Building a Sustainable Future for RailControl Pro
Posted on by Jan
Building a sustainable business out of an app is not easy. I would love to spend more time developing RailControl Pro, but the reality is that the income is far from enough to live on. There are so many ideas for the app, waiting to be developed, but I don’t always have the time to do so. That’s why I’m going to try and change the pricing model in an effort to be able to dedicate more time to the app.
What’s New?
From now on, RailControl Pro is available for free on the App Store, but requires a paid subscription after the free trial. There are three plans. Each plan is charged yearly and comes with a one-week trial period.
Previously, the Mac and iOS versions of the app used to be two separate purchases. No more! The new version gives you access to both the iOS and Mac apps.
Plans and Pricing
- Hobby: Limited to five locs. € 9,99 per year.
- Pro: No loc limit. € 19,99 per year.
- Pro Family: No loc limit, can be shared with up to 5 family members through Apple’s Family Sharing. € 29,99 per year.
Prices shown are for the Euro-zone. Depending on your region and currency, pricing might be different.
Existing Users
If you bought RailControl Pro before today, not much will change. You will be able to continue using RailControl Pro without a subscription.
For users on iOS, the Mac version will now be available for free as well.
Users using version 1.3.5 on macOS can get a free upgrade (with the iOS app included) by choosing Request Upgrade… from the RailControl Pro menu. The purchased app won’t receive updates anymore.
What’s next?
For 2023, there are still two big updates planned. I hope to finish support for CS2 by the end of summer and, finally, in the fall, ship an update that makes it possible to edit locations and articles.
I hope this pricing change will make RailControl Pro more sustainable business-wise, which means I can spend more time developing it. People who were not familiar with RailControl Pro yet will now have the possibility to try it first for free. And everyone gets a copy of the Mac app!