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Yes, but you can also deploy it locally, so you can use it for free. May I ask, do you think that programs running locally are not worth paying for if it is ope
by loggerhead 2y ago
Yes, but you can also deploy it locally, so you can use it for free. May I ask, do you think that programs running locally are not worth paying for if it is open source?
- devmor 2y agoI think they are understandably confused by your pricing page. Do you have to pay monthly to use the tool locally?
- loggerhead 2y agoYes, it requires regular payment, from the SaaS perspective, since the cost is a monthly expense, adopting a subscription model is understandable. This pricing was inspired by https://jsoncrack.com/ https://jsoncrack.com/. May I ask, is there anything on the pricing page that is hard to understand?
- devmor 2y agoGenerally, when you download a dev tool to run a tool on your own machine that is not pre-packaged software, it does not have a subscription cost. That is likely the source of confusion. It’s unclear what service requires the expense on your side that justifies a monthly cost. I think explaining those benefits on the pricing page would help you a great deal.
- slightwinder 2y agoPeople have no problem with paying for open source, once. A recurring payment is a different topic, especially if it's unclear for what the payment is good for, what value it has for the customer.
- loggerhead 2y agoThank you very much for your feedback! It's very insightful. Are you saying that for local tools, people are more willing to purchase through a one-time buyout rather than a subscription model? Because they feel that a subscription doesn't provide continuous value and thus isn't worth the price?
- fragmede 2y agoYes. For something like Amazon Prime where there's clearly work being done by Amazon every month in the form of shipping and TV shows, it's easier to stomach. For a product that does the job with the current set of features, it's not viewed in a positive light. But the question is do you as the developer on this product care? A lot of people will see the subscription and bounce off. They weren't going to pay you any money anyway. the thing you have to ask yourself is if you offered a $50 one time purchase option, would it generate enough sales to be worth it? or you could come up with a weird per-use scheme like Colin and Tarsnap. The push back you're getting on pricing is good! it means people see value in the product, they just aren't willing to agree to the terms you've set. now it's marketing and sales that needs to take over and figure out how to sell it, which is a totally different skillset. if you build it, they will come and turn decide it's not worth the cost of admission, so you've got to talk them into it before they turn around and go home, possibly by changing your pricing plan. At the end of the day, it isn't your fault they arrived with cash and you want to take credit cards, or they're pissed off because something bad happened in traffic on the drive over, they're your customers and you somehow have to convince some of them to give you money for this thing you've made, or else you've got to go home, hungry. Metaphorically.
- loggerhead 2y agoThank you for your support! I'm open to all kinds of feedback and want to understand different perspectives. After gathering enough input, I'll digest and understand it before making any decisions, ensuring not to take any single opinion as the whole truth.
- slightwinder 2y agoPeople have not endless money, so they have to calculate the value and final cost of everything. And subscriptions are very, very low on the value-calculation, because it's a recurring cost which will grow over time, which means it's risky. Additionally, people usually buy something for the value it has now, or a promised value which might materialize in the future and they consider realistic. So, if your tool has a legit reason for a subscription, people might pay for it. This means, server-costs on your side, which are realistic for the demanded price. Or a roadmap of fancy features which are actively worked on. But paying for something regularly, where there are no ongoing costs on the sellers side, and no foreseeable positive changes in the value of the tool...this makes it really hard to reason about the cost&benefits. I mean, the tool will not change, the value is static, why pay for it again and again and again? This is like Walmart asking for a subscription for silverware..