Buying new self hosted licence - how to choose few applications?

[Nathan Explosion]

2 minutes ago, nodle said:

Don't you have to accept the license terms for updates etc? If so what is it going up to? 

want v5, click the button. Don't want v5, and want to stay on v4, don't click the button.

[nodle]

Why does it seem like IPS just tries to sneak in a new pricing structure? This happened last time as well. Why can't you guys just make a blog post stating "hey are pricing structure is changing", why does it always have to be so secretive? It's only when a member notices it and brings it to light.

Just now, Nathan Explosion said:

want v5, click the button. Don't want v5, and want to stay on v4, don't click the button.

Well looks like this will be the end of IPS for me and will be switching back to Xenforo then. I always assumed V5 was just an update, not a whole new force to cloud. 

[Jim M]

5 minutes ago, nodle said:

Why does it seem like IPS just tries to sneak in a new pricing structure? This happened last time as well. Why can't you guys just make a blog post stating "hey are pricing structure is changing", why does it always have to be so secretive? It's only when a member notices it and brings it to light.

 

20 hours ago, Charles said:

There's no announcement as there's nothing here that impacts any existing clients at the moment so nothing really to know. If you do happen to see it, you can read the info in client area, but if you do not then there's no impact to you.

At some point I am sure we will do a bigger announcement but not until it ever gets more impactful. So for now you don't really have to do anything at all.

I'll bring up what Charles mentioned above, it is not impacting any current licenses yet so no need to panic. Once we get to that happening there will be an announcement made.

8 minutes ago, nodle said:

Well looks like this will be the end of IPS for me and will be switching back to Xenforo then. I always assumed V5 was just an update, not a whole new force to cloud. 

I'm not sure where you get a force to Cloud (Classic is still cheaper than Cloud 🙂 ). Classic is self-hosting and is offered for v5. v4 is also going to be maintained for quite some time still. 

[Askancy]

10 minutes ago, Jim M said:

I'm not sure where you get a force to Cloud (Classic is still cheaper than Cloud 🙂 ). Classic is self-hosting and is offered for v5. v4 is also going to be maintained for quite some time still. 

But if I have a forum license, why do you have to FORCE me to pay more (from 110 to 199 per year), giving me applications like Pages, Commerce and Blog which honestly are garbage since you can get better results using other software?

In my project I use Forum and Gallery and honestly, Gallery is so poorly structured and neglected by your development that it is not worth buying. You should offer a light package, only forum.

I also have another project, an Italian support forum, invisionita, which is 13 years old. With these prices, it is becoming unsustainable for me to continue maintaining the project, translating the platform into Italian and helping with guides, etc. I cannot afford to pay $199 for unofficial Italian support.

[Randy Calvert]

15 minutes ago, Askancy said:

But if I have a forum license, why do you have to FORCE me to pay more (from 110 to 199 per year), giving me applications like Pages, Commerce and Blog which honestly are garbage since you can get better results using other software?

This argument literally has nothing to do with cloud.  

As a business, IPS needs to make decisions based on the needs of a majority of their customers. The majority benefit from this change.  EVERYONE benefits from having all of these historically independent silos converged into a more tightly integrated single platform. 

This is actually one way to help address complaints you have about gallery long term. 

And regarding the price… the renewal cost is 199 per year.  You’re talking $0.55 per day here. If someone cannot find a way to monetize their site to cover that or simply cannot afford that as a hobby… the IPS platform most likely is not the right solution for it. 

I would love to collect luxury cars and race horses, but unfortunately it’s cost prevents me from taking up those activities as well. 

[Charles]

28 minutes ago, Askancy said:

why do you have to FORCE me to pay more

We're not. Not only are we not FORCING you to do anything, we are not even ASKING you to 🙂 

We launched these new pricing options days ago and nothing changed then and, now that you have noticed, still nothing has changed. Right now, this literally only impacts new purchases. For existing clients, do nothing unless you want to. For some clients it's a really good deal and they save money but it's up to you.

[Askancy]

6 minutes ago, Charles said:

We're not. Not only are we not FORCING you to do anything, we are not even ASKING you to 🙂 

If I do not convert it, I give up IP.Board 5, if I do not renew the license for 24 months what happens, I lose it?

How long do I have to convert my license to IP.Board 5?

[Charles]

Just now, Askancy said:

If I do not convert it, I give up IP.Board 5, if I do not renew the license for 24 months what happens, I lose it?

How long do I have to convert my license to IP.Board 5?

We have not talked about anything to do with v5 at this time as v5 is not yet a thing. We'll post information about that when v5 exists 🙂 

[Charles]

Just to clarify:

The new purchase prices are only for new purchases.

If you want to switch to the new pricing terms (for many clients it will be a better deal), you can do this in the client area. You will also be given several months of free time on your license calculated on your past loyalty. View the page for full details as the terms may vary.

If you do not want to switch to the new pricing terms, there's no need to do anything or even pay any attention to this right now.

[ASIKOO]

18 minutes ago, Charles said:

Just to clarify:

The new purchase prices are only for new purchases.

If you want to switch to the new pricing terms (for many clients it will be a better deal), you can do this in the client area. You will also be given several months of free time on your license calculated on your past loyalty. View the page for full details as the terms may vary.

If you do not want to switch to the new pricing terms, there's no need to do anything or even pay any attention to this right now.

Hi, I migrated to the new terms because it is much more interesting for me.

But, I didn't see it in this thread (or else I'm blind) -> Although the archive to download does contain all the applications mentioned, it's a bit confusing to be able to "repurchase" the applications with the new terms 😅

Just to mention it to you, if this is a small oversight in the customer area 😆

[Charles]

Thanks for pointing that out. We will clean that up 🙂 

[DawPi]

1 hour ago, Charles said:

If you want to switch to the new pricing terms (for many clients it will be a better deal), you can do this in the client area.

