Why are we so app cheap?

[Fingolfin269]

Anyone else suffer from this problem?

I'll drop $5 on a beer but if you ask me to pay $1 or $2 for an app you might as well be asking for $1000.

 

[Mopetar]

Anyone else suffer from this problem?

I'll drop $5 on a beer but if you ask me to pay $1 or $2 for an app you might as well be asking for $1000.

If you're in a bar or a restaurant, you might not be able to get a beer for less than that. On the other hand there are hundreds and thousands of free apps which makes everything else look expensive by comparison. It's all relative.

Personally, I don't have a problem spending $5 or more as long as it's a good app, but it needs to do something useful.

 

[Zaap]

I'm not app cheap. (Although if free/$1 is what someone is asking, then that's what I'll pay). But if its a decent app, and the price is $5-$15 and its actually worth it, I don't mind paying more. I believe app devs should earn what they deserve for making great and useful stuff.

I will often donate if a particularly good app is donationware as well.

On the other hand, I freaking hate the in-app purchase model, especially when its clearly set up just to siphon money off the unsuspecting. I think that trend is lowly. I'd much rather pay $6 or more for say a game and not be nagged for money to keep playing it. I'll gladly personally support devs that keep it upfront like that and avoid those that go for shady in-app schemes.

 

[desura]

Because the screen is so small, and what you can do on it is so limited.

 

[Fingolfin269]

I also popped $1 into a vending machine earlier without giving it a second thought. Yet after reading the game thread I pulled up Ridiculous Fishing, saw it was $0.99, and immediately closed the app store.

Just an interesting personal observation I made. Of course I titled this thread 'we' because I was hoping the masses would also be broken and not just me.

 

[paperwastage]

i'm starting to change my mentality about app pricing and pay for apps (instead of using the trial feature-limited / ad-supported models)

hate in-app / monthly-subscription models too...

 

[poofyhairguy]

That isn't me. I have spent more on Android apps since 2011 then I spent on Windows apps the decade prior.

I am a little ashamed to admit part of that is because Google's Play Store model gives you real benefits over piracy, when often on Windows the piracy route is easier (like when it breaks some evil DRM).

 

[kyrax12]

Probably because I have to make an effort to enter payment info. for a one dollar purchase that I am not going to be using much later.

 

[bearxor]

I'm not app cheap. I'll buy $1-4 apps on a whim if I see an interesting news story or something.

The most expensive app I ever bought was iTeleport for $25. It was the first VNC app on the app store and I was pretty desperate.

 

[openwheel]

I refuse to pay for apps. It will open a flood date. No thank you.

Unless the app saves me money. Like FoxFi. Boy I am so cheap....

 

[boomhower]

I'm not. I'll gladly pay $1-$8 for a game and be happy to do so rather than be hammered with in app purchases. Especially games that make it almost impossible to play without them. Just charge a fair price for the game up front and be done with it. Though I know that is not going to be common place going down the line. Even being an Apple fanboy we have them largely to blame for their app store policies.

 

[openwheel]

I just don't play games. Who's got time for games anymore?? Problem solved.

Same reason I never smoked cigarette. Save my money for the better things in life....

 

[pm]

I do not have this problem - although I start to do more research and hesitate on the "buy" button when the price gets over $10.

But for anything under $10, if I think I need it then I'll buy it. Most of my iPhone apps cost money - I don't actually have that many free ones. Things like 1Password, TripIt Pro, 64-bit calculator, Endomondo Pro, Scan+ and others... I paid for them all.

On the other hand, I'm not much for buying things in-game. So for Plants vs. Zombies 2, I'd have happily spent $5 on the app (maybe even $9 or, with some thought, $10), but I won't buy gems or jewels or gold or whatever in game no matter what. So the PvZ2 guys totally missed my demographic - because I got a game that I would have paid $5 for for free, but I won't spend any money on gems or such in the game itself.

 

[shortylickens]

Cuz its easy to go overboard and buy shit you will never use.


See Also:
Steam

 

[Kaido]

Yet after reading the game thread I pulled up Ridiculous Fishing, saw it was $0.99, and immediately closed the app store.

To be fair, Ridiculous Fishing is absolutely worth the dollar :biggrin:

 

[lxskllr]

Nothing I use costs money. I will be getting a prepaid Visa soon, and making donations to a lot of organizations/devs I appreciate.

To get closer to your point, I'd pay for libre software if it were especially useful, but won't take gratis proprietary mobile software.

 

[ponyo]

I am also app cheap. I bought zero app for the iPhone. And I don't know if I ever will. For Android, I have bought numerous apps but majority of it were during the 10 cents and 30 cents sale long time ago and it was paid with the $25 free credit for buying the Nexus 7.

Strangely enough I'm ok with my wife and daughter spending money to buy iOS apps and games. They ask me and I even encourage it.

 

[podspi]

I'll typically drop a few bucks on an app without thinking too hard about it, but $5 is my max. Anything higher than that and I start thinking hard about whether I'm actually going to end up using it or not.

 

[unixwizzard]

Anyone else suffer from this problem?

I'll drop $5 on a beer but if you ask me to pay $1 or $2 for an app you might as well be asking for $1000.

I dunno.. maybe because most apps suck?

 

[crashtestdummy]

I actually try to seek out paid apps a lot of the time. I'd much rather shell out a few bucks then have ads taking up precious screen space every time I look at the app.

I'm particularly adverse to advertising, though, so I've always been more willing to pay out small amounts for things like that.

 

[Anubis]

I dunno.. maybe because most apps suck?

its not a maybe

most apps do indeed suck

there are very few worth a damn
i think i can count on 1 hand the number of apps ive paid for

also IDK where you live but 5$ for a beer is cheap as hell

 

[Fingolfin269]

Ok I guess I'll buy the fishing game.

And yah Anubis I live in the Nashville area so 5-7 or so is normal for a craft or import here. 3-5 for the natty/bud lights of the world.

/notadisguisedbeersnobthread!

 

[Morbus]

I have never ever bought a piece of software for less than 10$ and I don't plan to. If it's worth less than 10$, it's not worth my time using it.

I can't remember being wrong.

:EDIT:
Promotions, well that's a different thing of course. I'm talking normal price.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

I'm not App Cheap, but it's common to end up buying an app and then not using it ever. That's not so much a problem back with the 10 cent sale, but even at $1, I find it fundamentally a bad habit to just buy without even thinking.

I had this fundamental argument with the Sliding Messenger guys when I asked if a critical fix was going to make it into the free version (to make it less laggy and slow in startup). People told me to just spend the $1 on the paid version. I just found it a bit annoying that I had to pay in order to even see if the app was usable because the trial version was laggy as hell.

 

[ControlD]

I like to hop around to different platforms, so getting a bunch of money invested in apps is a losing proposition. I have a crap ton of iOS apps I purchased that I have no ability to use anymore. I have been much more frugal now that I am on Android. Chances are my next phone will be a Windows phone, so I have no desire to have money tied up in another proprietary platform.

Services are a different story. I will gladly pay for Netflix, Google Music, etc.