I'm sorry, I like the look and the idea but... why is a subscription necessary for a local-first app?
The price isn't mentioned anywhere on the website and I don't have an iPhone, but I am curious, how much is it?
Show HN: I built a local-first daily planner for iOS
61–70 of 85 posts
Re: Show HN: I built a local-first daily planner for iOS
#62Earlier quoted context omitted.
That's the only sustainable model these days, speaking as a mobile dev myself.
Sell me a major version every couple of years, would far prefer that. IAP and subs just feels scammy and lazy.
Sounds good, doesn't work. How would I sell a major version on a store like the Apple or Google app stores [0]? How will I fund my salary as well as my employees' salaries from only major versions, what if people buy now but not later on, do I lay them off? For what it's worth I do offer lifetime plans that are basically 2 to 3 years of the annual plan, as that's the expected lifetime value (LTV) of some of my apps.
[0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45810856#45815972 (this comment gets it right on why you can't do this on said app stores)
Re: Show HN: I built a local-first daily planner for iOS
#63Earlier quoted context omitted.
That's the only sustainable model these days, speaking as a mobile dev myself.
I hope you don't mind my $0.00 annual mobile spend as a result.
That's fine, people like you aren't my customer anyway and thus do not need to be listened to. Free users generally have value if they can convert to paid, because nothing is truly free in life.
Re: Show HN: I built a local-first daily planner for iOS
#64Re: Show HN: I built a local-first daily planner for iOS
#65Earlier quoted context omitted.
I suspect the guy enjoys some food every now and then
I’m with the parent on this. I don’t mind subscriptions if a service is provided that justifies the recurring cost. If it’s a local offline app then I don’t see it justified. Price it accordingly or at least give an option for one-time. But yes, sub vs non-sub model is a very divisive topic. Personally would never subscribe to something like a offline local todo list
The issue I see is that for certain apps, such as one I am currently working on and hope to publish soon on iOS, is that they do require a lot of maintenance once published even if there were no server costs. Given the amount of work I already put in it and how much more will be necessary even just to keep the app correctly running in the future, I don't really see what other monetization approach would make sense for me. Actually, I would even argue that selling an app without a subscription might (sometimes) be setting wrong or blurry expectations: if a user accepts to pay today a single time, how long are they expecting updates for? Will it only be basic bug fixes or also major new features? With a subscription, I feel like at least if they are unhappy with my app, they won't really have lost anything and can just unsubscribe, since they had basically accepted, IMO, that the money they put in my app each period of time is only for the service and potential updates in that small period of time and not future changes.
Re: Show HN: I built a local-first daily planner for iOS
#66Earlier quoted context omitted.
I’m with the parent on this. I don’t mind subscriptions if a service is provided that justifies the recurring cost. If it’s a local offline app then I don’t see it justified. Price it accordingly or at least give an option for one-time. But yes, sub vs non-sub model is a very divisive topic. Personally would never subscribe to something like a offline local todo list
So it's ok to pay for machines but for the humans working on something then no?
I’m not paying for the human that made the app. I’m paying for the app, aka for an advertised thing with an advertised feature set for a specific price. If I deem the value I get for the price worth it, I will purchase the thing from you.
I will however not pay you monthly just because “the dev needs to eat too” if there is no service provided that justifies the monthly ongoing cost.
Re: Show HN: I built a local-first daily planner for iOS
#67Earlier quoted context omitted.
I’m with the parent on this. I don’t mind subscriptions if a service is provided that justifies the recurring cost. If it’s a local offline app then I don’t see it justified. Price it accordingly or at least give an option for one-time. But yes, sub vs non-sub model is a very divisive topic. Personally would never subscribe to something like a offline local todo list
The issue I see is that for certain apps, such as one I am currently working on and hope to publish soon on iOS, is that they do require a lot of maintenance once published even if there were no server costs. Given the amount of work I already put in it and how much more will be necessary even just to keep the app correctly running in the future, I don't really see what other monetization approach would make sense fo…
This used to be handled by selling full-version upgrades and providing patches between versions for free.
Re: Show HN: I built a local-first daily planner for iOS
#68I don't have an iPhone to try this, but I've been a long time time user of Tasks.org on Android and particularly because it supports CalDAV and works so well offline. However, while we are on the topic of planning apps, you should know the Todoist added the best use of AI I've ever seen. It's called Ramble mode and you can just talk and instantly it'll start showing a list of tasks that update as you go. It is extrao…
For Android and Windows users, you can try my todo app “Hamsterbase Tasks”.
It's open-source and supports self-hosted. Available on web, Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, and Android.
Re: Show HN: I built a local-first daily planner for iOS
#69I don't have an iPhone to try this, but I've been a long time time user of Tasks.org on Android and particularly because it supports CalDAV and works so well offline. However, while we are on the topic of planning apps, you should know the Todoist added the best use of AI I've ever seen. It's called Ramble mode and you can just talk and instantly it'll start showing a list of tasks that update as you go. It is extrao…
For Android and Windows users, you can try my todo app “Hamsterbase Tasks”. It's open-source and supports self-hosted. Available on web, Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, and Android.
Do you support calDAV? I looked briefly but didn't see it. A good calDAV client is something I'd pay for.
Re: Show HN: I built a local-first daily planner for iOS
#70Earlier quoted context omitted.
I cannot remember off the top of my head the exact number and am clearly too lazy to google it but there is a specific length of time in which, if no new noises pass through, the human brain processes it as a pause/silence. I want to say 300ms which would coincide with your 500ms example
This is definitely dependent on individuals. It’s a reason during some conversations people can never seem to get a word in edgewise, even if the person speaking may think they’re providing opportunities do so. A mismatch in “pause length” can make for frustrating communications. I am also too lazy to google or AI it but it’s something I remember from when I taught ESL long ago.
That makes sense! To be honest I’m referring to my audio engineering degree and the pause was specific to noticing silence in audio so I’d 100% agree that in conversation it can vary between people as I know some many people who will not let you get a word in