New pricing model

Rallimann

I'm a new user of Boxcryptor and after one week of use the features persuaded me to buy the unlimited version very soon, although the price is pretty high.

This morning I received your newsletter including an announcement of the new pricing model. To be honest: I'm shocked about your intention to switch from a one-off payment to a yearly fee which is moreover as high as the today's price!

I hope you'll keep the free version of Boxcryptor alive - otherwise I have to switch to another solution (unfortunately).

Cheers,
Ralf

Robert

Hi Ralf,

Thanks for your feedback. I can asure you that we will have a similar free version as we have today and that there is no force to switch to 2.0. So if you're happy with our current 1.x version, you can continue to use as long as you want in the future.

Best regards,
Robert

itinerantAlien

I'm with Ralf on this one - your new proposed charges are ludicrous!

You're providing a service that adds a useful little bit to the real service, which is cloud storage and synch'ing across devices & platforms, and yet your fee will be waaaaaay more expensive than the main service.

Another way to put it in perspective is, I bought my new office productivity suite (one-off fee) for a fraction of what your proposed yearly subscription will be.

You are now so far outside the relative charging rate for the new platforms/ecosystems (i.e. iOS and Android) that we, your current paid-up users, are not just disgruntled but genuinely shocked by your proposed charges.

I'm one of the minority of modern users that happily pays for the good quality software that I use, but your proposed charges will have me looking elsewhere once version 1.x no longer meets my needs. Please don't insult me with the stock answer that I can drop down to the free version.

Gargleblast

I fully agree with Ralf and itinerantAlien.

There are quite a lot of users who will see little benefit in the new features in relation to the proposed price/fee, I suppose. Because of the lack of filename encryption, using a free version will not an option. At least not for me.

BoxCryptor v1 unlimited offers pretty much all I need. As long as it will still be supported with bugfixes in the long run, I don't mind that much. Everything else would be a huge disappointment, though.

sebbel

I'm *really* disappointed too. Hopefully there will be future-updates for version 1.x (unlimited personal license). But i don't think so. :(

An one-time upgrade fee for version 2 would be ok (15-20 euros), but not an annual subscription.

ionos

I was (still am) also hoping for a purchase/upgrade-based option for the functionality of today's BoxCryptor 1.x ('Personal' version); all the sharing/grouping/admin-account stuff could then be subscription based ('Business' version).

Neither the free version would be an option for me (no filename encryption), nor staying with 1.x once it's no longer supported (what if it stops working after the next OS upgrade?).

ErichNigl

I bought Boxcryptor a few months ago and i'm really happy with the program. I use it on Windows and on Mac OSX.
But i don't like an annual subscription.
Why not an one-time upgrade fee for new main versions? I think 20-30 EUR would be OK.
If you really change to an annual subscription i will have to use version 1 as long as possible and then find another solution.

Regards

togger

Dafür, dass Boxcryptor letztendlich nur eine (durchaus gelungene) GUI für EncFS darstellt, halte ich die neuen Preisvorstellungen für überzogen. Mit der Ankündigung des wegfallenden Supports nach 12 Monaten für v.1 zwingt ihr die User praktisch in das neue Preismodell hinein. Da hilft es auch nichts zu sagen, dass es ja weiterhin die kostenlose, aber leider dateinamenverschlüsselungsfreie Version gibt oder man ja weiterhin die alte Version weiterhin nutzen könne. Mir scheint eher, dass der berechtigte Erfolg von BC monetäre Bedürfnisse geweckt hat, die der unbedarfte User zu befriedigen hat. Schade.

gandalf12

@togger
ich stimme dir zu. 20-30 Euro für ein Versionsupdate würde ich einmalig auch noch mal bezahlen, aber ein monatliches Softwareabbo an der Backe? Nein Danke. Das wäre dann der Abschied von Boxcryptor..
...aber natürlich nicht von der Dropboxverschlüsselung....
OSXFuse und EncFS ist auf dem Mac in 15 Minuten wieder installiert und läuft auch sehr zuverlässig..

Robert

Hi all,

I just wanted to let you know, that we'll leave this discussion open and that we're listening to it.

Best,
Robert

Don Camorra

Hi!

I would also like to see an one-time fee instead of an annual subscription model.

As others have written previewsly, offer a basic version for personal use and a business version with all the new sharing-functionality.

Keep up the great work.

Best regards,
Don Camorra

kalle

Thanks Robert.

I fully agree with the previous writers. I don’t like the new subscription based license model. I will continue to use the current version as long as I can, then I will look for alternatives, if you don’t change your mind or include the filename encryption feature in the free version.

Your current price suggestion is too high (more than I pay for my file storage space in the cloud).

The current version is perfect, I don’t need more features. Why does this always happen? It’s like Nero, it started like a neat application, but ended like bloatware.

