Yes, we do use recurring subscriptions here at Joomlashack.
The main reason is that extensions and templates require continuous maintenance and development. Our team needs to upgrade the code for every new Joomla version, even the minor ones. We are also constantly updating them to work with other Joomla extensions, to fix bugs, and to meet the needs of third-party services such as Google and Mailchimp.
Here are 5 other key reasons why we use subscriptions:
Reason #1. Good, reliable development is expensive
We only hire experienced staff in North America, South America and Europe. We don't send work offshore or use interns. The result is that our wage bill is high. Each support ticket costs us around $15. Each feature request can cost $100's or $1000's.
Reason #2. Subscriptions allow us to compete with SaaS
The main competition for Joomla these days is software-as-a-service (SaaS) services such as Wix, Weebly and Squarespace. Those platforms charge $40 or more every month. That gives them a big budget to add new features and provide support. How can any Joomla company compete if they are charging $40 for lifetime access?
Reason #3. Subscriptions allow us to hire staff
Joomlashack is growing. Looking ahead, we want to make Joomlashack even more useful for you. We want to:
- Give you better products with better features.
- Have your products ready for Joomla 4, on the day it’s released.
- Answer 100% of your support tickets within 3 hours.
But, to make that happen, Joomlashack needs to hire developers and a bigger support team. To hire extra staff, Joomlashack's business model needs to be predictable. How can you hire more developers if you can't predict your revenue in 2 or 3 months time? Recurring subscriptions are the only way to be able to accurately predict your revenue.
Reason #4. Subscriptions allow us to support free code
Here at Joomlashack, almost all of our products have free versions and we provide support for them. All our code is on Github. That's only possible because of the support of Pro members.
Reason #5. One-time sales don't work
Over the last few years, we've been fortunate to takeover and acquire several other Joomla companies. Many of them had one thing in common: they did not use recurring subscriptions. Those companies attempted to build businesses on one-time sales. That business model did not work. The result was unsupported code and disappointed customers.
What if I don't like recurring subscriptions?
That's understandable. If you don't like recurring subscriptions, you can continue using the extension or template even after your subscription expires. Plus, there are no per-site licenses, so you can use one subscription for all your sites.
We also promise to treat you fairly. We're upfront about that fact that we use recurring subscriptions, and always give refunds if you forget to cancel renewal.
Your thoughts?
Thanks for taking the time to read this. Whether you're in favor of recurring subscriptions or not, please feel welcome to leave your thoughts in the comments below:
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