Mastodawn

I'm getting some comments about Woolly using recurring subscriptions.
Putting the right value on these apps is always a challenge.
I understand that subscriptions suck big time, but so it's having to maintain an app forever on top of a single purchase of a couple of dollars.

Let's try and see how much you folks would be willing to spend on an little Mastodon app like Woolly.

(I probably already know the answers and should get a real job soon)

~5$ Annual sub

69.4%

25$ one time purchase

24.2%

Nothing at all

6.4%

Poll ended at Feb 26, 2023 at 10:43am.

Gio Feb 23, 2023

@mttvll Personally I think $10/yr is a better option for an app like yours

Wolfgang Böhl Feb 23, 2023

@gioghignone @mttvll I agree. 10 seems to be a better fit and still VERY affordable.

Gustomela 🏕️🪵🐻Feb 23, 2023

@mttvll qualche euro in più sulla sottoscrizione annuale io credo te lo puoi permettere, se consideri che Tweetbot stava a 6, con tutte le limitazioni, e che ora con Ivory ci va Findomestic. Personalmente non comprerei una tantum un'app per Mastodon, ad oggi (non ho neanche sottoscritto Ivory oltre il mese).

@gstml @mttvll Anche questo ha senso, attualmente anche spendere 16€ di Mona (che in Italia presumo diventeranno 19€) è un azzardo, per quanto possano essere considerati tale 20€ ovviamente.

Gustomela 🏕️🪵🐻Feb 23, 2023

@bearbops @mttvll no io Mona manco se mi pagano

@gstml @mttvll Si il discorso era generale, non tanto riferito a un’app specifica.

Matteo Feb 23, 2023

@bearbops @gstml Assolutamente. Costruire qualcosa su Mastodon è una scommessa al momento, è anche per questo che mi sto facendo tutti questi problemi nel chiedere dei soldi.

@mttvll @gstml Il futuro di Mastodon del resto sarà florido proprio grazie ai vostri client, perchè se stiamo a guardare l'ufficiale...

@mttvll @bearbops @gstml Secondo il mio modesto parere, eviterei un abbonamento, soprattutto per un client Mastodon che ancora non ha tutto questa richiesta… approvo la scelta dello sviluppatore di Mona, pagamento in unica soluzione credo sia la cosa migliore è più fattibile.
Per quanto riguarda la somma direi non oltre le 15€ altrimenti non avrebbe molto mercato
P.S. Io 15€ per Mona li spenderei volentieri, di più NO, vado di IceCube 🤣

Matteo Feb 23, 2023

@NightSmoke @bearbops @gstml
Togli IVA, 15% Apple e le nostre italiche tasse e di 15€ probabilmente io ne vedo 4. Purtroppo non sarebbe sostenibile.
L'ho già fatto con Fenix per Twitter e non è stata una scelta vincente.

Poi questo è assolutamente un problema mio - senza domanda ovviamente sarebbe inutile continuare a girarci intorno.

@mttvll @NightSmoke @gstml Avendo partita iva capisco benissimo, il punto qui è che i diversi client sono sotto regimi di tassazione diversa quindi non si può fare un raffronto 1:1 riguardo il costo dell'abbonamento. Capisco però che un utente sia la prima cosa che guarda.

Fighen Feb 23, 2023

@mttvll @NightSmoke @bearbops @gstml è una partita iva pura? Senza forfettario? Creare una Startup apposta?

deborag90 Feb 23, 2023

@mttvll @NightSmoke @bearbops @gstml Certo che davvero non rimane niente a chi sviluppa e ci lavora continuamente

Andrea Guida Feb 23, 2023

@deborag90 @mttvll @NightSmoke @bearbops @gstml da utente che pensa solo al suo portafogli, un acquisto una tantum sotto i 20€ per un'app ben fatta, disponibile sia su Mac che su iPhone, lo farei, anche se Mastodon ora come ora è una scommessa. Resta il problema che con app solo a pagamento avresti un netto calo dei download. Si dovrebbe fare un qualcosa da scaricare gratis, con meno limitazioni di Ivory magari, e consentire poi lo sblocco di tutte le feature con acquisto una tantum.

Gian Luca Dalla Torre

@naqern @deborag90 @mttvll @NightSmoke @bearbops @gstml
Mia opinione personale basata sulla mia esperienza…
se mi dai feature sufficienti al quotidiano, non farò mai l’acquisto in app.

Piuttosto mi guardo ogni 30 secondi la pubblicità di Royal Match

Fighen Feb 23, 2023

@torre @naqern @deborag90 @mttvll @NightSmoke @bearbops @gstml ma chi è quel tipo baffuto?

Gian Luca Dalla Torre

@Fighen @naqern @deborag90 @mttvll @NightSmoke @bearbops @gstml L’autore di @woollyapp

Fighen Feb 23, 2023

@torre @naqern @deborag90 @mttvll @NightSmoke @bearbops @gstml @woollyapp :) ma lui lo conosco … mi riferivo a quello della pubblicità di Royal match! Ma magari mi ricordo male!

