Ask HN: Pricing strategy for macOS App

3 pointsfandorin8mo ago4 comments

I have created a macOS (desktop) app that has been gaining some reasonable traction over the last year. My current (and the only) pricing strategy is a fixed $16 one-time fee for the full app (can be installed on 2 Macs) and a free-to-use tier for the limited app. No recurring payments, no subscriptions. People are using the app and buying the license - so that's good.

I know that for SaaS-type products, the most optimal pricing strategy is almost always subscriptions, but what about desktop apps? What are your experiences (as a creator and as a user of such apps)? Should I change it to something like: - free tier (limited app) - one-year license fee (lower than the current price) - lifetime license fee (as it is now)

Or should I keep it as it is and stop thinking about it for now?

Thanks for any suggestions.

4 comments

saadn928mo ago

It's great you're getting traction, nice work. I'd say go for a freemium model. You'll be able to still get people to download the app, but if they really love it, they'll pay for it.

hardru8mo ago

The product we are building has a tool that allows you to explore your competitors and helps you tailor new pricing models (and apply them to your codebase, although we probably don't easily support your tech stack, so you could probably only use the first part). It's www.runonatlas.com

Maybe it could help you? The pricing models suggestions are free :)

fandorinOP8mo ago

thanks but this will not work for my app - I don’t have many competitors plus I don’t need a new pricing page.

yamatokaneko8mo ago

I’d look at how purchased users behave after a year. If they’re still actively using the product, that’s a good signal to consider switching to subscription.

Also, if usage frequency is high—daily or weekly, that’s another strong case for subscription. Personally, I subscribe to 3–5 Mac apps simply because I use them every day.

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