteam.com/forum/index.php/topic,24167.0.html

I did not know that  files bought on MSFS are incrypted.

MS Marketplace version

PROS
 

• Easier installation, no activation keys to type.
• Easier reinstall, download is automatic from MS

CONS
 

• Files are encrypted, difficult to modify the scenery or use 3rd party utilities that might need to read the .BGL
• Updates will come with some delay, depending how much time MS will need to approve them
• Not possible to get Discounts as a previous owner of another FSDT product

FSDT or Simmarket version

PROS
 

• Files are not encrypted (although are signed with your key), so the scenery can be modified and it's more compatible with utilities like flight planners, maps, etc.
• Updates can be obtained as soon as we release them, using the FSDT Live Update
• You can get Discounts as an existing owner of other FSDT products
• You are supporting FSDT directly.

CONS
 

• Installation a bit more complex, need to download an installer when the simulator is not running, and type an activation key
• Installer not always available, so you must keep a backup. We are working on improving this though

I usually buy mine through ORBX Central.

one additional thing...  if you buy direct from ORBX, then be careful you don't rebuy through Marketplace..  Marketplace does NOT show it as owned if you buy from Orbx in the same way as you can't get discounts from ORBX if you buy through marketplace.   The two systems do not talk to each other to reference data, and marketplace doesn't look at your community folder to see if something is already in there.

To my mind it would be nice if marketplace looked at your community folder and if you had (say) London City Airport in there bought direct from Orbx, it marked it as owned in Marketplace to stop the potential of an accidental purchase.

Personally, I buy direct where I can for speed of updates and discounts because of previous purchases.

Graham

I would recommend buying direct from Orbx. Their content manger/installer/updater is excellent and easy to keep track of everything. Now that other devs are working with Orbx makes it even more appealing. Then there is the fact that the MS Marketplace seems ridiculously slow so far to update content and patches.