4 ms·

Sure, you can try it charge subscriptions, but what are you actually charging for? You're not storing any of the customer's data or providing a service that the

by danjl 1y ago

Sure, you can try it charge subscriptions, but what are you actually charging for? You're not storing any of the customer's data or providing a service that they need, since the software should work entirely without your help. Fundamentally charging a subscription without having a centralized server is pretty tricky. Even the traditional desktop apps that transitioned to the cloud, like Photoshop or Maya, have really worked hard to beef up their cloud-based service to justify the subscription fee. A mismatch between your business model and your technical infrastructure is not going to stand up well over time. Don't get me wrong. I'm just trying to figure out what business model works for local-first software?

Calavar 1y ago
I think subscription models became associated with SaaS because cloud hype was at its peak around the time the first big corps were first migrating their products from perpetual licensing to susbscription, and just being on the cloud was seen as a selling point weighty enough to justify the price bump. Now that cloud hype has died down, I don't see why subscription based would not be viable just because your product runs locally (assuming that all your competitors are already subscription based). ZBrush started selling local first subscriptions, so I guess we'll see soon enough whether that works out for them.
- danjl 1y ago
  Subscription models are associated with SaaS because you're selling a service. The service is typically storing your data or providing capabilities on the back end. With a local first app, the company is not paying for back-end resources, so there's a mismatch between the expectations of customers who are actually providing the resources on their own computer, and the desires of the company to make money.

4 ms·

Sure, you can try it charge subscriptions, but what are you actually charging for? You're not storing any of the customer's data or providing a service that the

by danjl 1y ago

Calavar 1y ago
I think subscription models became associated with SaaS because cloud hype was at its peak around the time the first big corps were first migrating their products from perpetual licensing to susbscription, and just being on the cloud was seen as a selling point weighty enough to justify the price bump. Now that cloud hype has died down, I don't see why subscription based would not be viable just because your product runs locally (assuming that all your competitors are already subscription based). ZBrush started selling local first subscriptions, so I guess we'll see soon enough whether that works out for them.
- danjl 1y ago
  Subscription models are associated with SaaS because you're selling a service. The service is typically storing your data or providing capabilities on the back end. With a local first app, the company is not paying for back-end resources, so there's a mismatch between the expectations of customers who are actually providing the resources on their own computer, and the desires of the company to make money.