Carbs and Cals app moves to subscription model

[everydayupsanddowns]

I’ve received an update from Diabetes UK about the decision the owners of Carbs and Cals have made to switch to a subscription model. Hopefully this is helpful for any forum users who use the app

Diabetes UK said:


We don’t own or endorse the app and have no relationship with the app, so we have no influence on the pricing or changes in functionality. If you have any worries or questions about these changes, we would suggest contacting the product owners to voice your concerns Contact - Carbs & Cals (carbsandcals.com)

One free resource for those who have the basic version of Carbs and Cals who wish to look up other ingredients (or nutrients) not in the free version is: Explore Food - Calculator (foodafactoflife.org.uk). The Carbs & Cals website may also be a useful resource Carbs & Cals | Dieting & Calorie Counting Books & App (carbsandcals.com) as it has 50 free pdfs to download with information, plus link to YouTube channel which gives good carb awareness advice.

We have contacted the owners of the Carbs and Cals app for clarification on the changes to the app and they have shared this statement which outlines why they released the update and have moved to a subscription based model: https://www.carbsandcals.com/app/android-statement

They are now offering a free 'Starter Plan' version of the app which they did not have before. This has all the foods that are in their Carb & Calorie Counter Book, albeit less portions. This link explains the differences between the plans https://carbsandcals.helpscoutdocs.com/article/82-whats-the-difference-between-the-starter-plan-and-unlimited-plan

They are offering all current users a 1-year FREE subscription to the Unlimited Plan. However, they acknowledge that not everyone will want to continue paying after 1-year, and that the Starter Plan they have introduced is not the same as the previous version. Therefore they are looking at introducing a legacy plan. This will mean that after 1-year on the free offer of the Unlimited Plan, people who had previously bought the old app, will have the opportunity to move to a free legacy version that matches what they had before, albeit with updated and correct nutritional values, better search and no bugs. They have not updated the iOS app yet as they are looking to introduce the legacy plan when they launch and are building new features.

They state that they are working hard behind the scenes to do their best to get a solution for people who have previously paid for the app and do not want to pay for an ongoing subscription after the 1 year free trial

 

[Leadinglights]

Reminds me of the classic statement, Oh no sorry we don't do that any more, there was no demand, you are the umpteenth person to ask today.

 

[freesia]

My phone updated the app automatically without me realising. After looking at both Nutracheck and the new app i've signed up for the free 12 month trial of Carbs & Cals.

I only tend to use it if i'm out and about but have so far found it ok. I like that you can put in a weight and it will tell you how many carbs rather than just the standard amounts of the old app and guesswork. If you like coffees with different milks there are the carb amounts for them. There does seem to be more food on there though whether that is just the way its been displayed or whether they have added more i don't know.

Whether it will be worth the subscription, i'm not sure. I shall give it the free trial period and then make a decision whether its for me.

 

[Barfly]

This is discussed on this thread here: https://forum.diabetes.org.uk/board...-for-android-and-ios-users.94724/post-1089491
only a few days ago. This is my input to that thread:

I was interested until I read the part about changing to a subscription based app.

I will never ever be conned into any subscription model of software. It is just a way of revenue raising that creeps up on you and in the end you are spending huge amounts of money monthly without realizing it.

There are some unavoidable subscriptions in life, council taxes, water and sewage and telecoms. Others such as software and streaming subscriptions are unnecessary and are ruining many budgets with price creep, it's an insidious practice and should be outlawed.

Then this:

It's not the "how much" to which I object - it's the basic principle which is just wrong. If there is a product that I buy, then it's mine in perpetuity, I have paid for it.
I will not rent something for ever because it is just a licence for them to screw you forever. More and more items that used to be an outright purchase are now moving to this model simply because it's a licence to print money, the banks just love this model.
We as a society are storing up problems for the future with this insidious practice, the intellectually disabled are a prime target for these sharks.

Tony

 

[mum2westiesGill]

I've received an email from Carbs and cals

 

[Essex]

I just looked into this as getting the book from the UK for me in Portugal is now a customs nightmare
After reading the reviews and seeing it is yet another move to 'subscription' I wont be bothering, or with the book.

