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are you willing to pay for native apps ?

asked 2019-12-19 07:28:59 +0200

pawel gravatar image

updated 2019-12-23 10:48:10 +0200

Dear all,

i would like to rise one topic again:

everybody is complaining about too few native apps, but i fear nobody is willed to pay for the same or better only few are. there are like 38 000 users here. if 10 000 were active user and everybody would spend 20 bucks a year, we do talk about 200 000 Euros. Share accrossed the 40 most active devs would be like 500 Euros a year each. That would rise the motivation to maintain and develop new stuff.

here are two threads on potential candidates:

https://together.jolla.com/question/200148/native-apps-i-love/

https://together.jolla.com/question/142604/what-app-would-you-pay-10euro-for/

just to share my experience: i have 2 selfwritten apps and i am maintaining one. to build my first app took me at least 40hrs, to maintain it over the year another 40-50 hrs. only the refactoring of the backend of my second app plus testcases took me 10 days every night, so again like 20-30 hrs. for the second app i have receied 3 feature request and i was offered one coffee. in fact i did never received anything :)

again, it is not about me, it is about worth of software. a cleaning lady costs 12 euro's (black money) per hour in my country, minimum. so are you willed to pay for something that took weeks to build like pure maps, ownkeepass, depecher and telegra.me ?

1 or 2 euro a year ?

have a merry christmas !

EDIT: thank you for your answers, the idea of this thread was NOT to tell Jolla hat they should do somethig about it. That would be a duplicate :) I do also believe that people do spend money on software, but maybe not that many. And i still do believe that an anual payment is better to prevent apps to get orphaned, just ownkeepass right now

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5

no problem with paying here, I would pay for stuff I use and I need of for stuff that is just fun or also for indispensable patches of for a better working Android integration (Calendars, to-do's).

danfin ( 2019-12-19 08:39:01 +0200 )edit
1

no problem for me too. could be for a contribution or for a service. that's why i wonder that jolla themselves not produced some apps or options with small contribution, or an app with a service behind...

cemoi71 ( 2019-12-19 09:32:38 +0200 )edit
2

I would also be willing to pay a contribution for a product that I use. However, I would like to pay for a product only once and not repeatedly. This is different with a service that I use. Here I gladly accept repeated payments. I am also willing to pay again for meaningful updates. The most important basic functions for using a device should be covered with a one-time payment.

sailaway ( 2019-12-19 10:14:19 +0200 )edit
1

Of course. For social app, such as instagram, Line, I will not hesitate to pay 10 euros.

xbt123ufo ( 2019-12-19 10:52:07 +0200 )edit
1

Absolutely

Tanghus ( 2019-12-19 11:08:02 +0200 )edit

15 Answers

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8

answered 2019-12-20 06:50:39 +0200

4carlos gravatar image

Sure it can cost and the price must be appropriate to the quality and scope of the app (no 5000 flashlights for 78 Cent).

But .... please not via PayPal and no subscription.

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while subscriptuons sycc in that small user base they kinda ensure that apps dont get abandonned i.think

pawel ( 2019-12-20 07:56:13 +0200 )edit

Just out of interest: Which alternative payment methods do you want and which are commonly accepted by the (open source) community?

Alex ( 2019-12-28 14:10:29 +0200 )edit
6

answered 2019-12-20 09:43:41 +0200

ziellos gravatar image

Yes I am, and I tell you why. I know that developing software needs much time and isn't always fun. I have to know because I earn my money by engineering software (may be that's also the reason why I don't make Sailfish apps).

For me there is no difference between an app and a service, so I would also pay for native apps regularly if they are actively developed, open source, and of high quality. The most important one for me would be a native version of Firefox. In addition to that, native Tagesschau and Warnwetter apps (German news and weather services, don't know if these are blocked by the providers).

BTW: I generally prefer payed services over "free" ones. So I pay for my family's Exchange mailboxes, Spotify and Netflix accounts, and Strava premium.

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2

Threema App, i would be ready to pay for it, as much as i payed for the Android-version. Anybody ready to program it!? :)

Firefox84 ( 2019-12-20 11:29:26 +0200 )edit

As far as I know, Threema blocks third-party clients from connecting to their network, the same way as Whatsapp does. No interest in another walled garden.

ziellos ( 2019-12-20 13:32:07 +0200 )edit
1

There is apparently software that could be adapted :) https://www.openmittsu.de/

Firefox84 ( 2019-12-20 18:24:29 +0200 )edit

Thanks for the information @Firefox84.

ziellos ( 2019-12-20 18:36:24 +0200 )edit
3

I totally agree here, but for me one thing must be ensured: it must be an open source app!

mono ( 2019-12-21 11:25:19 +0200 )edit
6

answered 2020-05-22 09:01:59 +0200

zlutor gravatar image

updated 2020-05-22 09:04:04 +0200

Interesting topic - I.have no clue how.it can be moved forward...

first.of.all, noone know - except Jolla who does not tell is - how big the.userbase is, jow manu active users are out there.

so, any development activity expect some ROI is doomed from the start because it is not possible to make any reliable plan.

some of us, developers, are stubborn SFOS supporters but creating a bit more complex app usually need teamwork (graphics, sound, UX design, etc).

and some of those guys does not really want.to burn their valuable free time just for.supporting my SFOS hobby...

and, telling the truth, userbase is not willing to pay/donate - not even saying “hello, good work!” -, for apps they kwep installed 1+ years.

