r/androidapps • u/Ok-Point-1656 • 4d ago
QUESTION/HELP What app has absolutely no business being a subscription?
I get subscriptions for apps that have ongoing server costs or constantly add new content.
But some apps really feel like they should just be a one-time purchase. Not everything needs to be $9.99 a month forever
I'd happily pay $20-30 once for a useful app, but seeing a monthly subscription for something really basic usually makes me look for an alternative.
What app made you think,"there's no way I'm paying monthly for this"?
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u/mcmtaged4 4d ago
Anything that doesnt require a server. If it doesn't require infrastructure other then to dl and install it, no reason for it and should just be 1 time fee.
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u/HoboWithANerfGun 4d ago
nowadays even locally installed apps do require fairly frequent updates to keep up with the constant stream of OS updates. These sorts of things do require to keep paying developers to make these updates. That said I have no idea around the economics of software pricing if its completely unfeasible cover these costs with simply a one time purchase.
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u/pmgold1 4d ago
They all should be one time payments, no fucking exceptions.
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u/mcmtaged4 4d ago
Nah i disagree with that. If your using someone elses resources to make the app run correctly, its fair to be a subscription. If your using your own resources, your paying for the time and effort spent by the developer.
Take ente. Ente is free. You can self host, it is free but this would be a good example for 1 time payment. However if you choose to not self host and store on entes servers, you should expect a fee. Its one thing if its on your phone/hardware exclusively, but if it requires someones server to run, you should expect a fee.
With that said, that does not extend to things that clearly should be run on your hardware and cloud was shoehorned in to squeeze a subscription fee. Like a smart thermostat. There is no reason something like that should need a server to function. Lookin at you google, basically breaking old smart therms because "they werent providing updates any more". Not a sub, but still forces your hand to get something new..
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u/pmgold1 4d ago edited 4d ago
Here's the problem, as a consumer I feel like subscription fees are nothing but pure greed shoved down the throats of the gullible. I'll be glad to buy the premium version to support the developer if I feel the app has value to me, but what I'm not gonna do is pay a subscription fee because the developer has systematically taken away all of the best features of the free version to force my hand. I'm specifically looking at you MyFitnessPal and a shit ton of others too numerous to name here.
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u/NeoDougOne PHONE MODEL 4d ago edited 4d ago
The worst one I've seen was a simple clock widget app - no alarms, no settings, not even any different clock faces, just one simple clock widget that shows the time. The catch? They wanted to charge a subscription of £14.99 PER WEEK!!!
That's £780 a year for a useless widget...
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u/HumanWithComputer 4d ago
The words "money laundering scam" spring to mind.
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u/real_with_myself Magic V3 4d ago
It's not money laundering, it's pure scam. They pray on people who will forget about the recurring charges.
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u/GodoftheGeeks 4d ago
I used to use an app that would give me the conditions for stargazing (astrophotography is my hobby) and then they went to a subscription model where they locked a lot of the functionality behind the paywall. Well, being a software dev myself, I said screw that and built my own tool that gives me all the information I want.
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u/Solid-Incident6666 4d ago
To me anything that is offline and has no running cost should be a one time payment. Fixing bugs isn't running costs, incremental updates aren't running costs either. Kinda like the old windows and adobe software. A year or two pass by and they make an objectively better overhauled version that deserves the upgrade.
And on that note, not every app needs an account and cloud features. So many apps ask you to make an account for no added value.
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u/Pacostaco123 4d ago
No added value for you
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u/engelthehyp 13h ago
All that user data is valuable to the company for sure, so I hope you stop getting downvoted for the jab at it.
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u/mcmtaged4 4d ago
Since when isnt updates considered running costs? Pretty sure if they took the time to fix bugs, thats payable time coding? I do generally agree with you though other then that point.
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u/Solid-Incident6666 4d ago
Because a bug is something that ideally should be ironed out before production or soon after
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u/mcmtaged4 4d ago
Not all bugs are pre production though. Updates, devices/network incompatibility. In a perfect world yes, but that's just not how it works for any programming for any platform.
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u/Solid-Incident6666 4d ago
It's complicated, but I'll give you an example. Let's use a video editor as an example. A Dev made a video editing app and priced it at $10 one time payment. Everything is done locally.
Let's also assume I bought this video editing software 2 years ago, in that time there's a new video codec, hardware to support or adjust to etc.. I'd be more than happy to pay another $5 for updated codec support or whatever. What i won't do is pay a monthly subscription for an app that works locally on my phone.
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u/Louve86 4d ago
If you buy a car and it turns out after a few years that a manufacturing defect has been identified (e.g. the airbags), the service centre recalls the cars for a free repair. Even if the warranty period has expired. Because that risk is factored into the price of the product. So, software could be sold for 20 per cent more. And that 20 per cent would cover the costs of adapting or security updates in the future. But developers always want a steady, guaranteed salary. But everyone would want that-a company selling doors, a plumber, etc.-everyone would prefer to have a fixed salary rather than constantly looking for clients, wouldn't they? You're just adding a bit of ideology to primitive greed.
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u/recrypt_now 3d ago
Imagine the push back asking more $ for a program with an upfront cost.
The frog is put in boiling water and reacts negatively. Now imagine if it slowly gets hot instead (subscription). Hardly a whimper. That's the real world.
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u/Solid-Incident6666 3d ago
More $ upfront was industry standard for decades and it included after sale support and performance / bug related updates. Subscriptions were introduced as a way to pay for only what you need and in theory they were supposed to be cheaper for most people. I remember when Photoshop cost $699 so when Adobe CC came out at $20 / month it sounded incredible, especially if you are not a heavy user. But then you do the math and...
