I would wonder why it would even be an option? It isn’t a different product since Elements is the direct successor to Classic.
I would hate to think how much I have spent over the years on numerous stacks and themes.
Having said that, I suspect that with many, me included, we will be looking at third party developers to provide additional functionality so that we do not have to re-invent the wheel.
So, the base price should be competitive given that many will have to spend much more over time. With this I do not mean the ability to have a good looking functional site but for additional features such as CMS, store features with payment systems, databases, external editable blogs etc etc.
It’s not the same product. Continuing to refresh sites created with RW+Stacks until “extinguished” is the reason. Offering an Elements subscription option that includes RW Classic at a substantial discount is a way to retain a good portion of those who are tempted to completely leave RM for Stacks Pro. It seems to me that this is not an unreasonable view since it is my case: I am interested in Stacks Pro because I own a lot of Stacks and I love playing with Lego, and I am extremely interested in Elements for all reasons shown in the videos for several months. I think that forcing you to choose exclusively will be to RM’s disadvantage for the simple reason that there has been too much financial investment in the stacks to just revive Muse. I thought this discussion was pretty clear. I can add that Elements will serve me for one category of sites and Stacks Pro for another: not the same creation and updating process. But there is a transition time and it’s now. I’m already experiencing this with Dreamweaver and RW Classic+Stacks. Hope I’m clear now 
I think offering a base Elements and add-on packs is a good way to get new users on board. Let them feel the water without putting down a large amount of money and let them expand the features as they go.
You could consider offering a package that includes otherwise optional additions for a slight discount - it might be interesting to folks who go all the way in from the start.
Like others stated above, we’re just a slice of the userbase and perhaps not entirely representative of the rest of the userbase in the amounts of money we spent on add-ons for Classic. Stacks, Foundry (or Foundation), swatches or feature packs and of course oodles of loose stacks that cost anywhere from 5 to 80 USD - since I buy things professionally I can easily look up what it all cost me over the years, but I’m kind of afraid to 
The average consumer would need the base elements as shown thus far in the videos. Perhaps some form elements too. That’s a pretty good toolkit to start with - offer that for around 100 USD, perhaps with a discount every-so-often, and I think you’re set.
you could then offer additional element packs for sale - think database connectivity, automated galleries, SEO optimisation, expanded form functionality and so on.
The same goes for pre-built templates as the successor to Classic’s themes - offer one or two “light” versions with the base pack, and offer additional ones for sale in the marketplace.
Cheers,
Erwin
This would all but guarantee the demise of Classic, but I guess that is all but a given anyway. Without Stacks, what is Classic that Elements would not be able to do and do it so much more eloquently? It’s a sly strategy. Basically Elements for all intents and purposes is, or certainly can, replace Classic.
Sorry I don’t get the point 
I am agreeing with what you said. This will likely mean the end of Classic, which seems inevitable. Without Stacks, Classic doesn’t offer anything that Elements can’t do better. What you suggest is a clever strategy. Essentially, Elements can replace Classic in almost every way.
Haaaaaaa sorry for my English, the « anyway » threw me in trouble and make me don’t understand the purpose. Everyday is a learning day 
Why “without Stacks”? RW Classic can be used with the Stacks Plugin as long as you want (at least for some years to come). So I don’t quite get the point…
I’m not saying it is not useful. However, based on the past, not much appears to be going to change. Classic is a stable platform for Stacks and stacks, but as a standalone app, it’s really not going anywhere. Elements is shaping up to be an excellent upgrade/replacement. The point is, it should be priced as such until it proves to live up to its full potential.
I’m not too confident with that. It will need updates and I don’t think Yourhead will update Stacks 5 in competition with Stacks pro. So after the next Apple big update (few months) what will happen ? I can’t freeze my config just to stay with RW classic+stacks5. And Apple isn’t the only one with Update things, everything needs updates today (like gimmicks a long time ago 
). That’s the problem I think.
If you are going to do SAAS, then you need to be less than $10 a month. If you are selling as an app, don’t go over $150.
You are making it easy for non-coders to make websites. This means it is for amateur coders, who generally are not in business selling websites. It’s primarily for personal or internal business use. Elements makes it even more dumbed down, which gives you a bigger market, if not priced too high.
