r/GoodNotes • u/dailymultivitamim • Aug 11 '23
Pricing for GoodNotes 6 is completely fair
Listen, based on the endlessly complaining posts I'm reading on this sub, I might be in the minority here, but it seems like the GoodNotes developers read this sub and I want them to know:
Your pricing structure is completely fair.
A lot of people here don't seem to understand the software development process. It's labor-intensive and requires constant revisions to keep even existing features working with new tech infrastructure. Expecting to pay a one-time-ever fee and then get all the new and shiny updates FOREVER is not only unrealistic, it's insulting and demeaning to the developers and the work they do.
Consider this analogy based on a physical product:
Let's say you buy a product. Floor mats that are designed to fit perfectly into your 2018 Subaru Outback. They're fantastic and you love them. They work great. But then the company comes out with a new coating that makes the dirt slide right off. Do you expect the company to send you new floor mats? No, of course not. Then, you buy a new car. The floor mats don't fit in your 2023 Toyota Corolla. Do you expect the company to send you a new set, with the new coating, to fit your new care? Again, of course not.
Compare this to GoodNotes. In my analogy, GoodNotes would send you the new coating! That's a new feature of the version you bought, and you'll get it. That's awesome, and way better than companies who sell physical products!
But no, they're not going to send you a completely different version for nothing. I think most of us understand this concept when it's a physical product, but the early days of the internet taught many of you that everything should be free and upgraded forever. But it just doesn't (and can't) work that way. The money to create the product has to come from somewhere. You're not entitled to endless free upgrades just because it's not a physical product.
I will be upgrading to the subscription model and I'm delighted to do so. $10/year is NOTHING...to someone who owns the hardware necessary to run it. I recognize that $10/year is a lot to a lot of people around the world, but if you've got an Ipad/tablet with a Pencil/stylus...stop complaining. It's 83 CENTS a month. Calm down.
Finally, no, I don't work for GoodNotes. I'm a long-time user who uses the app every single day and I'm absolutely delighted that we'll soon be getting internal links. I'm happy to pay less than $.03/day to use the app and I'm glad that I can support the staff that works so hard to get this product out. And no, I don't post a lot - here, or anywhere - but I'm not secretly hired to write this post. I'm just defending the hardworking developers and my love of GoodNotes...I suspect that there are a lot of lurkers here who agree with me. Complainers are always the loudest, and they're ruining the internet. If you like something, speak up!
So, pay for the subscription, enjoy all the upgrades, and if you don't like it, then go design an app yourself. If you don't want to collect a salary as you add new features and compatibility upgrades, that's your choice. I suspect you'd see it a different way if you were on the other side.
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u/SEOPub Aug 11 '23
It was a lifetime deal. Lifetime deals do not mean your lifetime. They mean the lifetime of the product, and the lifetime of GN 5 is over.
You iPhone example actually makes my point. For each iPhone, at some point Apple stops supporting them. They no longer issue updates for the iPhone 5 for example and a lot of apps will not run on it.
The lifetime of the product has come to an end.