 

[Essex]

Is Carb & Cals produced by Diabetes UK?
If it is used for funding this, then I retract my comments above, as where the money goes makes a difference.
the subscription is still above my means, and not something I personally feel comfortable with tho.

 

[Lucyr]

No it isn’t

 

[grovesy]

Is Carb & Cals produced by Diabetes UK?
If it is used for funding this, then I retract my comments above, as where the money goes makes a difference.
the subscription is still above my means, and not something I personally feel comfortable with tho.

No it is not.

 

[trophywench]

Well who do you want to fund their website - and keep it up to date? Before it was online you had to pay for the book and people bought it because it was useful to them - you didn't expect anyone to provide it free.

 

[trophywench]

Depends whether it's of £36 pa value to you - and whether there is any other cheaper app that's equally helpful to you.

I don't regard £36 pa - £2.99 pm as untoward meself. Were it silly money, then it would be.

 

[Lucyr]

When it becomes more about raking in cash rather than giving out information freely available across the web, perhaps that's the time to look for an different app

It’s about the developers time rather than the information being freely available. If they spend time working on keeping the app up to date, and people are willing to pay for the convenience of having the app, then yes people should pay so they can take a decent wage. I wouldn’t expect to work for free so I don’t expect others to.

 

[helli]

I agree with @Lucyr
Unlike a book, an app has to be maintained. I have not used the Carbs and Cals app but I suspect they have some personal information about their members/subscribers which needs to be protected, different versions of Android and IOS are released which need to be supported, new food types need to be added and databases need to be resized, etc.
I cannot comment whether the price is fair but I understand why they are changing to a subscription model - their costs are ongoing and dependent on the number of users.

 

[trophywench]

Exactly as I've been saying. I expect to pay for things which the NHS does not provide IF I want them.

 

[Barfly]

It's the principle and the consequences for the more vulnerable members of our society. If I buy an article, whether it's a loaf of bread or a piece of software, then it is mine, I have purchased it and can do with it as I wish. It is just another commodity.
This insidious practice of subscription is a real trap for the intellectually disabled and naive members of society, some subscriptions are unavoidable, water/sewage/electric/gas/council bills for instance, but ephemeral services like Netflix and app subscriptions are a real trap for these people. I believe this model should be totally outlawed in a caring society.

 

[Barfly]

It’s about the developers time rather than the information being freely available. If they spend time working on keeping the app up to date, and people are willing to pay for the convenience of having the app, then yes people should pay so they can take a decent wage. I wouldn’t expect to work for free so I don’t expect others to.

If you have bought the app. then you have already paid for their time, simple.

 

[helli]

If you have bought the app. then you have already paid for their time, simple.

You have paid for the time spent so far. You have not paid for the ongoing costs to upgrade and test the app when a new version of the OS is released or pay for the cost of security fixes when another vulnerability is found, the ongoing cost for hosting the database servers.
The cost of developing an app does not stop when it is released.

 

[freesia]

I'm happy to pay for something i use. The subscription isn't too high and i find the app useful when i'm out and about. We can't expect people to produce these things and not pay them. The choice is simple, pay and use or don't pay and don't use.

 

[Essex]

Just a thought, but ...

Just on Google pay it says 100,000+ downloads
That means somewhere between 100,000 and 500,000 as they are the Google 'steps'
Plus the IOS apple version users ...

So let's assume (I would say very conservatively), that there are 100,000 active 'users'
That amounts to £3.6 million per year (a one off lump sum of that much would keep me happy personally)

That's a lot of money to run an app, and it could easily be 3 times that amount - but then maybe £10M/year isnt a lot these days?

I could well be completely wrong in my estimates tho

 

[Lucyr]

Just a thought, but ...

Just on Google pay it says 100,000+ downloads
That means somewhere between 100,000 and 500,000 as they are the Google 'steps'
Plus the IOS apple version users ...

So let's assume (I would say very conservatively), that there are 100,000 active 'users'
That amounts to £3.6 million per year (a one off lump sum of that much would keep me happy personally)

That's a lot of money to run an app, and it could easily be 3 times that amount - but then maybe £10M/year isnt a lot these days?

I could well be completely wrong in my estimates tho

Are you assuming everyone that downloads it subscribes? A lot will go for the basic free plan not the subscription option.