OmniFocus Subscription

Continuing the discussion from Introducing Optional OmniFocus Subscriptions:

I was a little concerned about the recently announced subscription pricing but the above post has put my mind to rest a little.

To clarify my understanding, if you already own any native OF3 app then the web service will be available to you as a separate purchase of $4.99/month (or $49.99/year). That price will only get you access to the web app so if you have previously only purchased the iOS app then you will have access to the web and iOS apps.

I would appreciate @kcase confirming that my assumptions are correct and if the $50 discount thereafter is for life or until OF4 is released.

Also, my OF3 purchase was in the app store (I have regretted that decision ever since). Would I have to purchase the subscription in the APP store as well and is there any way I can transfer my licence to an OmniGroup licence?

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Dear all,

Us users can’t guess how Omni will go. Greed and lack of ideas has propelled many companies toward a subscription-only model. The combination of mature software and relatively stable OS’s, means that without a subscription model, a company needs a great deal of innovation to convince users to upgrade regularly. If the idea-well begins running low, they have no choice but to move to subscriptions. For those companies the path is:

Step 1) Optional subscriptions

Step 2) Let development of the non-subscription version lag a bit compared to subscription.
“Dear Users,
We just want to let you know that although a few of the newest features we’re excited to bring you can only work well in our subscription product, we remain fully committed to the standalone version of software S for the indefinite future and have no plans to require a subscription.”

Step 3) "Dear Users:
Y years ago we introduced an optional subscription for our beloved S software. It was an experiment and we had no idea how it would go or what direction it would lead us. Since then, user response to the subscription model has been overwhelmingly positive, and it has given our entire team renewed energy and the freedom to innovate and create features for you like F1, F2, and F3. Because most of our users strongly prefer the subscription model, we just aren’t able to devote the resources to our standalone version needed to maintain it at the level that our users deserve. Although version V will be our last standalone version of S, we want to reassure everyone that there is no requirement to sign up for a subscription. The standalone license you purchased will continue to be valid and you may continue using it for as long as you wish. Although we expect the standalone version to continue functioning normally for some time, please understand that we can’t predict future changes to the underlying OS, and that at some point version V may no longer function properly.

The C company greatly appreciates the support you have shown us over the years and we are excited by the road ahead.

-Best Wishes, C (CEO)

Only Omni knows if this is their direction, but users should remain watchful for the signs and begin to scan the horizon for alternatives. Let’s see what they do.

-Carl

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Yes, we never know what will happen … But in my opinion and I wouldn’t be very surprised to see OF4 Pro with subscription only.
I miss a clear statement from OG like “We keep on for x (x>2) years to offer the standalone version (non-subscription) OF versions as we did the past years”.

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As I said in the announcement, subscriptions are optional—and we don’t think they’re the best choice for everyone. We’ve invested a lot of effort in making the traditional upgrade model available in our App Store apps and have no plans to eliminate that option. Quoting from the announcement:

We think our current licensing model meets a lot of needs, and we will continue to offer this model for licensing our apps: we prefer for customers to view our apps as an investment, not an expense.

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@kcase: Thank you for the answer :-). Good to read “we prefer for customers to view our apps as an investment, not an expense”.

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Thanks for the encouraging answer Ken. As a long-time user of OF and OO, I’m happy to continue investing in your software.

I just read the blog entry from Dec 3 announcing subscriptions. This comes a few days after deciding to evaluate moving to Apple Reminders since it comes with a Web interface for free, integrates easily with Siri , and I don’t have to worry about upgrades since they are automatic. The subscription news gave the idea enough oomph that I’m going to migrate tasks to Reminders and give it a go.

The argument for the subscription model to support the Web service is valid, but I’d probably keep it separate and at $1 or so a month, not $5 or $10. I do like Evernote’s mode which has a free tier along with professional and premiere tiers. I like it because you never lose access to your data if financial adversity makes it prudent to cancel the subscription. That is from experience, where in several instances in my life I went from a high-roller to pauper through both my stupidity and events beyond my control. Those experiences taught me to avoid monthly payments wherever possible as you never know when the well will run dry.

I’ll keep using your pre-paid product and pass on the subscription products.

I for one like the subscription model for OmniFocus and look forward to it becoming available.
@kcase Are you still planning to launch in January?

HI @kcase,

I am hoping that now that OF3.2 is released, Web is not too far behind? Are you able to provide any insight into when the product is going to roll-out, as I just started a new role where I don’t have my Mac all the time, and Web would be a literal life-saver!

Thanks
DM

There’s been no mention of a specific date. Probably soon, though, as the beta is open to all at this point.

On the subject of the beta, though, if you want to give it a try now, you can enrol by logging in and requesting access from your Omni Sync Server account.

Thanks @nostodnayr, the only problem is I don’t rever seem to have received the invitation to test even though I signed up! I might email Support now and see if they can fix it for me.

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