Suggestion: Offer a ONE TIME upgrade price for current users. Then you can have your subscription model for the new company and collaboration features. I will not use them for sure, neither will I pay for them.

Xandrian

Hi,

same here. I only need a encryption with a simple to use interface. And the program must work including all functions you offer (in V1 that's not so, e. g. the command line operations). I don't need the share function and I also don't need the filename encryption.

I paid for the V1 to support you and not for the features I got in the Ultimate. I can do this if it's a one time fee but I will not do this if I have to pay it monthly.

Regards, Tobias

ymbro

I agree, if you abandon the one-time-fee offer, I will not renew my unlimited personal license. The current version is good as it is - I only need filename encryption. I know you'll support version 1 for about a year, but I don't like to use "outdated" software, when I know it will be replaced. Include filename encryption in the free version, or offer a one-time-fee upgrade to existing customers. Then I will stay with Boxcryptor.

SteveMB

Personally, I'd be more likely to switch back to the free version (and obfuscate the file names myself) rather than pay a recurring fee for business-centered collaboration features I don't need, if the current pay version drops out of support (and eventually fails to work).

Christian1782

I agree with all the others. I like to pay for a good software, but not in a subscription model. You want 36€ / year? I paid 15,99 € for OS X Mountain Lion!!!!

- I don't want to use your software when it's only working with an account (you are to small, you could disappear next day!)
- I want to buy a software and feel certain it will work as long as I want in the current version with my current devices
- If there is a new version with new features, support for new devices and OS versions, and I want/need it, I will pay for it a appropriate price.

I'm working in the IT for a very big company. Even there we wouldn't use a software with a subscription model, especially from a so small and new developer like you. What you need is:

1. A pricing model with periodically upgrades for a small and fair price for personal use (9,99€ to buy the software / 4,99€ for an upgrade)
2. A Maintenance agreement for companies with business features

Bodo

Hi Folks,
I just had to comment on this, I have spent almost 50€ (family ultimate, had long term plans for this...before) on this product beginning of april, yesterday I came across news about 2.0. I can only say I am shocked and angry with you. While I would perhaps endure paid upgrade from time to time, hell will freeze first before I switch to annual pay model. I never did, I never will.

From one person to another good luck, but as a customer I wish you will crush and burn! Hopefully competition is reading this as well, my money is ready to be spent again somewhere else.

And what is that idea with forced online account to store encryption keys and taking this way security of my data partially from my hands??? I know your reasoning, but do you have something for power users (offline mode with changed key location similar to 1.5.x) or are you going now after iDumbs market only?

Seriously did you guys just wake up one day and...ehh, no insults not worth it. You had a great product.

Rgds,
B.

Judith

Um es kurz zu fassen, ich habe keine email gefunden mit der Neuigkeit sondern lese nun hier davon.

Ich habe die Lizenz seit dem es quasi eine gibt. Ich wollte ein wirklich cooles Projekt unterstützen. Mache ich selten!

Nun musste ich win7 neuaufsetzen und wollte BC installieren, da sagt es mir, die Lizenz sei ungültig?!

Ich habe BC frisch herunter geladen, was sonst?

Damals hieß es, es wäre eine unlimited Lizenz für Frühunterstützer.

Was ist los?=

Was mache ich, damit ich mein BC wieder unlimited nutzen kann mit meiner Lizenz?

meternils

Hello,

I think you’re going down the wrong road here. I don’t think a majority of your existing customers want/demand collaboration features – at least not when they have to pay a monthly fee for it. Offer upgrade possibilities when you’re releasing major new versions instead – like v 2.0 – and abandon the idea with subscriptions. If filename encryption feature will be part of the subscription price model, I will look at Cloudfogger or Viivo instead, and encrypt the filenames by myself. Or use TrueCrypt, were you’ll get both encryption and filename encryption (free of charge).

A really disappointed unlimited personal user – who is willing to pay for an upgrade, but never ever a recurring monthly fee (even if you’ll charge the amount once per year).

/meternils

Robert

@all: We're hearing you and your worries and we'll issue a statement in the upcoming days. We're appreciating your feedback (even if it's not very positive for us).

@Judith: Hast Du die Seriennummer abgetippt oder per Copy&Paste eingetragen? Evtl. handelt es sich um einen Tippfehler. Deine Seriennummer sollte auf jeden Fall funktionieren - falls Du damit weiterhin Probleme hast, bitte erstelle ein Ticket in unserem System (am besten unter Angabe Deiner Bestellnummer):

https://boxcryptor.desk.com/customer/portal/emails/new

Best,
Robert

PS: @Christian: A short notice: Apple makes its money from hardware and other services like the App Store - not from selling Mac OS X.