You will lose a lot of your base by pricing too high. Rapidweaver is a clumsy combination of disparate pieces, but people have adjusted to it, where others will naturally go nowhere near it. Elements eliminates your greatest liability. Pricing high will scuttle your strength in this new product. I have no idea how big the market is for this product, but the higher you price it, the less people will try it. Even $150 may be too high, given all the other themes and products alternatives already out there.
It must be recognized that it is thanks to this type of post that you can develop your clientele. Hop I leap with deontology and ethics on the occasion 
: at the Realmac team, I am a psychologist 
and I can offer discounts for group treatments. Do not hesitate to contact me, I also make discounts on bundles. 
no guaranty for success no refunds nope
Yep the goal with RapidWeaver has always been to make building websites easy for non-coders, non-designers, non-tech-savvy people.
I think RapidWeaver Elements expands on that a bit. It will still be an incredibly easy website building tool for those non-coders, non-designers, non-tech-savvy people, but it’s also powerful enough that coders, designers, and tech-savvy people can enjoy using it as well.
Best of both worlds.
I see RapidWeaver Elements being appealing for a lot of different markets such as:
- Hobbyists
- Educators
- Small to medium sized business owners
- Bloggers, Artists, Photographers, Videographers, and other creative professionals
- eCommerce Shops
- Web Design Firms
- Freelance Website Designers
- Entrepreneurs
- Developers
- Content Creators
just to name a few.
I agree with your list. This list encompasses a wide range of users and skill levels. This is why I mentioned what I did earlier.
Keep the price of Elements as low as you can while staying in business. Build your profits from add-ons. These add-ons, if easy to use, might be simple things that even a novice would buy, such as lists, photo portfolios, animations, and others.
More sophisticated add-ons could include online editing, super flexible CMS, database interaction, and advanced photo and video warehousing.
Keep the business open, but regrow that base. Continue to rebuild goodwill as you have been doing so well over the last six months.
You’ve got this!
What is upgrade pricing vs buying the product new for the first time? If people are coming from Classic alongside a Foundry / Foundation they have already bought quite a few of the same features so this would seem like it needs to be figured into the price.
Also what is the price for the alpha since that is what will be the next product coming out? The alpha won’t have a full feature set and fully working software.
We are currently working this out, along with the initial feature set. One of the reasons for this poll was to start a conversation around pricing and get feedback from our potential customers.
So far all the feedback has been invaluable and is guiding the price we’ll charge for Elements.
We plan to offer a very competitive price for those that want to support us during the beta!
I would suggest charging a price aligned with a premium design product, and if that means $300, so be it, as long as that means we get more than one year of updates and support, and absolutely no subscription pricing for a product that doesn’t require require it (looking at you, 1Password), or thinly veiled subscription pricing where "it’ll keep working as long as you own it but you’ll be stuck at the last version you paid for, for that year, so you don’t get any updates other than minor dot releases and vital bug/security fixes.
And, just being honest here, I would love to see a substantial discount for those of use who have been with you for 10 or even 20 years and have purchased nearly every release, keeping Realmac afloat for decades, when we could have switched to a number of online web authoring platforms instead of sticking with boutique software with a relatively tiny user base.
So I would suggest charging what you need to charge so Elements can be incredible software that we’ll all fall in love with and can’t live without, so that Realmac will be successful and stay passionate about their work, and then simply take care of your loyal customers so we feel like we’ve made the right choice sticking with RapidWeaver for all these years.
Provue Panorama X (database), now over 40 years old, has a subscription rate of $300 for 5 years with updates included during that time. Each month of use is subtracted from the total. There are yearly subscriptions at an annual price higher than the 5 year price (annual rate). All in all, that product has been able to stay in the Apple marketplace with reasonable pricing and superior support, while most other datbase software is history. I think RW Elements can have the same kind of long term success. One thing to keep in mind is, just as Provue has to compete with Excel, Numbers and a few other spreadsheet products, Rapidweaver has to compete with free stuff like X and Facebook. Many people who want to have a public arena don’t want to put in the time to build a functional web page, in my opinion, relying on simple, yet effective output. That means, perhaps, a price that is not overwhelming for a product that is fairly easy to learn and use.
My opinion would be for two price levels
Elements without the ability to use the Elements language - $125
Elements with Elements language - $175. This would be the only difference.
I would go with the $175 version