Subscription Based Pricing For Plugins

[ChardaZAR]

Please let's not make this the new normal

I understand developers put their blood, sweat and tears into their work
"It costs this much because it takes me fucking hours"

I get it
But subscription-based payment models are going to kill the market for plugins and maps

I'd even argue that this would make a bigger demand for plugin leaking

There must be a better solution to this?



 

[Death]

There have always been renewals. It's just not commonly used because the majority of files charge the cost upfront instead of letting you spread it over a period of time. If used correctly, renewals are a fantastic way to keep initial costs down. But if used incorrectly, they would turn people off from buying your file.

I imagine you're here because of Drug Deals, and this would be the way you don't do renewals. But it's better to let them make the mistake on their own and learn from it instead of trying to force them to use a specific pricing structure. Chances are that renewal is going to go away once they see all the pushback from it.

It's important to note that renewals are not really subscriptions. You don't have to renew and still maintain access to the version you initially purchased. This is just a way for developers to charge for updates rather than force someone to pay a lump sum right out of the gate. Again, it's to reduce the cost of entry, not add an idiot tax. If authors use it in that manner, then they'll get called out, which is exactly what's happening.

We'd rather not remove renewals just because a handful of people use them incorrectly. It's a very valuable feature and opens the door for more SAAS to be integrated directly into Codefling. Of course, if we ever start shifting into SAAS primarily for plugins, then I wouldn't hesitate to remove the feature to maintain the integrity of the platform.

[ChardaZAR]

Thanks for the clarity, Death
Appreciate it!

I've been burned in the past and it worries me when there's an initial investment, and then the developer abandons the project
Then I'm sitting with an outdated file and I need to either figure it out myself or hire another developer to maintain it for me

I understand that this system is intended to continue supporting the developers for future updates, but wouldn't it be more logical to ask for a renewal system once the plugin has essentially peaked?

Anyways. I'm not trying to finger out anyone specific

Thanks again for the information and prompt response!

[Death]

5 minutes ago, ChardaZAR said:

Thanks for the clarity, Death
Appreciate it!

I've been burned in the past and it worries me when there's an initial investment, and then the developer abandons the project
Then I'm sitting with an outdated file and I need to either figure it out myself or hire another developer to maintain it for me

I understand that this system is intended to continue supporting the developers for future updates, but wouldn't it be more logical to ask for a renewal system once the plugin has essentially peaked?

Anyways. I'm not trying to finger out anyone specific

Thanks again for the information and prompt response!

This is actually one of the benefits to renewals, if used correctly. Instead of charging upfront for years of support and updates, you would be able to split this cost over many months or years, and for whatever reason the author abandons the file you can simply stop renewing. This would still save you money overpaying for it upfront and just being out the entire cost.

Renewals are not charged automatically. So it's not something you'd renew all the time. It just asks you to renew before downloading the latest version. You would retain access to the version you originally subscribed for.

Another thing to clarify is, if you purchase a file and a renewal is added afterwards, you still have a perpetual license and don't have to renew. We have many safe guards in place to avoid abuse. Also, if you want to avoid this scenario consider Codefling+ for that 2 year warranty. You either get a working file or a full refund if this ever happens.