There is no âfree lunchâ, unless it is government handouts, which is just coming out of taxpayer pockets. However, I do agree that some corporations are overly greedy. The drug companies are an excellent example and Iâm sure some software companies can easily be added to that group as well.
SketchUp is certainly not one of them. Whether you choose the subscription licensing or the permanent license you are getting a steal of a deal in my opinion, especially when you consider what you typically pay for other comparable software out there.
Just like with any other business, a software developer needs to have enough consistent revenue to keep the lights turned on (ie. development, support, utilities, employees etcâŚ) Without this revenue the business simply goes away and then so does your product that was provided by them. It may work for a while but eventually a new operating system or something will come along rendering it obsolete.
As a full time SketchUp developer Iâm struggling to make ends meet while maintaining my sole focus on the improvements of my plugins. Additional revenue would certainly stoke the fire and allow me to bring on additional help and thereby accelerate the development. However, trying to pry more money from my customers is a tricky business.
If you raise your prices too much or go to a subscription system then you risk alienating a good number of potential clients/customers, so rather than gain more revenue you will probably actually lose. Finding the right balance between maximizing your revenue while at the same time providing a good value for your customers money is a delicate balancing act.
The cost of your software has to be viewed as a fair price by your customer base. Another important factor to consider is that certain customer bases are conditioned to certain price levels. If you told your typical SketchUp user or designer/architect that they need to pay $1,000 for a yearly subscription to your plugin or product they will probably turn their noses. However, that same number probably wonât even faze your typical AutoCad user.
I do think the SketchUp community as a whole has been rather spoiled with excellent pricing from SketchUp and also some very gratuitous plugins/offerings from SketchUp developers.
Take a look at a few of the comments on this video, granted most of these individuals are probably not design professionals but the âfree lunchâ attitude is certainly there: