5 ms·

I would be happier to subscribe if <minor little tool> cost $0.50/mo instead of $10/mo. I only have room for a few $10/mo bills. But companies don't seem to be

by st26 9y ago

I would be happier to subscribe if <minor little tool> cost $0.50/mo instead of $10/mo. I only have room for a few $10/mo bills. But companies don't seem to be willing to drop below perhaps $5/mo.

savanaly 9y ago
Well of course, who wouldn't rather pay fifty cents than ten dollars for something? The question is really rather how can the average business survive after its revenue stream falls by 95%? They don't have volunteers staffing the offices and writing the articles.
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
fundamental 9y ago
With payment processor fees as well as per-user support fees (e.g. if a user asks a question), going to $6/year doesn't seem sustainable even if you have the market size which could provide a huge user base. For many projects they also have to keep in mind that their user base is not endless, so when it begins to saturate they need to have a reasonable income.
- ghaff 9y ago
  Not that it's easy to make money in mobile but there are apps that sell for a low number of dollars and they don't even necessarily have in-app purchases. I think it's more akin to micropayments albeit on a different scale. Personally, I'm very resistant to subscriptions. I don't want to be managing 50 $0.50/month subscriptions for this that and the other thing. Just too much mental energy to deal with.
  - fundamental 9y ago
    Is that an entirely fair comparison? Personally I don't have the same expectations for a product where I have an ongoing subscription vs a one time purchase (i.e. ignoring the scale of $ I'd expect differences in support/ongoing development/community platforms/etc). Perhaps that's a minority view however.
    - ghaff 9y ago
      Maybe? Certainly, lots of people expect app upgrades that handle new phone models and OS upgrades. Subscriptions probably do have a more explicit ongoing support relationship though.
DelightOne 9y ago
It attracts the wrong kind of people.

by st26 9y ago

I would be happier to subscribe if <minor little tool> cost $0.50/mo instead of $10/mo. I only have room for a few $10/mo bills. But companies don't seem to be willing to drop below perhaps $5/mo.

savanaly 9y ago

Well of course, who wouldn't rather pay fifty cents than ten dollars for something? The question is really rather how can the average business survive after its revenue stream falls by 95%? They don't have volunteers staffing the offices and writing the articles.

deleted 9y ago
[deleted]

fundamental 9y ago

With payment processor fees as well as per-user support fees (e.g. if a user asks a question), going to $6/year doesn't seem sustainable even if you have the market size which could provide a huge user base. For many projects they also have to keep in mind that their user base is not endless, so when it begins to saturate they need to have a reasonable income.

ghaff 9y ago
Not that it's easy to make money in mobile but there are apps that sell for a low number of dollars and they don't even necessarily have in-app purchases. I think it's more akin to micropayments albeit on a different scale. Personally, I'm very resistant to subscriptions. I don't want to be managing 50 $0.50/month subscriptions for this that and the other thing. Just too much mental energy to deal with.
- fundamental 9y ago
  Is that an entirely fair comparison? Personally I don't have the same expectations for a product where I have an ongoing subscription vs a one time purchase (i.e. ignoring the scale of $ I'd expect differences in support/ongoing development/community platforms/etc). Perhaps that's a minority view however.
  - ghaff 9y ago
    Maybe? Certainly, lots of people expect app upgrades that handle new phone models and OS upgrades. Subscriptions probably do have a more explicit ongoing support relationship though.

DelightOne 9y ago

It attracts the wrong kind of people.