Gian Luca Dalla Torre

@Fighen @naqern @deborag90 @mttvll @NightSmoke @bearbops @gstml @woollyapp
Ah beh, il personaggio cambia ogni 2x3

Gustomela 🏕️🪵🐻Feb 23, 2023

@torre @naqern @deborag90 @mttvll @NightSmoke @bearbops l'indimenticabile nag screen di MacSOUP, mai comprato

Andrea Guida Feb 23, 2023

@torre @deborag90 @mttvll @NightSmoke @bearbops @gstml dipende dalle esigenze e dalle abitudini. Io gli ads in-app non li sopporto, ma è ovvio che se mi fai fare tutto e mi mostri solo un bannerino ogni tanto non spendo neanche 10€ per comprare l'app. Se, invece, che so, mi fai postare ma non posso boostare, non posso personalizzare l'aspetto, non posso creare liste o cose del genere, allora l'acquisto (se a prezzo ragionevole) lo faccio.

Gian Luca Dalla Torre

@gstml @mttvll
Io, anche per sostegno, ho pagato la sottoscrizione completa di @ivory, ma faccio il vostro lavoro e sono ben conscio sia della manutenzione sia del fatto che bisogna mangiare…

@mttvll no perfect solution. Each has its trade off.
Could consider 2 tier for subscriptions with some features unlocked and all subscriptions unlocked respectively.
Also, a significantly high price for 1 off purchase.
The best offer for consumer is definitely free. But that ain’t going to work long term at all.
Some people are going to hate it anyway

Matt Maber 📷🔴Feb 23, 2023

@mttvll I’d say £€$15 per annum or 30-45 or one off is better

Sandro Pennisi Feb 23, 2023

@mttvll i‘d say 1$ or 2$ per month (and slightly cheaper yearly sub option) and an option for one time purchase 25-35$. Seems fair to me.

Ralf Demuth Feb 23, 2023

@mttvll Like others said, annual is ok but 5$ sounds way too low. 10 to 15 for a subscription would be absolutely ok.

Miu Feb 23, 2023

@mttvll It’s not about how much of Woolly, but what’s the price of other competitors? Anyway, I’m expecting your app.

Matteo Feb 23, 2023

@ayma there always be something you can use for free, so that's a difficult comparison.

bardi Feb 23, 2023

@mttvll now is _the_ time to set your pricing as close to final as possible. Future you and your actual users will thank you for it. I wouldn’t include a lifetime option either. I’d consider a more approachable starting price point — such as $5 — and something more premium for the full experience. It complicates the offering, but if the feature differentiation is clear, then it could be okay.

bardi Feb 23, 2023

@mttvll I really think you can go as high as $10 for the base tier, and $20 for the upper. I know competition is stiff, and you don’t want to price yourself out of the equation. But you gotta believe man. In yourself and your fans. It will motivate you to keep adding value for them as well. So in the end, it becomes win-win.

bardi Feb 23, 2023

@mttvll also for reference, I charge $20 (!) for Appy Weather’s top subscription tier. Value prop was clear, and it has a few hundred subs. Nothing crazy, but that’s still a few hundred more than my impostor syndrome predicted.

Matteo Feb 23, 2023

@bardi that's always been the hardest part - believing you built something of value.

bardi Feb 23, 2023

@mttvll I use it several times every day. Possibly the app I check into the most. I am only one of many. My mindset changed when I started to think of what’s fair not just for users but for myself. Is it correct that the amount of value you put into the app every single day is traded for less than the effort was worth? Easy no.

Matteo Feb 23, 2023

@bardi I thought about this, but I don't think at the moment I could find a differentiation that make sense.

bardi Feb 23, 2023

@mttvll ideally you present all options at once, but if you really can’t, then it’s okay too as long as what it is less of an essential feature and something that elevates the experience (and/or costs you money). For example, we have some cool OpenAI stuff in the works that we’ll probably reserve for the premium tier because it meets both criteria.

@mttvll 1.99 usd per month. 14.99 usd for yearly sub.

Life time purchase 49.99 usd.

Enable parity purchasing for some countries. Apple will take care of the rest.

JValente Feb 23, 2023

@mttvll 15 US a month

ArnoudB Feb 23, 2023

@mttvll FYI, I see one-time purchases generally being priced at 3-4x the yearly subscription price. And I agree with the others that $5 yearly seems too low for your app. For instance, $1/month would be nothing for what you provide, and then you already end up with $12/year!

What’s probably most important for us, as users, but also for you, is that the pricing allows for a sustainable future for the app.

DuDe Feb 23, 2023

@mttvll I've chosen the 5$ annual option, but as many other commenters I also think that 10$ annually is still a better amount

Poilus Feb 23, 2023

@mttvll Alors je suis entre les deux : je n’aime pas trop les abonnements donc je suis pour un achat unique mais au delà de 10 a 15€ c’est difficile a proposer. Ou faire comme les propositions de Mona … avec plusieurs choix 🤷‍♂️

Owen Feb 23, 2023

@mttvll Maybe a $10 one time purchase and then every couple of years release a new major version that people can choose to upgrade to or not. Discontinue support on the old versions.

