App Pulling: A Predatory Tactic

Online services are integral to the function of the internet. Unfortunately, many predatory tactics are used to pull money out of the users of these applications. This article will cover one known tactic, something we refer to as "App Pulling". App pulling is when a service is initially offered for free with almost all to all capabilities, but the developers suddenly "Pull" features until a user pays. This could take many forms, although the one we most commonly see is a free plan that allows just about every feature, and when the app/service gets popular enough and enough users are dependent on it they will require a premium plan for integral parts of the service.

We will demonstrate with App A, an app making use of app pulling, and App B, an app that ensures it avoids such predatory tactics. For the sake of demonstration, we will assume that both are forms of editing software that save in-app. Both apps start out small and with the bare minimum features. They both gain popularity from their ease of use, and start adding more features. Eventually, both apps are decently popular due to the fact that they are user-friendly and have a versatile free plan. This is where they differ. App A makes use of their popularity by limiting just about everything possible, unless the user buys a paid plan. App B continues with the original service without additions to price. App A loses many users and hardly gains any more, but those who remain can be extorted out of a lot of money by keeping their projects in a proprietary format. Eventually, App A has less users than App B but makes more money.

Which app's example should yours follow? If you wished to make money, it may seem that the prime choice is App A. However, by choosing this you may now be lacking both money and morals. While App B's user base follows an exponential curve as new users don't have much of a reason not to choose it, App B's stagnates and almost stops entirely. App B's users, even if much less are paying, will over time result in a higher income for App B. This may not always happen, as circumstances vary. In some occasions, the app pulling will be minor enough that the app participating in it will gain users at the same rate as competitors, but with more of them paying. Overall, the biggest reason not to participate in app pulling is that it is very unethical and can harm many of the users relying on your service (In some cases even illegal, depending on exact circumstance).

Finally, users should make sure not to be a victim of app pulling. We do recommend always using a free service, as paid ones are effectively app pulling without even the initial free period. However, if multiple free options are available, do ensure to tend towards ones with more freely accessible data. If they use a proprietary format, ensure it is easily downloadable. Even if the proprietary format is easily downloadable, ensure that you have a downloaded copy of each project or other form of data stored within the service. Remember that anything could happen at any time. In addition, diversify your choices. Experiment with many services before choosing, and try to have a fallback if the one you are using is no longer optimal.