If you need more revenue then you need to get creative and provide real value.
If you ask users, you may find some would pay right this moment for specific features or fixes.
Otherwise, you must admit that you just can’t charge for static software beyond the initial purchase price.
There are many options:
- Pay once: Get to use that particular software version forever
- Pay only for new versions you want: Get to keep using that new version forever. Allows users to only buy what they find is of value
- Pay a monthly subscription: If you cancel you can still use your version forever
- Pay a yearly subscription: Guarantees 3 or 4 significant updates per year
- Pay a higher one-time lifetime subscription fee: Get updates forever
- Crowdfund releases and features/fixes: This will tell you what people actually value. Example: Set a minimum crowdfund amount that users must reach before you’ll commit to a release or feature. Add in features if you exceed the base amount by X amount.
I just donated 8 euro to a small dev even though I already had a paid license because their latest release had real value and effort put into it. They don’t even require ongoing subscriptions. They don’t even try to push it. They really should, a little anyway, as they have a really high value product.
You’ll create ill will and negativity if you try to shoehorn revenue streams that make users’ lives more difficult.
Don’t try to make old, ‘unprofitable’ features worse compared to new, ‘profitable’ features. For example, one software I use has an old offline feature and a new cloud version of the same feature. They keep the old feature worse than the new to convince people to move to the new way. That’s just going to frustrate your users.
Be creative and provide real value.
makes a lot of sense !