Today we're announcing our subscription model "Simply Plus".
Simply Plus is a cosmetics-only subscription we will be rolling out to the app soon, where you will receive some benefits in return for supporting the app.
Below we will ask some common questions about Simply Plus.
Why does Simply Plural have a subscription?
We started Simply Plural in 2021 as a small side project and since then the app has grown to 300.000 - 350.000 registered users. We currently rely on Patreon and The Plural Association to cover the costs of the servers and hosting of avatars, however as the app continues to grow we will be faced with additional costs for additional servers to maintain the level of service we currently provide.
Because of that we are introducing a cosmetics-only subscription which you can optionally subscribe to to receive a few extra benefits in the app.
What will you get when you subscribe?
Simply Plus currently provides three benefits for the app. A badge next to your name, a custom gradient theme, and an avatar frame assembler which allows you to create custom frames around your avatars.
Over time we will add new benefits to Simply Plus, however, they will always only be of cosmetic nature.
Will any functionality be paywalled?
No, nothing you can currently do in the app will be behind a paywall or limited in usage. The app will continue to function even without subscribing. Simply Plus will only ever add cosmetic-only upgrades and we will not hide or lock features behind a paywall. We believe an app such as this one is vital to many systems' needs and adding a paywall to features would only be damaging to the community and mental health of plurals.
What will it cost?
Simply Plus will come with three price options, all three price options will grant you exactly the same benefits and others will not be able to see which plan you have selected.
You can opt for a price point based on what you can comfortably afford, while still allowing Simply Plural to operate effectively.
When will it be available?
We are still working out the last few details on subscriptions, but we will roll out Simply Plus in a future release after the version 1.11. Before Simply Plus is released you may see "This app contains in-app purchases" on the Google and Apple play stores, while we are working towards the release of Simply Plus. There won't, however, be any in-app purchases until Simply Plus is officially rolled out.
How will you be able to subscribe?
The subscription will be available from within the Android and Apple app, as an in-app purchase. If you are a web-only user you will unfortunately not be able to subscribe for now. We plan to offer support for web subscriptions at some point, but currently this isn't possible.
Will you have your benefits across platforms?
Yes, regardless of where you subscribe, the benefits of Simply Plus will be available on all your other devices. Simply Plus benefits are also available on the web application.
What happens to Patreon?
All patrons will keep their existing benefits of a badge, Simply Plus benefits, and special role in the Discord server. The Patreon and Simply Plus badge are different badges and if you pledge and subscribe you will have both badges visible next to your name. Patreon will continue to be available for the additional benefits (Discord, Lanyards), however, we may phase out in-app benefits for new patrons due to the manual work involved with Patreon.
Patreon isn't linked to Simply Plural which means granting badges and in-app benefits is a manual process and this is work we'd like to phase out over time as the subscription becomes available in the app. However, this will not happen immediately, it will be clearly communicated when Patreon will stop providing in-app benefits for new patrons. Existing patrons will not be affected by this.
I have more questions
If you have more questions you can join us in the Discord server and we'll be happy to answer any additional questions.