Pricing wars are reshaping how Mac and iOS apps monetize—from upfront buys to lifetime deals and paywalls. Here are five threads pulling the monetization thread into focus.
On LaunchMeApp, Sergey teases a macOS launchpad-style launcher now in Apple TestFlight, with a suite of features and a plan for a premium tier. The thread argues the baseline could be free, while customization drives a paid option. [1]
The hiit-flow-monster-muscles app enters with an upfront price—$2.99—with no ongoing subscription. An update lowers the first-week price to $1.49, showing sharp price-testing in fitness apps. [2]
MotionIK released a Screen Studio alternative with Windows support; pricing is still being tuned, with a lifetime deal planned and pushback against subscription-heavy models. [3]
Octarine v0.29 adds Properties and Collapsible Headings. Onboarding feedback shows discussions about a potential 14‑day trial for pro features, but the developer says trials aren’t the answer. [4]
RasterFox is an on-device image optimizer built with Swift and Rust. Free basic; Pro offers yearly or lifetime. Lifetime price dropped from $29.99 to $9.99, and Update 2 adds resizing, EXIF support, and more. [5]
Across these threads, Mac and iOS users see a spectrum: upfront prices, subscriptions, and enticing lifetime deals shape what gets bought.
References
Building better version of Launchpad for macOS Tahoe.
LaunchMeApp mac launcher competing with Launchpad; pricing debate, lag issues, comparisons to Launchnext and Sequoia.
View sourceNew HIIT app
New iOS HIIT app released; upfront price, no subscriptions; users request bigger visuals, iPad support, Health integration, intro discounts too.
View sourceReleased a Screen Studio alternative (also available for Windows)
Motionik launches Screen Studio alternative for Mac; pricing debated; users request system audio, cursor zoom, video tracks; Windows version upcoming.
View sourceOctarine v0.29 - Properties, Collapsible Headings and more!
Octarine 0.29 adds editable properties, collapsible headings, unique note names; discussions cover onboarding, trial, paywall; comparisons with Obsidian/Logseq by users.
View sourceRasterFox - an Image Optimizer built for Web Developers
RasterFox Mac image optimizer launches; fast, feature-rich; compares with ImageOptim and Clop; pricing changes; CLI available.
View source