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Ask HN: Anyone tired of everything being a subscription now?

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Re: Ask HN: Anyone tired of everything being a subscription now?

#31

Post by einherjae »

AlexandrB wrote: post #17
ericpauley wrote: post #3

Most software is fundamentally a service. You want to be able to sync your passwords and notes, and receive security and bug fix updates. Companies need to fund that infrastructure and ongoing development.

I already fund it by paying for iCloud. App makers need to stop reinventing the wheel and then using that to justify subscription pricing. Edit: 1Password is a perfect example. It worked fine for years with any kind of third party sync I wanted - from Dropbox to Syncthings - but now I need to pay for a subscription because 1Password wants me to use their infrastructure.

This! Why does everyone and their mother need to host their own backend for basic sync? The likelihood that the end user has some kind of cloud account already is extremely high today, you don’t add much value by adding yet another “someone else’s computer” to the mix?

Re: Ask HN: Anyone tired of everything being a subscription now?

#32

Post by Hamuko »

sgtnoodle wrote: post #23
Hamuko wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Eh, lifetime Plex Pass pays itself for three years even at normal pricing. I got mine during a discount so mine pays itself off in about 2 years and 3 months, which would have been in November 2022. I don't also remember seeing any streaming services in my Plex instance. I'm definitely happier having my lifetime Plex Pass over a monthly subscription.

Is there a killer feature that's unique to Plex? Or is it just pleasantly integrated?

I'm not sure if there's any one killer feature for Plex, but as far as I see, it has plenty of advantages over other solutions. Good and plentiful client apps, webhook support, Plexamp, intro skipping, etc.

Re: Ask HN: Anyone tired of everything being a subscription now?

#34

Post by AlexandrB »

FpUser wrote: post #9

I simply do not subscribe and except things like Netflix only use products that offer perpetual license

Agree 100%. There's also a fundamental contradiction in subscriptions. I don't want to pay subscription pricing for crucial apps because I don't want to be beholden to recurring payments (that can change at any time) to maintain workflows critical to my life. But these are also the only cases where subscriptions offer enough value to be justifiable. Even a few dollars a month seems too much for something like a notes app, for example.

Re: Ask HN: Anyone tired of everything being a subscription now?

#35

Post by zzo38computer »

I am annoyed at it too, and I avoid such things since I can just use my own local FOSS programs. Devices I use are old enough that they do not have these problems, and it might be more difficult to find one in future unless we can make a better one. If FOSS programs do not exist for the specific domain, then hopefully we can write them.

Re: Ask HN: Anyone tired of everything being a subscription now?

#36

Post by Zircom »

sgtnoodle wrote: post #23
Hamuko wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Eh, lifetime Plex Pass pays itself for three years even at normal pricing. I got mine during a discount so mine pays itself off in about 2 years and 3 months, which would have been in November 2022. I don't also remember seeing any streaming services in my Plex instance. I'm definitely happier having my lifetime Plex Pass over a monthly subscription.

Is there a killer feature that's unique to Plex? Or is it just pleasantly integrated?

The killer feature is the Plex app is already available on pretty much any device you can think of and at least from the user side, setting it up is as easy as just signing in and it's all ready to go.

Re: Ask HN: Anyone tired of everything being a subscription now?

#39

Post by rc_mob »

jedberg wrote: post #27

I would say this is Wall Street's fault. Wall Street values recurring revenue much more than one time revenue. It's causing companies to shift to recurring revenue when they have no reason to, like how BMW is charging a subscription to have seat heaters.

yep. is the problem with capitalism. if you are not growing in profits then you are dying. the happiness of the people be damned.

Re: Ask HN: Anyone tired of everything being a subscription now?

#40

Post by crazygringo »

Not really, because I saw too many software companies go out of business because not enough people wound up upgrading to the next major version -- the ownership model of software can be awfully feast-or-famine for developers' income, it's a very tough/risky business model.

Generally speaking, I'm happy to pay a subscription because this way I get a steady stream of all the updates, and it's much more likely the company has a sustainable business model. And I don't have to agonize over whether paying for a major upgrade is worth it.

Not to mention that a yearly subscription is cheaper than buying outright, and I find that in some cases I no longer need the software, or now prefer to switch to a competitor. So I feel like in the end, a greater proportion of my money goes to the software companies who have actually continued to earn it.

By this point, the idea of "owning" software feels positively archaic to me, as strange as "owning" a music album.

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