Tons of apps have monthly subscriptions now and I don't like it at all. Remember when there used to be a one time payment? Literally everything wants a monthly subscription which is expensive as hell. Even some bill every week. Even a alarm clock app I downloaded wants a subscription to use premium
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Tired of monthly subscriptions
- Thread starter Larsenv
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I don't like them either but I can understand devs looking for a steady and dependable cash flow. I only go for them on apps with a record of regular maintenance and functional updates.
The problem is, apps cost money & time to develop. So if all you ever paid for is $1 in return for forever support & updates, there will be a time when the app will be unfeasible to develop. Subscriptions solve that. Specially if it was priced correctly. I think what gives subscription bad reputation is the ridiculous & expensive subscriptions we see from time to time, like a calculator app that costs $20 a week.
Don't use them. Vote with your money and ignore the subscription based apps. I do. I much prefer the model of releasing a new version and charging for that. So the price you pay for V1 covers the development of V1. If they want more money they should release a new version that has me wanting to spend more on that update. I do think there will be a bubble burst at sometime as people get subscription anxiety.
No one has ever asked for forever support and updates. As I mentioned above versions would be released that have you paying for that update. This new model of subscriptions is an opportunity to cash grab more and more from consumers. Nothing wrong with making money and companies and people should make money from their work, but endless subscriptions is something many companies have over consumers if they are the only one that offers what they have. Charge for the development of your app, then make a new version that people will deem worthy of upgrading to. This has worked in the past and hopefully will work again someday.
Actually, plenty of users do expect endless support for their $0.99. I have seen people explicitly demanding that. Some apps may stop working properly in newer iOS versions, so some development & support is required.
What you are suggesting is nice, but the App store doesn't offer that. It's either one-time payment or a subscription. There's no middle line. So subscription is the solution for any app that wants long-term success. That particularly goes for the apps that do require constant updating.
Problem with that last is that people complain after they buy an app and then are told they have to buy it again when it it's upgraded.
This example is for the Mac but I've seen the same complaint for iOS apps -
Why do I have to repurchase apps I alread… - Apple Community
Subscription model is getting more popular, because it works. It creates a more reliable revenue stream for the developer, than one-and-done pricing.
I don't mind paying a sub if the app is worth the cost. If it's not worth the cost, I don't pay for it. Pretty simple.
In return, I am able to INSIST that the app be kept up to date & bugs fixed, otherwise, I stop paying.
I don't mind paying a sub if the app is worth the cost. If it's not worth the cost, I don't pay for it. Pretty simple.
In return, I am able to INSIST that the app be kept up to date & bugs fixed, otherwise, I stop paying.
Upgraded or a new version? If people are complaining that they are not getting lifetime versions for software then they are just entitled and would not take their thoughts seriously.Problem with that last is that people complain after they buy an app and then are told they have to buy it again when it it's upgraded.
This example is for the Mac but I've seen the same complaint for iOS apps -
Why do I have to repurchase apps I alread… - Apple Community
discussions.apple.com
I did not go over that link but quickly looked at it and it looked like someone bought software direct and then wanted updated through the Mac App Store. This is just more confusion on their part, they can get updates direct through where they bought the app. If they buy through the Mac App Store then they get updates through that.
It is more popular for developers because if they all do it then the consumer has no choice but to subscribe if they really need it. It is certainly better for them because of the monthly income, this does not mean it is the best model. I think it is akin to price fixing. When all the grocery stores get together and charge the same they can control the market prices. A buggy app is going to get horrible reviews and will wither up and die. A good app has people excited for every new release and people pay for those new releases. It forces the developer to bring out something worth buying. Updating and patching is now a reason to be paying monthly.
Welcome to the party pal. I've abandoned apps I invested many hours in because they went subscription. Looking at you ProTools.
I have no problem kicking in some $$ for major updates to feed the developers, but the subscription model just reeks of grift.
I have no problem kicking in some $$ for major updates to feed the developers, but the subscription model just reeks of grift.
Possibly not the “best” model but of course neither is one-and-done.
Market forces do work, though. If the subscription cost is too high - people won’t pay it. I do pay what I consider to be a fair price for several apps: e.g. Quicken, 1Password, MacroFactor, Hevy. Those all do offer Annual subscriptions for a discount over Monthly, and I do take advantage of that. But I like the Monthly option for a “trial” basis too.
ChatGPT and Dropbox has you using their servers so I could never see a time when having a monthly or yearly subscription would not make sense. Photoshop is a bit iffy on that. I use Adobe CC to make a living and have no problem with it as a subscription as I do like that pretty much everyone in the industry now is on the same version and I find that incredibly valuable. I do think an option for those one time buyer types would be great, but that is not a market Adobe is really going after and there are great alternatives that are completely free now for those people.