Here's the problem we all face: you use an app and pay for it and every
so often you drop some more cash on a major upgrade. Then the developer
decides to go the subscription model and what they want per month
exceeds the value and utility you get from the app. Yet there is no
good replacement for the utility you glean.
Let's be clear: unless the developer of the app delivers more value and
utility quickly under the subscription model (where subscribers are
paying more) and keeps up a reasonable pace, the model only benefits
the developer. It might benefit the platform, like Apple and Google (I
don't know much about that bit.)
Now the app developer moved from selling a piece of software to
providing a service. The service is fixed and finite in the scope and
capability of the software, but that is the very service being sold.
I like the idea of a staged subscription model. It might be cumbersome
for the developer, but I think it works out best for the user.
* Version n-1 is free, full featured for that version and unlimited
until version n+1 is released. Users can only expect security
related patches as best effort.
* Version n is paid one time, let's say for $10. When version n+1 is
released this becomes the free version. This gets bug and security
fixes.
* Version n subscription is $1.99 per month or $20 annual. This gets
everything in the one time paid version plus new features that will
be part of version n+1.
The idea is that n-1's development is already paid for, so use it as a
way to introduce people to your product. Version n should be paying for
its upkeep and maybe some small piece of future development where the
subscription option is very much about the next version.
Release timing is important. In this model I would expect a new release
every 12 to 18 months. The subscription model always moves to the next
release, the flat fee pays to move to the new release (maybe at a
discount for a limited time) or else goes to the free release. Free
folks always upgrade to the free release.
All of this is predicated on the developer having a solid business plan
and that the Apple App Store can accommodate all of this in a useful
way. Please feel free to adjust and fine tune or point out where I am
wrong.
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My original entry is here: [1]Your Subscription Model Does Not Match
Your Value. It posted Sun, 03 Jun 2018 05:52:59 +0000.
Filed under: tech,
References
1.
https://www.prjorgensen.com/?p=1150
