I have been on Shopify for about 15 years. When I first started almost every app was free. Then they started to charge and it was usually a few bucks a month.
Now apps want to be your partner like in "Goodfellas." They want a percentage of your business. When i buy shelves or a shipping table, Home Depot charges $50 or $100 for the item and the transaction is over.
Not only do these App companies want a monthly fee they want to charge you based on clicks, actions, and sales.
Some guy creates an app, what does that have to do with my sales. He's not my partner?
The price and cost of apps has gotten completely out of control.
I have a massive inventory of small items. It creates a situation where an app is unaffordable so we don't use it. If the apps was $10 a month we would, but we always fall into the highest category of a monthly fee. Unusually $150 per month. 10 years of an app at $150 is $18,000.
This is just a rant but it comes from 15 years of experience.
I had an app that we use that costs $29 per month. We have used it for 5 years. They changed the app without notice and its worse. I complained and they were arrogant and rude.
I blasted them with a 1 star review. I've paid them $2000 for the use of this app that should have been a one time charge of $50.
There are a group of apps that serve a certain function and they all charge $100 a month. I created an excel SS that serves the same function and I'm going to post it for free. Its one guy's total business and I'm going to crush it by giving his app away for free.
Shopify users and app creators used to be in a symbiotic relationship. I would say we are now closer to civil war. I see a lot of apps that are taking advantage of people by charging for something that is already free. I see many apps that are simply charging for "Flow" because they have made it easier to use. You can create a large percentage of apps in flow on your own now. Flow was the answer to my problems. Flow is just pretty complicated for the average user.
I'm going to create some kind of social media that exposes app creators for the predators that they are. If I can find a way to do their app for free, I'm going to. If I can spend $100 to make someone's app, I'll give it away for free.
The thing many of you don't realize with shopify is, you don't know what you don't know. Shopify is crushing you with Apps that you don't need to pay for. They are using the Henry Ford theory. The money is in the maintenance, not in the base product. They give you a platform for cheap and they make you pay for the wheels.
Lets figure out how to get you the wheels for free.
