i paid for whatsapp back in 2012. it was a paid app on the app store. it wasn't much - $1, and everyone had to pay for it to download. later they made it a free app. i am more than happy to pay for a messaging app for myself and my close family, and i dont like the idea of sharing the data with fb. there needs to be a paid alternative.

I had paid for at least one year (just $1), may be two (don't remember exactly). I would be glad to pay more, but Facebook played a big game and now we're all stuck with it because at least in India WhatsApp is almost a necessity.

The modern day WinRAR

I paid.. almost nobody had WhatsApp

This is what I remember, tho I guess it’s possible they changed the terms for new users. But I bought it in late 2009, IIRC and it was either $0.99 or $2.99.