I understand how frustrating it can be to have features that used to be free suddenly hidden behind a paywall, but without a way to make money, apps like Pushbullet simply can’t continue to operate. To be fair, Pushbullet’s decision to adopt a subscription model wasn’t the best idea, especially considering that it’s $4.99/month, which is pretty expensive for an app like that. The price, paired with the fact that many of the premium features that come with the new Pro version used to be free, has made a lot of people upset, which is why Pushbullet recently did an AMA on Reddit to try and talk with users.
Pushbullet fans have been going nuts the past week, after the popular service announced a new Pro service that costs $4.99 a month or $39.99 a year. What do users get with this paid subscription? A few things; among them are an extra 98 GB of storage, file deliveries of up to 1 GB (as opposed to 25 MB and no messaging limits. The main issue here is that some of these features used to be free. Not to mention the fact that those prices are a bit high for a secondary tool like Pushbullet. This is normally an app I would prefer paying a one-time fee for, but that is only my opinion. The point is Pushbullet needs to somehow be monetized. It’s either that or shutting down. And no one wants Pushbullet to go under the bus, right? The only real concern is finding out whether Pushbullet went with the right pricing system or not, and that is what the team wanted to touch on during a recent Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything) session. Overall, the Pushbullet developer Guzba explained how the Pro pricing should have been added long ago. Overall, he seemed very accepting of commentary and willing to work with users. Most people go on to suggest that the price is a bit too high, or that it doesn’t offer enough premium features to justify the investment. Regardless, the situation is a bit tight for Pushbullet, which now struggles to survive and is asking fans for support.
