Please let’s stop comparing software subscriptions to coffee. It misses the point about the recurring cost and lock in, and not everyone lives in the USA and pays high prices for coffee every day (or ever).
I like Jetbrains licensing. Essentially you pay for updates and once you stop paying you’re locked in at that specific version, but you can use it indefinitely.
Are non-paying customers no longer eligible for support?
Yeah, basically. "If you pay nothing, you get nothing."
The last paragraph is brilliant foresight. I guess apps will need to move towards the AAA gaming market where Internet connection is required to verify license, plus a bunch amazing anti-cheat/-hack stuff. Assuming EU does crack open the app stores (pun intended), it sounds like a great small business to offer some libraries that mobile app devs can use for these new needs.
"Pay once" is sustainable as long as people keep buying your app. Which works out just fine, since you are never going to saturate the market as a small app developer. There's always going to be new people who buy your app.
I've made a living from non-subscription app sales for a decade, and revenue is pretty constant. As long as your app stays useful, people will continue to buy it.
Honest question, and I'm asking because I want to know your take, not because I'm trying to be a dick: why should an app developer have a sustainable income stream from a single app no matter what?
Isn't it possible that an app is simple enough that doesn't justify getting a full salary out of it?
Again, I'm not trying to be a dick here, I'm just trying to figure out what is the reasoning behind the subscription model.
I'm a freelance web developer. When I'm done with a project I have to move to something else. Is it unreasonable to expect app developers to do the same?
And I know, not all apps are created equal, some apps require constant work. I get that. For some apps is reasonable to expect a subscription. But for all apps? I'd say no.
And this developer, from what I can see, is doing the "right thing" by working on multiple products. Which is great.
I completely agree, many apps don’t justify being a subscription. It depends on the complexity, the frequency of expected updates and new features. Also if there is a cloud storage or paid API component to the app, then a subscription model is practically essential to keep an app running due to the developer’s own recurring costs.
I think like many things it’s not one size fits all.
In this particular case, I think that keeping a firewall utility up to date with changes to macOS and emerging threats would require a modest sustainable income source to make it worthwhile for the developer.
Well, I was looking at the change log of the non mini version of this app and the releases are dated
- October 12, 2022
- May 2, 2022
- April 25, 2022
- November 17, 2021
Just to grab the most recent. Reading the change notes a solid % is bug fixes which is expected.
This looks like a “traditional” piece of software. Doesn’t require constant new features that could be eventually bundled in a major paid release and the updates are primarily big fixes.
And in fact the non mini version of little snitch is not a subscription. As it should.
I agree with you that if an app has running costs (cloud storage or other services) or it requires constant work then a subscription is justified. But these days developers are trying to convert everything into a subscription.
Every minor utility app wants to be a subscription. Which is just insane.
But if the developers live in the USA then they are paying high prices for coffee, and thus require a commensurate level of return on their work to survive.
In all fairess, you don't go out every morning to buy three dozens of cups of coffee.
Currently everyone and their mother want to sell you a subscription. Netflix, Amazon, Apple, Spotify, $NUM of app developers, Disney, $FORMER_TV_STATIONS
That's the problem with subscriptions. They pile up.
Not disagreeing with you here, but buying full licenses adds up too. And you will likely have to buy "upgrade" licenses when new versions are released.
That being said, I do like the license model that JetBrains uses for their products: if you pay for the subscription for more than 12mo, when you stop, you get to keep a perpetual license for the latest version that was released during the last 12 months of paid subscription (I hope I got it right).
