Noodlesoft Forums

I love Hazel - I have been using it since 2012, although I am not as dependent on it as I was back in earlier days, it still plays a big role in my workflow. I am eternally thankful for all the hard work devs have put into the app over the years. I'm also thankful for the frequent updates, the constant support of new OS almost at release time, and many other qualities that are essential in apps we rely on every day.

I'm just a little disappointed with the pricing. If I decide to upgrade to Hazel 5, this will be my 3rd time paying for the app. I wouldn't mind paying $10 ish or so for the upgrade, or an optional lifetime license. But compared to my first purchase, which I believe was $25 for a family purchase, the current pricing feels out of line. Most software doesn't cost more than $15-20, unless we look at pro software, (FCPX, Adobe, MSFT Office for example), but this upgrade alone is $20. I feel a little cheated with the subscription model that isn't labeled as such, with prices having increased significantly.

BetterTouchTool uses a similar strategy, with paid upgrades once every 2 years or so, but the pricing is much lower than Hazel's (for features that in many aspects are just as crucial to workflows as Hazel), but the lower pricing & the option for a lifetime license means that I have much more reasonable options to support the developers. BTT is just as good as Hazel when it comes to update frequency and support for new OS features.

I totally value & respect the work developers at Noodlesoft have put into this amazing software. But as someone who has paid for it multiple times, the price of this upgrade feels a little high.

Keep in mind that it's been 4 years since the last paid upgrade. And during that time, there have been a lot of free features added. Also, you are not obligated to pay for anything. You are free to use the old version.

$10 was extraordinarily cheap for upgrades, especially considering the frequency. $20 is still a bargain. I think you way underestimate the amount of work and also fail to recognize the amount of extra work you get after the upgrade.

Although I purchased my family license in 2019, I think the upgrade price is reasonable given the level of change required by the developer(s) to make it compatible with Big Sur without adding new features to the product.

Hazel is an invaluable tool for me and supporting a product I use on a daily basis is important. If I was only paid once every 4 years I wouldn't be able to survive on that kind of income.

I may be slightly biased, as I'm a software tester as my day job

My son is a web developer and does some iOS development on the side. I now appreciate the enormous amount of work that goes into apps like Hazel. $20 is cheap. Thank you developers!

Hazel organises all of household paperwork, whether we download it, scan it or save it someplace weird.

It runs all day long and files all our documents beautifully.

Well worth $20, which in the UK is about three beers.

@flynn

We hear you brother. We are all watching our finances in these days.

That being said PK is right. Hazel major paid upgrades are rare and he's a solo dev so that cannot be compared to team of developers.

I was actually looking for a upgrade pricing from single license to a family plan just so I can compensate the developer better for his work. In a world in which everyone is pushing subscriptions the only true way I can thank Noodlesoft is via financial support and usage of their product.

I have a sneaking hunch that PK would love to do other projects and that Hazel's success is a blessing for sure but also a bit of a curse as developers often want to expand their skillset with other apps. I hope he's getting the necessary outlet to hone his craft.

Not trying to change your mind man, we all see the value of money differently.

Hazel is fantastic and I have no complaints about the pricing. Thankful it's not a subscription. I understand the argument for subscriptions, but every developer can make the same argument, and then I get subscription fatigue. I like being able to pay once, and choosing to pay again if it's time for an upgrade. Well, here's an upgrade, so time to pony up.

flynn wrote:I feel a little cheated with the subscription model that isn't labeled as such, with prices having increased significantly.

I'm not a developer, but even I can tell that version 5 must have been a huge undertaking. You don't switch from preference pane to app just by clicking a button. Yes, the upgrade fee was higher, but is it expensive?

If you have used Hazel since 2012 you paid $25 for version 3, $10 to upgrade to version 4, and $20 to upgrade to version 5.

That’s $55 over 8 years, or $6.88/year or $0.57/month.

BUT!!! That's not really even a fair estimate of cost/value, because the cost is front-loaded and we're not taking into consideration how long you will be able to use Hazel 5 before Hazel 6 comes out.

Let's look at the major release schedule:

Version 2.0 (Aug 2, 2007) {free upgrade, btw}
Version 3.0 (Mar 1, 2012)
Version 4.0 (May 4, 2016)
Version 5.0 (Nov. 16, 2020)

It was 4 years between versions 3-4 and 4 years between 4-5. Let's assume that v5 is around for another 4 years (not saying it will be, but let's imagine).

In that case your cost would stay the same ($55) but be spread over 12 years.

That would be $4.58/year or $0.38/month.

Or if Paul goes "crazy" and decided that version 5 will only be around for 2 years, it'll be $5.50/year or $0.46/month.

Since you wanted to call this a subscription, I think it's only fair to point out that subscription is, at worst, $0.57/month, and possibly as low as $0.38/month.

I'd happily pay Paul $5/year for Hazel and I'd still consider it a bargain. The other thing that https://www.noodlesoft.com/release_notes shows is that Hazel is constantly being updated, which is far more than I can say for some apps that _are_ subscription. (*cough* TextExpander *cough*)

Hazel is a real bargain in every way. It's extraordinarily cheap and the upgrade pricing is way under the amount of work involved by the developer in the new version.

If you really use it as it should be used, Hazel makes you save hours and hours of work. Just count the amount of money you save every month using it and you'll see that the upgrade pricing is insignificant.

Thank you Mr Noodle !!

I suppose each scenario is different for each person.

I barely scratch the surface when it comes to utilising all the features of this software.

As a sole trader 2020 has been a challenging time for me. However Hazel has enabled me to meticulously process and file important time sensitive and e-signed legal documents with ease. it's an integral part of my day to day trading.

I have chosen to pay for the upgrade now to support the developer because when I have needed support it has been there within 24 hours. However I will wait until early next year to install version 5 as December is my busiest time of year and I cannot afford for anything to become temporarily 'broken'.

A $20 upgrade path for me is a negligible amount of money.

If I would count the time Hazel saves me ... Hazel wouldn't be affordable vor me ...

Upgrade is justified. Hazel is a great tool. I even shared this tool with my IT partners https://itmaster-soft.com/