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0 points1_player5y ago0 comments

> I wish consumers would understand this better.

No. I routinely buy software and lifetime subscriptions in the $10 to $100 range without batting an eye, but if I had to pay $5 a month for every piece of software or service I use, I would spend thousands of dollars every single month and it'd be ridiculous even if I'm lucky enough to be able to afford that.

There's a place for recurring subscriptions and a place for fixed priced software that is supposed to work for eternity, even if without upgrades.

Don't blame the consumer if they don't want to pay $5 a month for a standalone app.

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3 comments · 2 top-level

HumblyTossed5y ago· 1 in thread

This sums it up. Even for people who make great money, how many subscriptions do devs really think we want to have?

zepto5y ago

Not many, but that just reveals a more painful truth - how much time do people have to invest in using apps?

The answer is not much, that’s the real bottleneck. You can’t expect people to pay for what they can’t use, and we just can’t use all that much software because we don’t have time for it.

kstrauser5y ago

What grinds my gears is when an app goes subscription and then jacks their prices. Fantastical 2 was a $50 one-time purchase. Fantastical 3 is $60 per year.

If you switch to a subscription model, your new price better be no more than your expected amortized purchase price. If you use to launch paid major version upgrades every 2 years at $100 a pop, your rental price needs to be less than $50 per year to make up for the lack in functionality. Don't try to be a used car salesman and emphasize the "low monthly payment" when your customers are used to considering the total annual cost.

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