Any idea what this will look like? Will it come with Bear, or will it be part of a more premium Bear subscription?
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I’m very curious about this too.
My personal preference would be a one-time purchase (even if that comes with only a year of updates) but can continue using it as-is as long as the operating system runs it.
However, a close second would be to have it rolled into a combined (bundled) subscription with Bear, where the cost is significantly less than subscribing individually.
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Totally fair question, and one we’ve seen come up a lot 
Honestly we haven’t decided anything yet. Right now our focus is on getting the app right, figuring out what’s working, what’s missing, and how much interest there is; before we settle on a business model.
That said: we’ve heard the subscription-fatigue feedback, and personally we’d love to land on something that isn’t a subscription. Though that’s a hope, not a promise. Nothing is locked in either direction yet.
We’ll share more as soon as we have something concrete. Thanks for being patient (and vocal!) while we figure it out.
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If it’s a subscription, I’m definitely not interested. You know the pros and cons, but I’ve had my fill of subscription apps that don’t offer anything that requires a subscription (such as server-side processing that costs money to the developers).
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Yep, I would not subscribe. I prefer a trial period and then pay for a major version.
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Actually you could offer both, a subscription and a lifetime license for major versions. iAPresenter is one of many apps that chose that business model.
Yeah, I’m also interested in the pricing model; mainly because subscriptions for most apps (those that don’t offer media or licensed content) end up giving you that feeling that your pocket has a small hole for every app you’re subscribed to. Most users don’t want to rent software but rather purchasing it outright and knowing that, whenever they need it, they will be able to use it.
Subscription fatigue is real and when you’re paying every month for an app just in case you think you may need it that month ends up being draining.
If you release the app without a discouraging price point I will probably buy it. I’m saying this, because many devs include a lifetime option but price it so exorbitantly expensive, like 5 whole years of a monthly subscription, in order to push people towards the monthly fee.
Let me propose you an “in-between” model. It is called the hybrid subscription model and some well known apps such as Good Links already have it implemented. Maybe you already know how it works, but let me explain it: you get the app with the core features you want it to launch with. Fully functional. But you have a series of extra features behind a “pro” subscription. But you stagger the new features’ lainch. Then, if you get the annual subscription, you will receive the new features released during that year but you keep them forever. Once you finish your annual subscription you can keep downloading and using the perfectly functional app, with no restrictions, plus all the pro features launched and unlocked while you were a “pro” subscriber. For ever. Then you can keep launching new “pro” features to entice old and new users to get a pro subscription, for the new features.
Anyways, if you price it with a single, lifetime license, I’ll probably get that. For now, I think I’ll try thr beta by enrolling in the TestFlight beta. Expect tons of feedback! See you soon!
I think that would be great if a one-time reasonable purchase. I think the app is great.
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I too have subscription fatigue. But honestly, as long as the price is not outrageous, I will be paying for this no matter what.
I’m all for the old software models where you pay for the current version, and then when the next version comes out, you pay an upgrade price.
The fact is, if you’re not making money, then you folks are not going to be around, and I want you to be around.
This idea of these lifetime, one-time software purchases just isn’t going to cut it, but the subscription model has also gotten overboard, in my opinion.
What messed this whole thing up was when Apple first came out with the App Store and people were selling these apps for 75 cents and 50 cents. That distorted people’s idea of software and what it should cost.
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I switched to Typora when the Panda beta stopped working for me 6-7 months ago. $14.99 one-time purchase and it’s a solid app. I’m looking forward to seeing how Lettera develops because I enjoyed Panda and have used Bear since it was released.
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Another pricing option is this:
You get access to updates for a year, and after that time you can either keep using the app as is, with no further updates, or re-up the license. Or you can renew the license every couple of years if there are new features that are worth paying for.
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@kirkmc That’s precisely the hybrid subscription model I talked about just a few comments above yours. There are other developers that have adopted it and it seems to work quite well.
I don’t mind paying a reasonable subscription fee, so long as the devs deliver updates. It’s when devs fail to deliver updates to an app, or a pathetic update of a few in-app icons, is what actually breaks the subscription contract to my mind. Not naming any companies…
The hybrid subscription model is quite appealing though