new mail app by Kostya

[nadir husain]

When there are servers involved( like in cloud based apps) there are recurring costs like server maintenance, server fees( if on contract, rent etc) so the developer will either charge the user for the costs or sell your data.  There is no other way! It's better to pay ( what normally costs less than a cup of coffee a day) for reliable email service and keep your data safe or use a free app and keep wondering how the developer is meeting their cost and making a few cents for himself.

[Justin]

keep your data safe or use a free app

If you want your data safe, then don't use an app like Sugar Mail which gets your credential data and all of your messages.

There is no need for a cloud based app. No need for server costs. There is no advantage. And there are enough apps which do it better.

[nadir husain]

Sure! Totally agree! The point I was trying to make was - when using a cloud based app it's better to use a paid app rather than a free app.

[Mukossan]

I though he left AM due to health issues. Seems to back inte game again that is always good of course.

Wouldn't go for a cloud-based app like that though.

[mikeone]

When there are servers involved( like in cloud based apps) there are recurring costs like server maintenance, server fees( if on contract, rent etc) so the developer will either charge the user for the costs or sell your data.  There is no other way! It's better to pay ( what normally costs less than a cup of coffee a day) for reliable email service and keep your data safe or use a free app and keep wondering how the developer is meeting their cost and making a few cents for himself.

The subscription fee seems to be around 12$/€ per year, or 1$/€ per month, or 3 Cents a day.

Well, that's not too bad.

[mikeone]

Sure! Totally agree! The point I was trying to make was - when using a cloud based app it's better to use a paid app rather than a free app.

That's correct. I agree. But the current trend is that almost every new app is cloud-based and yet they are very popular.
So, substantial "market" therefore seems to exist.

[Justin]

@mikeone
There is not just one "current trend". Apps like FairEmail, Apps from Simple Mobile Tools getting more and more popular.

Employers (in europe) often prohibit access to their network or mails via cloud-based apps for privacy reasons. For example I'm not allowed to use Sugar Mail with my work's mail account. Regular IMAP is ok.

[nadir husain]

FairEmail is a solid dependable app with an extremely supportive, active and committed developer. It is the only one ( that I know of) of the newer apps that is not cloud based.  The others are more than a few years old and development has either stopped or become insignificant.  Part of the reason being is that a one off fee is not enough to sustain the developer once the app reaches saturation in number of users. It is only fair. I think, that developers ask for periodic payments to keep their interest going and sustaining themselves financially.

[Justin]

@nadir husain
You mixed up two different things:

- cloud based. There are more apps which are not cloud based. Even AquaMail. Also Nine Email is a very good app. Even Gmail app connects directly to IMAP server, afaik.

- subscription. There are pro and cons. Most independent on cloud based or not.

[phred]

I think, that developers ask for periodic payments to keep their interest going and sustaining themselves financially.

While I really don't like, and try to avoid, "subscription-based" software, this is a valid point. Especially in the case of an email app, which is used many, many times a day. If you use it, you should pay for it. I paid once for AM, long before Mobi took over, but use it more times daily than any other app. And since I paid a one-time fee, it's the newer paid users who are subsidizing the likes of me.

That being said, I will not use cloud-based apps for all the reasons you shouldn't use them. I was very sad to see that SM was cloud-based because I really like what Kostya did with AM. And the support he provided was really great. While Mobi has kept it going, their support could only be worse if they had no presence on the forum. It's once every week or two that we see someone stepping in to answer a question.

So I will reluctantly stick with AM while I test FairMail.

[nadir husain]

@justin all the apps you mention are the older ones. They may all be very good( not disputing that) . For eg Maildroid has been abandoned. K9 has not had a play store update since 2018( though there are some betas out sans push notifications). Development on Nine has slowed down . Gmail only provides push for Gmail accounts. Our own favourite Aqua Mail has not really done anything significant since Kostya departed. The point is not cloud based or not cloud based( these are personal choices). The point is that no app developer will be able to sustain themselves solely on the basis of the app with a one time fee. Pr else there will be ads ,etc.

[nadir husain]

@phred   we think alike;)

[qmtfkctc]

I think, that developers ask for periodic payments to keep their interest going and sustaining themselves financially.

While I really don't like, and try to avoid, "subscription-based" software, this is a valid point.

Nowadays more and more software that previously were "buy once use forever" are moving to subscription based model. Take Photoshop or 1Password for example. To me it really feels that this mode does not naturally fit there, but that they just want more money.