I’ve not posted in the RealMacForums in quite some time, I guess you upgraded the software so my old account disappeared. Anyways, I’ve been a long time user of RapidWeaver and I’m currently on RW6.
I’ve been checking out RW7 but I hate to sound so negative on one element of the upgrade. The price - 59.99 is a bit high, especially considering that RW6 had an upgrade price of 39 dollars.
I know at times with software (thanks to the app stores) there’s a race to the bottom, and I’m all for paying a fair price for a good piece of software, but I’m not quite sure 60 dollars. I’d like to see I guess a company reward its long time customers with a price that is not so high.
I just don’t see it that way. The full price of RW6 was 90 dollars (89.99), the upgrade was 40. This time around 100 new and 60 for the upgrade. They raised the price 10 dollars for the new purchase but raised the upgrade price by 20 dollars.
In the past RW was available in bundles, i.e., spend 20 dollars and get x number of applications. I’m all for growing the customer base with those sort of deals, but by the same token, that’s a bit annoying to have a company charge 60 for its loyal customers and then in the future offer it much less for new customers.
That’s the rub: in the future. If you can wait on version 7 then there’s no reason to believe it won’t go on deep discount sale at some point in a special bundle for a limited amount of time. In that case be patient.
I get your bigger point about the upgrade being expensive. Companies vary so much on this issue. For me the simpler decision was: do I use the software a lot and is it essential to my overall work? My answer was “yes”. So paying a bit of a steep price for an upgrade really wasn’t a concern. But if I didn’t use it all the time, and web design it were more of a hobby, then I would probably have waited. After all, RW6 is doing a fine job for me.
Why is an upgrade from 3 to 7 for the same price as from 6 to 7. We the version 6 users paid all previous updates. And what happens later? All addons and plugins buy back then Rapid weaver and very costly and it is not fun anymore. Sincerely, Henk de Sain
I agree, but by the same token, I think having some loyalty to existing customers can go a long way
Yep, and that’s what I’m doing - holding off. So instead of getting some income from me, on the upgrade path, they’re getting 0 dollars, so that doesn’t really help them in the long run, i.e., high priced upgrades. I certainly can wait until I see RW7 in a bundle in the 20 to 40 dollar range.
To summarize, I’m looking to pay my fair share, but where is the fairness of seeing them offering RW for a fraction to new customers in a few months but charging a premium for existing customers who are willing to put up with the bugs that are common in a version x.0 product?
Upgrade price was raised beyond what I personally felt was fair.
RealMacSoftware tends to use the bundles, that offers the full app for a fraction of the price what they’re charging its loyal customers.
I have moved on.
I know, in posting this, people would largely disagree with my assessment, and that’s ok, we all have opinions and mine is such that was destined not to be terribly popular, but regardless, I wanted to convey my thoughts
I’m not really getting your example, but in the end, I’m choosing not to devalue my work by using an over priced application (or at least version). Yes, in the scheme of things, the cost is no where near the cost of other applications but as I’m looking to be a good steward with my money, I feel the higher price is unjustified. RealMacSoftware has every right to price it at a level they feel they ought too, and as a consumer, I have the right to spend my money as I see fit.
I’ll wait the few months and when it hits the bundles, I’ll buy it for 50% of what I’d paid for it now.
@caffeineinjection you’re sounding a touch aggressive/defensive on this; I understand that you want to defend the product. That’s great, but if too many people chime in with that level of enthusiasm, then people might think twice about commenting and providing valuable feedback for Realmac.
I love it when people praise my business, but I want to know how to do better, because that’s how I really will improve my income stream.
Some very valid points have been raised here and Realmac can choose to address or dismiss those points. With lots of free alternatives such as Weebly and Wix being used for business websites, I think it’s wise to ensure your customer base is as loyal as possible.
Money’s tight all round at the moment; everyone’s looking to make a saving.
I use Rapidweaver for my own website, so the upgrade isn’t worth it to me as I don’t see what added functionality I’ll be gaining. If someone can tell me what I’m missing please feel free. I also think it’s a bad idea only catering for the latest OS as not everyone is comfortable upgrading. It’s Realmac’s decision and I hope they do well. I think Rapidweaver is fun and educational to use.
Sadly with the likes of Amazon et al cutting margins to the wire products are expected for next to nothing. It’s tough and ordinarily, I wouldn’t envy your position as a retailer, but I’m a musician lol
In a round about way, that’s my point. I see realmacsoftware pricing the upgrade at a certain level, which was higher then prior releases. Yet, down the road, I see deep discounts for those who buy bundles. Why not reward loyal customers putting up with the bugs that are inherent in X.0 versions then taking their money and selling it at a deep discount to others.
I agree 100%, I bought RW 6 for a $7 promo bundle and will wait for a similar bundle. I think the loyalty aspect thinking is on its way out. I have been using RW since v3/v4 days and back then it was different experience. Pricing was fair, discounts and sales were more frequentl. Now it’s a different atmosphere you have some products that cost more than the actual program that runs it. It’s a different thinking now…
@instacks I’m not sure what you are basing your statement on. Probably wishful thinking or just trying to be clever/cute. If you look at the actual evidence over the past 5+ years then you’ll see that RapidWeaver has been on sale several times a year at different events: mainly bundle events. So is it “possible” that RW7 only goes on sale just before RW8 is released? Sure, it’s possible. But the evidence from the past speaks to a different probability. (BTW I have already bought RW7 upgrade, but I fully understand others wanting to wait for the inevitable discount. Probably before October.)
Its overpriced. This is called shooting yourself in the foot. They increase cost, end up wasting time answering cost related questions, & in the end lose once loyal customers.
Do what I did. Download the demo and try it.
You’ll find that most of the features are cosmetic. Little tweaks to the GUI to make things more convenient. There are some nifty backup and portable doc features as well. It’s not a bad product but you’ll need to ask yourself if the new features are worth the $60 upgrade cost. For me they’re not. This is a minor upgrade.
In the end realmac knows that customers looking to upgrade have already invested in their family of software, plugins, themes, snippets etc. Not everyone will agree but to me the price increase feels a bit disingenuous.
I’ll be holding on to version 6 and spending my $60 on stacks. Money well spent for features I’ll actually use.
I would be surprised if RW7 was released in a bundle before October (more than 2 months). But October/November? That seems fairly likely. December? Very likely.
There seems to be a couple of different arguments going on. One is that the cost of RW is too high. One is that the cost of RW is only too high for longtime customers. You’re obviously free to fall on whichever side of the ledger on either issue that you like, but they’re different topics.
I happen to fall on the side of thinking it is fair - 40% off upgrade discount, I am happy to invest in a product I like under the assumption that my support helps spur on future development (if we all wait for the $7 deal, I think that’d have an impact on current support and future development), and I consider market alternatives in the equation too.
I think what we are beginning to see as Rapidweaver evolves, is the sectioning of users into different communities - one for more pro and active users and one for beginners and casual users. There is active development ongoing for pro users with Foundation, Total CMS, Armadillo, Big White Duck, etc. The continual meshing of RW with Foundation and stacks/plugins that will need to work seamlessly together requires some demanding dev time and effort and pro users will support (within reason) this work.
Casual and beginner users who cut their teeth on earlier versions of RW, themes and stacks may not see/have the same need to keep up. I am hoping that there will be room in the RW universe to support all levels of users - some who remain casual or want to keep it simple, and those who will move forward to the pro level and recognize and support increased capability and functions. Charging a “reasonable” amount for upgrades, stacks, etc. will differ in the eye of the beholder.