It's per licence or for whole account (multiple licences)?

[Charles]

5 minutes ago, DawPi said:

It's per licence or for whole account (multiple licences)?

It is per-license and the promotion to extend your renewal date for free is also calculated per-license.

[SJ77]

If I click this, will I be given a screen to show what the new terms are versus my current terms before I accept?

[Adriano Faria]

1 hour ago, Charles said:

Thanks for pointing that out. We will clean that up 🙂 

 

[Charles]

1 minute ago, SJ77 said:

If I click this, will I be given a screen to show what the new terms are versus my current terms before I accept?

Yes there are a whole lot of terms and explanations.

[SJ77]

To simplify the whole thing, I believe it boils down to this:

Old licenses can be renewed anytime. This allows people to lapse and only renew if there are new features or software fixes they want to grab. Then they can let it lapse again for a few years. 

New licenses are a bit cheaper (for most) but require ongoing maintenance in the form of regular subscription fees. There is really no way to allow it to lapse as, one would be forced to catch up or buy the whole suite again at full price. 

Thus: allowing IPS to continue to support "classic self hosted" licenses while also having a more dependable income stream from this offering similar to how cloud customers must pay on an ongoing basis. This allows a win win situation for those who really want / need IPS to continue offering self hosted options.

IS that about accurate?

For me, since I have been regularly paying my license (since 2014 ?), I see pretty much only upside. Unless there is another catch I am missing.

 

Edited July 30, 2023 by SJ77

[DawPi]

So for example - one one my licences has 150$/6months. After change it will be 199$ instead of 300$ per year, correct?

[Charles]

1 hour ago, DawPi said:

So for example - one one my licences has 150$/6months. After change it will be 199$ instead of 300$ per year, correct?

Yes, and you will also get a free extension on your next renewal date.

1 hour ago, SJ77 said:

To simplify the whole thing, I believe it boils down to this:

Old licenses can be renewed anytime. This allows people to lapse and only renew if there are new features or software fixes they want to grab. Then they can let it lapse again for a few years. 

New licenses are a bit cheaper (for most) but require ongoing maintenance in the form of regular subscription fees. There is really no way to allow it to lapse as, one would be forced to catch up or buy the whole suite again at full price. 

Thus: allowing IPS to continue to support "classic self hosted" licenses while also having a more dependable income stream from this offering similar to how cloud customers must pay on an ongoing basis. This allows a win win situation for those who really want / need IPS to continue offering self hosted options.

IS that about accurate?

For me, since I have been regularly paying my license (since 2014 ?), I see pretty much only upside. Unless there is another catch I am missing.

 

That's about right 🙂 

And if you were paying that regularly that long, it should factor that in on your free renewal date extension.

[All Astronauts]

I've got a few spare licenses that are not in use at all - no domains attached, not actively licensed. 

Any chance these can remain "parked" until I activate them for actual use and then the "keep up with renewals or else" stuff kicks in? I'd hate for these licenses I paid for to go extinct for lack of use (rather than in-use but lagging on renewals). If the current opt-in thing for the new way stays in place for all these oldies; then I think were good because I can just "opt-in" when they go active; but getting clarity here would be nice. I think this is/was clarified above... still gonna ask about this specific use (non-use) case.

Also, while we're here... some of these changes I wouldn't mind seeing applied to the Marketplace. I've got people renewing stuff for super cheap simply because the renewal price was cheap years and years ago but new renewal prices do not apply to them. Also, if staying current with renewals is the new model, having that for Marketplace purchases seems a fair option for us to apply to our stuff as well. Granted; probably some dev on your end, but I'm thinking both of these requests would be welcomed by most if not all the Marketplace participants. This would also allow us to adjust our pricing downwards if we knew we'd be getting a more steady stream of revenue.

 

[Charles]

Just now, All Astronauts said:

Any chance these can remain "parked" until I activate them for actual use and then the "keep up with renewals or else" stuff kicks in? I'd hate for these licenses I paid for to go extinct for lack of use (rather than in-use but lagging on renewals). If the current opt-in thing for the new way stays in place for all these oldies; then I think were good because I can just "opt-in" when they go active; but getting clarity here would be nice. I think this is/was clarified above... still gonna ask about this specific use (non-use) case.

We do not have any plans at the moment to force the new license term changes on existing clients so nothing would change for you.

[SJ77]

15 minutes ago, Charles said:

And if you were paying that regularly that long, it should factor that in on your free renewal date extension.

Sadly on the most recent renewal, I think I accidentally let it lapse 1 or 2 days by mistake. So I don't think I am getting 9 years of on time credit. Oh well, my mistake.

[Charles]

Just now, SJ77 said:

Sadly on the most recent renewal, I think I accidentally let it lapse 1 or 2 days by mistake. So I don't think I am getting 9 years of on time credit. Oh well, my mistake.

Oh it's not that literal 🙂 it's about total time combined with total paid. If you lapse here and there it won't have any impact.

[SJ77]

Honestly I like this. I do appreciate the self hosted option and I think IPS deserves to be compensated for continuing to provide the classic version. 
 

This provides a creative solution to an ongoing problem and allows a path forward for the self hosted version. 
 

This should allow both classic and cloud versions to co-exist for years to come! 
 

Kudos to whomever developed this solution! Thank you for not giving up on the self hosted version!!! 

[Charles]

24 minutes ago, SJ77 said:

Kudos to whomever developed this solution! Thank you for not giving up on the self hosted version!!! 

Actually, several clients were invited to a private feedback group and have been giving us feedback for the past several months on how best to re-approach Invision Community Classic. Our goal was to make self-hosting viable for the future.