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> Hot take: Subscription models actually reflect the costs of software development better than an one-off purchase. They link the value provided by updates/main
by newscracker 7y ago
> Hot take: Subscription models actually reflect the costs of software development better than an one-off purchase. They link the value provided by updates/maintenance to a tangible cost.
I don’t agree with this at all. I believe subscription models encourage laziness and/or introduction of unnecessary or complex features (to show that busywork is being done).
Sell a license for applications with support included for a year or whatever, like developers used to and still do. If you continue providing more value to customers, and if you aren’t too greedy to introduce new versions and upgrades for trivial updates often, why would the majority of your customers not purchase a paid upgrade every couple of years or so?
I feel there are many areas that are saturated and that developers struggle to figure out how to add more value...or rather, extract more money from customers (1Password in recent years is an example of this, in my experience).
- y_molodtsov 7y agoYour model creates a very clear incentive to put new features in your drawer just waiting for a new major version.
- zeroimpl 7y agoNote that for mobile apps, paid upgrades aren’t really an option for developers due to the way the app stores work. Also, developers constantly need to update apps to be compatible with new OS releases. Only the subscription model aligns with this.
- wmf 7y agodevelopers constantly need to update apps to be compatible with new OS releases. It could be sold as a paid upgrade. Customers will complain, but they complain more about subscriptions.