many thanks, @quorm, I’ve made some improvements to the Buy page based on your requests.
I’ll go into a bit of detail here given the imminent formal launch.
Had to read around the documentation to get the point that the “license” is really a 12-month type of subscription that includes releases.
The updates are limited but the full-featured app ownership is not. The app subscription model (which we do not use) involves core app features the use of which ends when the subscription ends, leaving the user with at best read-only features. Compare OmniFocus’s subscription option:
when you stop subscribing to OmniFocus you’ll lose access to the things that were being provided by that subscription. When a subscription ends you won’t be able to use OmniFocus for the Web any more—and any OmniFocus apps running on your own devices will go back to whatever state they were in before you subscribed.
(Of course, OmniFocus has a non-subscription offer too. But some apps are fully subscription — the ones I’ve investigated go “read only” after subscription ends.)
That is not how our model works. Hook remains fully featured even after a year, even if a user does not buy the Updates license. Our license model is based on Daniel Alm’s excellent Timing app, an app that I love and use daily. To illustrate the difference between it and an “app subscription” model, after my Timing license expired I myself went for several months before I renewed it (I waited because I wasn’t sure which of its 4 payed levels I needed, and the app met my needs). That gave me flexibility. And I could have gone longer without an upgrade, as the app worked fine for me.
With the Timing model (which Hook is based on): if a user’s credit card information is out of date, isn’t sure which level of the app to buy, is financially tight, is waiting for their employer to complete the purchase order, or whatever, they can keep using the app after the year runs out.
We based our model on Timing’s because we wanted to give our customers something better than an app subscription model — i.e., we sincerely believe it is significantly different and better for them. (Indefinite use of the app, subscription to post 12-month updates at an additional cost).
the row that says “Free Updates” should be “Updates – 12 months”.
It’s very tricky to fit wording in the cell of a table that adequately conveys the information, which is why we used a hyperlink. I.e., a cell is not enough for a description that captures the alternatives. (Some people read the table on iPhone-size screens.) However, your suggestion has prompted us to update the text. I think it is clearer now. It still contains links, which is essential because to understand the row, one needs to read the Software Updates section, which is the very first section after the table.
On related notes,
- subscription models are of course rather new to Mac consumer software, so it remains to be seen how models will develop, and what naming conventions will be used. If more developers follow Timing’s lead (as we have), perhaps a distinct term will be used for it in the culture of Mac users.
- this model is a bit more complex (and hence requires more text) to describe than a 100% subscription model. However, it’s simpler than offering both a subscription and standard license model (contrast the options for OmniGroup’s excellent OmniFocus software).
- The updates section and the rest of the page were tricky to write given that during the beta period, we also received feedback to make it briefer than it was.
- Our model differs a bit from Timing’s, however, in that we offer a Lite mode enabling users to use some features of Hook for free. Getting that option right (if we have) required a lot of thought. By providing a free Lite version, I think we’ve given something that delivers additional value for paying users. It means paying users can send friends/colleagues links, and recipients can use them for free. In addition, Lite users can also create and send links to emails. This we hope will help Hook to spread, which is also good for all Hook users. We’ll be making further email-related enhancements to Hook for all users.
I think Agenda’s explanation of how its base and premium feature set works is a clear way of explaining this.
Are you referring to this page: Get All Features - How To - Agenda Community , the third parag of which is about recurring fees?
As explained above, the wording of Hook’s Upgrades section is adapted from Timing’s page, which is the model that is closest to Hook. It is different from Agenda’s.
Later, I will write a blog post or help page explaining the rationale for our sales model, as I think it’s relevant to the Mac blogosphere as all developers try to optimize their sales models to fund product development and operations, and consumers optimize their purchases.
I still concur with your expressed need for more mesh features. This remains on our todo list, multi-device syncing being amongst our highest priorities.
Thanks again for helping us improve Hook and its documentation!
And thanks to Daniel Alm for the model he developed for Timing, and for discussing with me over the last several years.
.