The App Store subscription model sucks! Devs need more options to sell their apps.

While supporting a one time purchase app forever sucks for the developer (and I dont expect that), it also sucks for the customer to pay for an app forever or lose acces to it! 🔫

Jake Nelson Feb 23, 2023

@mttvll I chose 5, but I think 10 is more representative of the value!

What's fantastic is there are plenty of other clients out there, so there's lots of choice. If they want to use your app for a better experience, then I think that's reasonable!

Also keep in mind lots of people aren't happy unless it's completely free unfortunately. I'm all for price parity, and offering discounts if people need them, but I'm not a fan of being asked to work for free.

Once off may need to be higher too!

Jeri Dansky Feb 23, 2023

@mttvll I'm more than willing to pay for the apps I rely upon; I want the developers to do well. I think that annual sub fee is too low, which makes voting hard. I pay $9.99/year for Overcast, my podcast app, and more for some others. But maybe I'm a weird corner case. (If you go low-priced, at least allow a way to send a tip so people like me can provide more support.)

Jamie Feb 23, 2023

@mttvll I’m fine with a reasonable subscription for apps like this. They’re preferable to single purchase to me (because it allows me to flit between apps). I’d do an annual payment though, so ticked that.

Martin Du4 Feb 23, 2023

@mttvll I seriously think you can go higher than $5 / annual. I would be good with the $9 — $11 range even.

Jeff C. 🇺🇦🇬🇱Feb 23, 2023

@mttvll Subscription pricing is the way to go. It’s simply more sustainable.

You can also offer a one-time option, but don’t only offer that. And make sure it’s at least equal to 3 years of the subscription so that it’s worth your while.

$5 is fine, but you could probably charge $8-$10 a year. Don’t undercut yourself — you don’t need to sell to everybody, just give the people who are actually willing to pay at all a fair price. Ignore the freebie-seekers.

Jeff C. 🇺🇦🇬🇱Feb 23, 2023

@mttvll Also, this is a market with pretty stiff competition. There are several great Mastodon client options.

As you develop your app, keep in mind ways to differentiate it from the crowd. What can you add that nobody else is doing? How can you make your app “the one that does XYZ” when people talk about them?

Obviously reproducing basic functionality is required, but it’ll help if you branch out and do something really unique.

Jeff C. 🇺🇦🇬🇱Feb 23, 2023

@mttvll Also: In my observation, those who complain about subscriptions largely occupy a space in a Venn diagram greatly overlapping with people who simply don’t like paying for software at all.

Sure, they say that they’ll pay for a one-time unlock, but there’s a reason why so many apps are moving to a subscription model. When push comes to shove they don’t actually do it (or insist on an unsustainably low price).

You don’t have to appeal to everybody, least of all cheapskates.

Mnarkbr Feb 23, 2023

@mttvll I would pay more than $5 a year, maybe closer to $25 a year

Salem Sayed Feb 23, 2023

@mttvll Definitely a sub

Fuzen Feb 23, 2023

@mttvll $24 per year. If a regular user of your app doesn’t see the value of just $2 per month, then you will forever be working nothing and that’s not sustainable.

Jonathan Grenier Feb 23, 2023

@mttvll As you noted the infortunate reality is that the perceived value of software by the public is as low as it can go, but I do think a low cost subscription can work. Unless you have big name recognition, a 25$ upfront app would not sell well I imagine. Always possible to offer both I guess, but I would go with 10$ / year or so and see how it goes.

Kohan Ikin Feb 23, 2023

@mttvll For what it's worth, I could spend a bit more than $25, and I would be happy if that was just for v1.xx. I'm on Android though.

Hard to stay afloat on $5/yr. A single 15-minute email support reply wipes out 3 years of revenue even at low-hourly contracting rates. And that's not counting Apple/Google's 30% cut.

(But you know that. Just trying to cheer you on, you make the best Android apps. Not just Fenix, I use Newsfold every day.)

Matteo Feb 23, 2023

@syneryder thanks!
You still use Newsfold?? That's awesome!
I had plans to start working on it again, never got around to do it - hopefully this year is the right one.

Nehemoth Feb 23, 2023

@mttvll I hate subscription, always prefer one time payment. Sadly outside the states or Euroe, even 5 a year it's a lot (because you never had one app/servive).

Antonis Feb 23, 2023

@mttvll I assume 5€/year was a typo? It's way (way!) too low for (almost) any kind of app.

I voted for it but I'll pretend it actually meant ~3€/month.

Sean C.Feb 23, 2023

@mttvll i typically prefer doing annual subs so a recurring annual would also
be an option

Dan Wright Feb 23, 2023

@mttvll I'd pay $9.99/year, if not more, quality development is worth that at a minimum.