Lower Price
Aug 13, 2018 | Written by
Cameron McEfee
If you were excited about GuideGuide 5 but the initial monthy price tag was more than you were comfortable with, I’ve got good news. I’ve added an annual plan that is $36/year and lowered the monthly plan to $5/month.
It’s been about three months since GuideGuide 5 launched. I started it at $7/month, but in the background, I’ve been running some experiments to determine a price that people are most comfortable with, and have been collecting feedback that has come my way since the release.
As expected, along with the pricing model change came plenty of angry emails. Amidst the rants and capital letters, a few sensible souls provided genuinely valueable feedback about how their local currency converts to the dollar, how they’re in school or between jobs, or how it’s logistically hard for them to pay monthly for things.
If you recall from my launch post, I mentioned, “I believe that the people who will pay regularly for GuideGuide are the people that use it every day, so much so that they forget it exists: professional designers.” These were, in fact, the folks that provided the valuable feedback. Based on the things I took away from these conversations and my own gut feelings about pricing, I’ve made some adjustments that are now in effect.
What I have changed
Lower price
GuideGuide is now $5/month. Where the $7 price tag felt luxurious, $5 is lower than most commercial subscriptions (I’m looking at you, people who compared a design tool to popular video streaming services >.<), so it’ll feel like it’s less of an expense, while not trying to play a mind game by being $4.99, because I have more respect for you than that.
Annual plan
Cost aside, paying monthly for something can be logistically challenging in some countries, and is often just generally annoying. You can now choose a $36/year annual plan, the equivalent of $3/month.
Education discounts
I remember the struggle of paying for software as a student. Having the right tools is critical but acquiring them on an education budget is difficult. Earlier this month I formalized my education discount policy, allowing students free access to GuideGuide. If you’d like an education discount, head over to the request form.
What I haven’t changed
As I investigated the posibilities for adjustments, I ruled out a few things that you may have seen me mention I was considering.
Regional Pricing
Exchange rates vary widely and in many countries the conversion is rather unfavorable. It chagrins me that people in these countries see GuideGuide as an exorbanant cost, but it is regretfully difficult for me to offer regional pricing. My payment provider, FastSpring, is able to customize price by currency but not by country, which isn’t a reliable enough method to distinguishing regional prices.
Forever licenses
I’ve received quite a few requests for one-time purchase licenses. However, nearly all of the requests were for an impractically low suggested price, often less than a few months of a subscription. Since it seems that a price that would be conducive to sustainable income wouldn’t make the requesters happy, I’ve opted to keep forever licenses as an option for special, rare occasions.
Existing customers
If you’ve already signed up for GuideGuide 5, thanks! If you’d like to switch to the annual price, please contact me via the support form. If you prefer to stick with monthly, your next payment will be at the new $5 price.
Gimme your money
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