Popular photo-editing app Pixelmator Photo is moving to a subscription model, driving up the price of a perpetual license.
The iOS photo editor will now include monthly and yearly subscriptions for €4.99 and €23.99, respectively. Meanwhile, a lifetime license will now cost €54.99, a huge jump for what was once a €7.99 app.
Existing users can continue to use the app with unlimited access, no subscription required.
Why Pixelmator Subscriptions?
In a detailed blog post, the developers explained why they are moving away from a pay-up-front model.
Ultimately, the decision was a financial one, with the company admitting that relying on big feature updates to bring the camera app to market meant that "the money we're making isn't enough to cover development costs."
The post also revealed other issues app builders face with the upfront payment model. Balancing slower development cycles with the demand for major updates among new users meant the team couldn't focus on the major features and quality of life updates that existing users really wanted.
Pixelmator also revealed that the lack of free trials of paid apps in Apple's app store was partly to blame. He claims that neither test led to reviews from users who felt that the lightweight Photoshop alternative did not meet their expectations. Pixelmator hopes that the now free app with functionality locked behind a subscription will provide a solution to the lack of a free trial.
However, the team behind the well-established image editor acknowledges that the decision may be controversial: "Of course, there are also downsides to subscriptions, a big one, actually. It's more expensive... But I hope there are enough users who use the app regularly and feel that the annual or monthly fee is worth it.
However, not all bad news. Early subscribers will receive the upcoming Pixelmator Pro, in our experience one of the best photo editing apps for Mac, at a reduced cost. The image editing tool is planned for early next year. The team promised to seek discounted prices for existing customers.