Dear @arthurbracht,
Thank you for your message and for being a part of the RumX community for over three years. I understand your surprise about the new payment model for certain features like bottle price estimates. Let me provide a brief overview of the rationale behind this change.
RumX has evolved significantly over the past five years from a weekend project to a full-time commitment. This growth, driven by a passion for rum and our community, has resulted in substantial operational costs, including server and live translation services. To sustain this, RumX Pro was introduced, keeping 99% of the app’s core functionalities free while offering additional tools like personalized lists and data export in the Pro version. The decision wasn’t made lightly but was necessary to address financial realities and ensure the app’s long-term viability.
Most app functions remain free, and RumX Pro offers a way for users to contribute either through ongoing support or one-time contributions. The subscription model is crucial due to the high recurring monthly costs, which sporadic donations from a few users cannot sustainably cover.
The introduction of RumX Pro wasn’t about making a profit but about creating a sustainable solution for the platform’s upkeep. The reality is that I have invested significant personal time and savings into developing RumX. The subscription model is essential for covering these increasing monthly costs.
The market value calculation feature, now part of RumX Pro, demands extensive effort, including manually linking auction results with the database. You can still research prices manually, but RumX Pro offers convenience and time-saving for this aspect.
I’ve ensured that there’s no general paywall for the entire app, as it’s important to me that the community can still use most of the app for free. However, the support of our users is critical in maintaining and developing RumX further.
For a detailed understanding and more perspectives on this topic, I encourage you to visit the official announcement thread where all points are currently being discussed:
Thank you for your understanding and continued support.
Have a nice evening,
Oliver (Founder RumX)