We kvetch a lot about subscriptions and software pricing, but to me it feels like DEVONthink got this just about perfect.
Given the price of the app, $1.99 per month seems to give a good short-term or “try it out” price to get “on the fence” users to give it a shot. $14.99 per year gives a significant incentive for purchasing a year at a time as opposed to month-to-month, and the one time purchase cost of the whole app is around 2.5 years of subscription pricing.
The upgrade price feels reasonable too. A generous free usage period (I get it through mid-summer, not sure if that’s universal or not or based on something else?), and the upgrade is effectively a 50% discount on the retail price.
I feel like the $39.99 retail price is a touch higher than I would’ve expected, but not really higher than I feel is reasonable. Given the app and DEVONthink’s history of only releasing major paid versions after years of development, it doesn’t feel too crazy - especially since they’re giving the discount to existing customers.
What say you? Did they get it right, or did they screw it up?
I feel this is about right for me. It’s much better than the initial offerings of $25/year as the only option. It’s priced similarly as Omni Group’s products in terms of structure.
And at the risk of sounding like a cheapster, does it appear that if you buy the old version right now for $9.99 and then upgrade, you not only get the longer trial but if you upgrade to non-subscription, you get it cheaper than just buying new version outright?
But I think their normal one month trial is very nice.
I’ve been toying in the last week with taking the dive into DT but I decided to hold off until the new mobile app came out since it appeared imminent. Nice timing.
I’m pleasantly surprised by the pricing, for me the $20 is a no brainer for me too. This app is invaluable, the search is so much better than Spotlight, and I need it for doing research. Being able to keep files offline is also essential for my workflow
The new sync works much better than the old one (at least after a few mins syncing everything and testing).
Devon Technologies obviously know what they are doing, I think they got that right, having a full-price option available makes it easier to make the decision. In fact I would believe the desktop version should be priced in a similar way.
Granted, developers need to do what’s right for them and I’m sure there’s plenty of instances where they are fine with the backlash they get on places like here because their pricing model works out for them.
But on the other hand, you would think that developers are in here and see the comments. Where users feel developers do something they think is fair versus where it seems really botched.
Again, they may not care about this set of users but it’s always refreshing to see what the majority here sees as fair versus the common blasting of subs and pricing. Of course, DTTG3 is brand new so it’s too early to say what the ultimate consensus is.
I just think of developers like OF and Agenda (If I remember correctly) and their pricing structures and how they seem to be models that people like.
Devon, Omni, Agenda, Fantastical… they are all trying to set predictable revenue while giving something back to the user, everyone with their own approach. The beauty of this is that we vote with our wallets.
“Gaslighting” and “bullying” are extremely loaded words with real-world implications you might want to reconsider in this context. You have no idea what the pricing model would have been, one way or the other, same as everyone else.
Generally speaking, I think people on the Internet in general should take a few more moments to think that the people building the products they love are often clever, since they make the things they love. It would be refreshing to see a little more patience and understanding from audiences in general before getting all riled up and threaten to throw everything away in drama when there is literally zero data to work with.
I’m not sure if there was no data to work with. It was suggested the pricing was initially $25/year subscription only. You may argue that was not final. But you had no data to work with either. It’s highly unlikely the pricing would change after the official launch. The only channel to provide feedbacks was to do it before it launched.
Yes my words are strong. But these are not false accusations. People who have different opinions don’t deserve to be called “complainers”. They are being labelled this way to make them feel inferior, thus unable to express their views freely. It’s exactly gaslighting and bullying by definition.
Edit: I truly don’t understand the flags. If someone is kind enough, please drop me a message for the reason. No ofense taken.
Where has it been suggested? I remember one person spreading that rumor after breaking his/her beta-testing NDA, while decisions were not final, and that is all. DEVONtechnologies famously does not communicate on things before their decisions have been made. They may have toyed with that possibility which may have been far from their final plans.
I will gladly stand corrected if that is not the case. However, I will point out that if there is indeed nothing to discuss, then there are no opinions to be had.
Then I have different opinion on this one. It’s highly unlikely a beta testers would lie about that info. The fact that DEVONtech is silencing is only supporting the leaked info was true.
NDA’s are NDA’s.
Can you also see the energy lost trying to mitigate the damage done to DT through a sole rumor?
Say I, an Internet random person, tell you I’m into the beta of Airmail 6 and that they will charge 60$ a year. And that Airmail’s devs delete my post because of course it’s bullsh** (or it’s not final plans, and there is nothing decided yet because these things take time to be thought out). Will that make it worth your energy to get up in arms, jumping to the conclusion that it therefore must be true?
Nobody is saying it must be true. You are denying the possibility of it being true altogether. As for NDAs, I’m not even sure if beta testers were asked to sign that. I’m on beta stream for a dozen of apps, including DTTG, I don’t think I signed on anything.
I think developers should be careful extrapolating from posts here, as the MPU forum surely is biased towards spending a bit more and a bit more often. I sometimes feel like the majority of people is completely against paying more than 0.99 € per app, though, which is kind of sad. DevonThink probably has a bit of an advantage there since it’s not a “mass market” product and it can still count on a large user base, which the company has treated very well and fairly for many years already, I would say.
I’m personally not a huge fan of subscriptions (too easy to forget about, and to be honest, some apps have in my personal opinion overdone the price increase when they switched to subscription), but obviously I’m willing to pay for good software. And sometimes willing to pay for a subscription where it makes sense to me, e.g. 1Password for Families.
That being sad, I’m really happy with DevonThink To Go’s new pricing model. It gives every user a choice and I consider the level of the pricing fair. Sure, there’ll also be voices to claim “This app makes me so productive that it is actually worth 1.000 € per year!” (in which case, congratz ) , just like there will be people who don’t see why they should pay anything, because they could just as well use the Files app. But it’s obvious that Devon Technologies listened to the community, and that they value their customer’s loyalty, once again, which I think will pay back in the long term. (And probably in the short term as well, since no one who is generally willing to pay some money for the app now has a reason to be angry and stay with DTTG 2.)
Let’s hope that DTTG 3 will be a commercial success, reaffirming other companies to offer these “inclusive” pricing models as well.
Beta tests don’t always have an NDA but this one visibly did.
I am not denying the truth or not of that possibly, I am denying the fact that there was ground for the community to get all up in arms about this. Which is a different thing. There was no fact. And so yes, getting all up in arms was premature, and is indeed complaining for something that nobody knows could ever come to pass.
I am not saying you’re a complainer, in fact I have no idea what your position on this was. And it is absolutely fair to say “hey guys, if that sub rumor is true, I don’t want this to happen”. But on the DT forums, it was utterly ridiculous. The company gave an official position several times. Nothing could calm people down. And that is utterly depressing in general as to what the Internet can come to.
What I see very often here is that people who really love subscriptions bundle those who don’t like it together with those who don’t want to pay at all. Thus those who don’t like subscriptions often experience gaslighting from some senior members. But the fact that a user is registered in this forum makes the user very unlikely to be of the later group.
) , just like there will be people who don’t see why they should pay anything, because they could just as well use the Files app. But it’s obvious that Devon Technologies listened to the community, and that they value their customer’s loyalty, once again, which I think will pay back in the long term. (And probably in the short term as well, since no one who is generally willing to pay some money for the app now has a reason to be angry and stay with DTTG 2.)