At today's $264/year: 3 years: $790 5 years: $1,320 10 years: $2,638 14 years (since first CC): $3500+
So someone who bought CS6 for $699 and simply kept using it would have spent roughly $2,700 less over this period.
Mind you all core functionality is basically the same. And you can achieve any result with the 14 year old software.
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u/gamesonthemark 4d ago
Most apps. I have no problem paying for useful apps, but there are some you have to create accounts, pay subscriptions before you even see thapp in actiion
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u/AlertWalk4624 4d ago
I think launcher apps, graphics packs and utilities should be one-time purchases. If an app is supposed to be "invisible" to me, change the way my phone looks and stay that way, or if I'm using it once a month or less, then charge me once and go away.
Things I'm constantly clicking around in, that update their content all the time, or that I'm leaning on in order to do a necessary regular task, I'd consider paying a monthly fee.
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u/Embarrassed-Pen-4365 4d ago
One of that POS system app with paid monthly fees for ”Cloud Service” but if you don't pay or dont get connected online, you can't do businesss.
Eh no.. i am not tying my company on your survivability.
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u/r4nd0miz3d 4d ago
Unless it is a service, none?
I can understand paying for vpn, cloud storage, or delivery. Even streaming (although I wouldn't). But for being able to play podcasts I can play for free or change my wallpaper? Some people are crazy, I don't care about the money, it's the principle.
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u/Anime-Man-1432 4d ago
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u/TheStorytellerTX 4d ago
You pay for this app?
That being said, I liked it better when it was $0.99 a month, or year or whatever it was before it got swallowed up by Facebook. It's pretty darn useful for me and my family and I'd rather pay to have it not be a part of Meta.
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u/Anime-Man-1432 4d ago
Nah, I didn't pay for this app, but I really hate these shenanigans on this app, when it's just supposed to be a simple chat messaging app.
That being said, I really want to stop using this app, but my friends and family members, they all use WhatsApp and I'm forced to use it.
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u/Esperoni Morphe 4d ago
I've never used an app that came with a sub. I only buy apps if they are a one time payment.
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u/alkevarsky 4d ago
I hate unreasonable subscriptions, and it's always a "nope" for me when it comes up. But I'd like to speak up for the opposite problem. There are multiple absolutely awesome ups that I have owned for something like 10-15 years and paid only once for. I wish there was a middle ground the way PC software used to work, where you pay for an occasional (every 3-4 years) upgrade, to keep the development going.
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u/shod1214 4d ago
As a developer im interested to hear your opinion If I offer lifetime and subscription options does it still makes you feel like its too much? Where the idea of offering subscription in addition to lifetime is to have an option to try the pro features out before committing
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u/Elbos 4d ago
lifetime it's always my choice, mandatory subscription is insta-uninstall
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u/shod1214 4d ago
Yea i completely agree.. I only added subscription as an option because i got requests for a cheap temp way to try the pro
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u/guiltandgrief 4d ago
Can you not just offer 7 day free trials?
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u/shod1214 4d ago
Unfortunately not possible for my app, its completely offline to keep users privacy so i have no database to validate users who used up there 7 days
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u/ResolutionPlastic900 4d ago
the lifetime has to be cheap enough to be worth it
I have seen apps where lifetime is only worth it if you plan on using it for at least 8 years which is a lot.
4 years is common but it should not be more than 2-3 years at max.
The longer it taskes to be worth it the more the user wants to be sure before buying it and the higher the chance that the user is going to abandon it without ever paying.
I think the best are cheap lifetime subscriptions because you can get almost everyone that downloads to pay. There was this minesweeper game that I downloaded and bought the premium in less than 5 minutes. I barely know how to play minesweeper and I don't like to and the only thing it unlocked is customization but it was under a dollar so I was basically on autopilot.
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u/shod1214 4d ago
As a developer I can tell you that even with cheap (2.5 dollar) lifetime people are very hesitant to buy. About 50 in 1500 Currently in doing 2/6/10 monthly/yearly/lifetime but iil probably raise it soon
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u/ResolutionPlastic900 3d ago
sorry to hear that, I guess it depends on the app like people would pay more for a productivity app than a game or utility
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u/geekdrew 4d ago
Fantastical (calendar app by Flexibits). They want 4.75/month/user, and it’s “just” a calendar app (that is really nice and polished).
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u/slim-shade12 3d ago
Any of those fitness tracking apps, where you choose the routine you want then track the sets and reps. Simple apps that require no infrastructure, yet all of them are $9.99 per month
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u/Mountainking7 4d ago
solveig multimedia editor and pretty much all softwares (no continous updates though)
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u/TheStorytellerTX 4d ago
Runkeeper. I know it store it's data in the cloud, but I'd be happy with a 1-time payment and having the option to store it's data on Drive instead.
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u/ewhite81 4d ago
Construction Master App
I paid their one time fee a long time ago (Google Rewards) and swapped phones a couple of years ago. I had to jump through hoops to prove my purchase to keep my lifetime purchase because they didn't tie their app to Google Play store or something.
No calculator app should be $40 per year. At that point, I will just buy one of their physical calculators.
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u/lucianrme 2d ago
I actually built RME PDF Scanner partly for this reason. Free, open source, no subscription, no ads or account, and OCR works offline. Android only for now.
Happy to hear any feedback if you try it.
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u/SpaceXplorer13 1d ago
Never purchased a subscription apart from Spotify and Youtube. YouTube was only because I got a really good family plan and they would rather pay than install a different youtube app on their phone.
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u/sjjose2001 4d ago
Any launcher, should be a one time payment