I know what I'm saying, have app in the Harbour (Gooble Invasion) having 1000+ downloads, nice amount of likes and comments and.built in donation/say-hello options.

I know, I know PayPal is evil but give me any better option... ;)

Not to mention Piepmatz - even that was not economically viable...

so, some radical change is needed here - maybe a community dashboard where anyone can add a topic (s)he needs an app for, inviting others to make a fund offer behind and developers (can form a task force) and make.it happen in open source fashion...

An SFOS specific go-found-me...

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4

The user base here is so tight, it squeaks when it walks.

Spam Hunter ( 2020-05-22 12:54:43 +0200 )edit
4

answered 2019-12-20 15:54:55 +0200

wladi gravatar image

Of course. I will pay, like I pay for SF. For me it's simple: I don't wanna ads and give my privacy, so app/OS must cost.

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4

answered 2019-12-22 10:10:34 +0200

WT.Sane gravatar image

Dear Developers, dear all,

I will gladly pay for native apps on Sailfish OS. A Threema client would be great but there are many already existing apps I really like and would gladly pay for. Examples are Fahrplan, OBDFish but also patches like Launcher Combined. A native Firefox, Fennec or Iridium would be a nice addition.

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3

answered 2019-12-20 05:37:13 +0200

Jowe gravatar image

I would pay for apps, but agree with an earlier post in that I pay over time for services. I would hope to only pay once for an app that wasn't an ongoing service.

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2

answered 2019-12-27 03:36:34 +0200

yokisuci gravatar image

For good apps, yeah, sure. When I had Android and iOS I paid for apps that I liked. Generally I'm willing to pay 1-3€, and I won't subscribe to an app. Sure, I can pay for major updates, but only then and if I want to.

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What do you mean with "subscribe to an app"?

Pohli ( 2019-12-27 09:28:49 +0200 )edit
1

Basically I mean that I would not be willing to use an app that requires some kind of subscription to use it. Thankfully, I don't think there is that many apps that are like that, if any. I don't include applications that acts as a frontend for service that requires payment.

yokisuci ( 2020-01-02 01:45:13 +0200 )edit
2

answered 2020-07-22 06:42:11 +0200

drakegao gravatar image

need paid apps to attract developers or companies to make more native apps for sailfish, Sailfish cant always update the android run time with android. Blackberry gave up after kitkat support. The app gap is huge if cut the android apps, and the offical social media support is close to zero. we do need some of the main apps. So i will love to pay the native apps.

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2

answered 2020-07-26 20:52:47 +0200

this post is marked as community wiki

This post is a wiki. Anyone with karma >75 is welcome to improve it.

updated 2020-07-26 20:52:47 +0200

bennypr0fane gravatar image

This question is almost moot because there isn't a proper way for developers to collect payment from Jolla store sales. Flattr is a donation system, developers can't set their own prices. As long as Jolla doesn't put a proper paywall in, making native apps will be a hobby endeavour.

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1

There are many ways to collect money from the beloved users. Why you need Jolla for this?

utkiek ( 2020-08-04 10:34:40 +0200 )edit

exactly, thwre is paypal, github etc.

pawel ( 2020-08-04 19:40:40 +0200 )edit
1

answered 2019-12-20 12:09:07 +0200

nas gravatar image

The SailfishX license was the first software that I ever payed. And I feel that it totally worth it for the freedom and some kind of openness I have.

I would also pay for some apps. I support and believe in Open Source, and I wouldn't like to see projects going close source because they became commercial. After all this is the logic of Open Source, you pay to get it ready to install, you pay for the support you will get or the new features you want, and if you are willing to involve, you can get the source, make your changes and improvements and give it back to the world.

And it shows some appreciation to the developers, that they might started developing their apps for personal use, but they made the effort to share it with the rest of us.

Specifically also for SailfishOS, the existence of more apps, apps that people use and need on other platforms (android, ios, etc) would make it easier for people to become Sailfish users, and more happy the current users. Also, if I pay my own the developer for something I want, it will cost me much more than a lot of people want it. Maybe a croud source model included in Jolla Store (if it ever become commercial) would be nice idea. I want " that " and I give 1 - 2 - 5 Euro.

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Asked: 2019-12-19 07:28:59 +0200

Seen: 3,440 times

Last updated: Aug 07 '20