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Charging for use of application.

Hi guys,

 

I am after some advice.  I built an application for my own use in the Audio Visual industry.  Essentially it is a installation management tool (quasi Project Management) and also keeps track of every piece of installed kit along with important data such as serial numbers, MAC addresses and much much more.  This is all managed via a laptop primarily but I also have a mobile version (non Ninox) that engineers use to input data.

For the past three years I have used this app in my role as integration manager.  The application belongs to me as I built it in my own time during Covid when I could not work.  On the other side of Covid I was employed partly because I built the app.  The company I work for has now agreed to pay for the use of the app as they are going to 'officially' adopt it to manage installs as I have been doing up to now.  I will retain ownership and they have asked me what it would cost for them to make use of it with me being the primary user and in most cases the only developer.  The mobile app is not my creation though.

This is the big question!

How much would be a reasonable price to charge for its use.  The company uses another program for other aspects of the work we do which costs in the region of £500.00 per month but it is way more sophisticated than mine and is backed by a large company.  Then again Microsoft Office is £80.00 per month and something like PhotoShop can be bought for as little as £10.00 per month (if not free for mobile).

This is my dilemma.  I want to be a fair (I know in business why should I care but I do) price to charge?

4 replies

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    • Fred
    • 5 mths ago
    • Reported - view

    What are the options?

    An annual/monthly site wide license?

    An annual/monthly per user license?

    What are you going to do with the data at the end of the project?

    You have to pay for:

    1. the ninox license(s)
    2. the web developer, sunk cost
    3. website hosting fees
    4. domain name registration
    5. your hours you put into developing the DB, sunk cost
    6. ?

    Are you paid when you work on developing the DB?

      • Alan_Cooke
      • 5 mths ago
      • Reported - view

       
      Appreciate your thorough reply - here goes.

      1. the ninox license(s) - I pay for my own licence and the staff members who will require access will pay for their own.
         
      2. the web developer, sunk cost - not applicable currently.
      3. website hosting fees - not applicable currently 
      4. domain name registration - not applicable currently 
      5. your hours you put into developing the DB, sunk cost - I own the 'product' and cover my own development costs.  I hope to offer the application to AV Integration companies that cannot afford high end software prices.  Should my employer have specific requests iro the application we could arrange a price.  That being said I am continuously updating it as I use it.

        What are the options? - This is completely open at the moment.

        An annual/monthly site wide license? - My preference is a monthly licence to use with users purchasing their own Ninox user licence, likely standard user.

        An annual/monthly per user license?

        What are you going to do with the data at the end of the project? - The data will be retained by my employer; it is their property after all.  Should I leave their employ they will continue to use AVEAZI if they wish and pay me for its use/support.  Should they discontinue use I would export the data as Excel sheets.

        Whether they will go private cloud is being considered.  For the time being it is all on my account which is what I prefer since, as mentioned, AVEAZI can be used for other clients.

        In an ideal world I would like to offer myself with AVEAZI to AV Integrators using the 'NINOX TEAM' feature for clients.

        Hope that helps

    • John_Halls
    • 5 mths ago
    • Reported - view

    Hi Alan

    This is such a hard thing to decide. I am always being told (via my subscription to a daily email from Jonathan Stark) that it has nothing to do with your cost but is related to the cost of the problem your software is solving.

    I am midway through the development of my own vertical application and, like you, I have no idea how much I should charge for it!

    BTW Have you tried Gitnox, which would allow you to deploy your vertical, taking care of payment models, software updates, etc. I've not tried it and would be interested to hear from someone who has.

    Regards John

      • Alan_Cooke
      • 5 mths ago
      • Reported - view

       I looked at Gitnox a while ago, years in fact and to be honest could not figure out how to set it up.  To be fair it was in its infancy and may have improved in user operation.

Content aside

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