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Marketing and business model for a python desktop app

by Eddy Ilg
6 replies
Hi,

I am new to this forum and seeking advice for an app I wrote. The app is a visualization software I have developed over a few years for deep learning. It's written in Python an directly runs on desktop machines. It was about 1-2 months of full time implementation work and it's after all a very basic tool that fills a gap and everyone in the field may need it. I imagine that when I publish it as open source and on some internet channels it may find many users quickly.

My idea is to publish it on GitHub as open source, free for personal and academic use. For companies I am thinking of charging 2.99 per user per month (no idea if this is any reasonable number).

I am wondering if anyone has advice on if this is a good model or what are better models. Specifically I am wondering about: Since it's python code, commercial users can easily hack it and deactivate the license check. They could also just specify they are from "academia" and use it for free...

Any ideas are very welcome.

Best,
#app #business #desktop #marketing #model #python
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  • Profile picture of the author FlyNestor
    I would put some kind of limitation for the free users (less features for example).

    The user who are paying and funding the product can have access to all the features.
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  • Profile picture of the author GordonJ
    Hi Eddy,

    You welcome ideas. OK. Here are a few.

    First, a red flag for me...everyone in the field may need it.

    I hate the word everyone...but what field are we talking about? Machine Learning? Visualization? AI? Big Data?
    Have you created a breakthrough app?

    What is the current state of the art, your competition, and how does your app compare? Where is it being sold or offered?

    Why not a mobile app? Desktop seems to be going against the flow here and what sort of companies would have multiple users of this app? The ones that do might be the best target market.

    Who uses visualization software for deep learning? Is there a major player in the field, if so, perhaps you can private label it and license it out.

    I don't know this market, but in doing a google search, I found NETRON on Git hub, would you consider this a competitor? And scores of other apps, many with open source. The whole AI-ML is at a point where it is leaving the developer and going into mainstream markets...which means a bigger audience.

    I suggest you start with the end user, who is your audience, where are they, why would they use this instead of or as a complement to other similar ideas.

    With open source, you have to bring an ancillary product/service with you, if you intend to monitize to any sort of scale. It sounds fascinating, cutting edge even...

    help us help you as you educate us as to the marketplace as it exists today. OK?

    GordonJ

    Of course Fortune 500 cos. have the most to invest in all things data and ML and AI, and having data organized in a neat visual format is most useful. But as the developer, what do you hope to get out of it? Maybe target Fortune 100 International companies?

    Originally Posted by Eddy Ilg View Post

    Hi,

    I am new to this forum and seeking advice for an app I wrote. The app is a visualization software I have developed over a few years for deep learning. It's written in Python an directly runs on desktop machines. It was about 1-2 months of full time implementation work and it's after all a very basic tool that fills a gap and everyone in the field may need it. I imagine that when I publish it as open source and on some internet channels it may find many users quickly.

    My idea is to publish it on GitHub as open source, free for personal and academic use. For companies I am thinking of charging 2.99 per user per month (no idea if this is any reasonable number).

    I am wondering if anyone has advice on if this is a good model or what are better models. Specifically I am wondering about: Since it's python code, commercial users can easily hack it and deactivate the license check. They could also just specify they are from "academia" and use it for free...

    Any ideas are very welcome.

    Best,
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  • Profile picture of the author savidge4
    There are some issues here, read this: ( https://opensource.org/osd )

    So "Free" to some and not to all is not so "Open Source" now is it?

    Are you running with a GUI? Or are you dealing with bash scripts ( input / output folders )?

    The former ( GUI ) and I might re consider the whole open source thing.

    You have run squarely into a bit of a conundrum... Work for free with a "donate" button, or cross the fence and be corporate and make money.

    Programmers specifically have different motivations.. i personally am more of the make money for my work type... "for the better good" is fine and dandy I guess, but aint going to pay any bills

    I mean did you write it for the better good in mind... or was your thinking this could be my greatest piece of code ever and retire type thing? ( being semi sarcastic ) You cant have both - your basic Bill Gates and DOS no?
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  • Profile picture of the author Eddy Ilg
    Hi Savidge,

    yes it has a GUI. That is the crux - performance wise it's necessary that it runs locally. It's a traditional desktop program.

    In addition it's written in Python, so anyone can see / change the code.

    I don't imagine to make much money with it. I wrote the app initially for myself with nothing in mind but it has attracted interest from many people. I would imagine that if I publish it in some internet channels it could potentially become popular.

    So spreading would be easy... The question is how to keep the option that businesses pay a small fee.

    Best
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    • Profile picture of the author savidge4
      Originally Posted by Eddy Ilg View Post

      So spreading would be easy... The question is how to keep the option that businesses pay a small fee.
      So let me ask this, to better understand what we are taking about here.. are we looking at something like DOMO or Datawrapper?

      If so, take a moment and look at the pricing there... not about users, but number of visualizations created... these are all cloud based apps... you are like reverse breaking the mold being an offline option - which in my personal book would be a bonus. ( the fact that I would be able to use the image in any sort of publication vs it being a web call via URL )

      So where can the line of separation between Personal, Academia and Business be?

      May I suggest "watermark" aka attribution mark

      so I am suggesting a pricing model with 3 price points; FREE, $99, and say $299

      The FREE version would have YOUR watermark in the lower left

      the $99 version would have YOUR watermark in the lower left, and the end users watermark in the lower right.

      the $299 version would have The clients watermark in the lower left - and YOUR watermark disappears.

      So free is "Personal", the $99 version - at a discount - is the "Academia" version, and the $299 version is "Enterprise"

      I am thinking your first concern is going to be - because this is Python, everyone is going to get the "Personal" version and go in and alter the watermark code.

      Let me throw this at you this way... how many people getting this will actually have the ability to program Python? and to really make the point here... How many people reading this very thread would have that ability? out of 1,000,000 potential readers on this forum - .01% to .1% MAYBE?

      How many might actually use your software? if packaged and marketed correctly more than you might think? Content creators and Visualization kind of go hand in hand. Think infographic.

      You are asking for far to little.. your work is worth more than you are willing to ask for and adding watermarks i believe would be the element that would allow you to ask for these kinds of numbers.

      Hope that Helps!
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  • Profile picture of the author spartan14
    Hy me in your place i would try to become an authority in the law of attraction ,spirituality niche.,visualization etc .The i will try to make myself known in the niche ,help people etc and i would recomend them the software .So you could create a blog and write helpful articles and having the software as a recomamdatiom ,also youtube channel ,and put link in description ,use favebook groups ,quora ,twitter etc
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