Ente are offering heavily discounted multi-year plans until the 2nd of December, 2024.
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100 USD for 2 TB is good price, nearly same as Google One, but it would be better to pay this amount per year, instead of giving a thousand USD in one go.
ente guys really need to hire someone experienced for sales dept and that person should know what people wants, can pay, and what competitors are offering at which price tag.
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They don’t, you’re just expecting way too much from a company that isn’t anywhere close to the scale of Google and other big tech companies.
This is the same as buying mass-produced furniture from Ikea and then complaining about prices and conditions that independent woodworkers offer even though the economies of scale are vastly different.
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One of the big benefits for Ente, by offering these deals is that they lock you in as a customer for multiple years. I think it was very intentional to structure these deals this way.
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As I complained about their prices many times before, if they are going to be acting as a competitor to Google Photos, iCloud Photos, Amazon Photos, or even Proton Photos, they need to decrease their prices. I am not even going into regional pricing topics.
Being a startup doesn’t mean they can double or triple charge customers for a service which has less features than the competitors. They should have thought about this before founding the company.
Yes, they can ask whatever price they want, and I am sure there are people who are willing to pay that much amount, but not me.
I already cancelled my Google Photos sub, and will not renew it. I will stick to my Apple One Premier and Proton Family subs.
Also, I don’t want to pay for a service 10 years of fee upfront because noone can know what would happen tomorrow or next year (see Skiff)
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They offer end-to-end encryption, which is a feature none of their competitors offer (besides Apple with opt-in E2EE). Besides that, they are working to add new features, which is made more difficult and expensive due to their commitment to being fully E2EE.
I agree that ten years and €999 is a big commitment, but this isn’t really a fair comparison. Skiff was VC-funded (source), whereas Ente charges slightly higher prices than their competitors to ensure that they build a sustainable business.
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There was a time when buying AMD made absolutely zero sense from the value perspective. If everyone was only concerned with value, then AMD would either be gone by now or they would have absolutely no power in the market.
Because of those people who saw more than value and money, AMD is now a very strong competitor in both CPU and GPU space, and all of us are benefiting from it.
Ente and Proton Photos would also not exist if everyone would just care about value, but these services do exist, and we’re lucky to have the option to have them.
One last example is Framework laptops. Do they provide good value when compared to competition? No, but they’re highly repairable, upgradable, and customizable, which is more important for a lot of people than just performance per buck.
This is perfectly valid.
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You’re right. What you may not realise is that this offer isn’t for folks like you and I, but for “allies” (as Jason Cohen, founder of WPEngine puts it). That is, folks who buy into these lifetime / multi-year deals are a different kind of a customer, but they do exist. In fact, Cohen argues that these “allies” vote both with the wallet and their time (quite significantly more than regular customers otherwise might) and so, are worth pursuing (even worth paying special attention to, for example, their feature requests).
I tell Vishnu (one of the co-founders at Ente) this every single time I see him. Ente know this, and my wish is that the economics work out over a period of time so that folks like you & I (who feel uncomfortable paying more despite the clear value-add) can switch without any hurdle.
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There are still options to pay for these plans over time using a third party. One example that comes to mind is PayPal has a “buy now pay later” option. I realize users on this forum probably don’t want to use PayPal but its the first example I could come up with.
EDIT:
Although I think you would still be on the hook for paying it. If the commitment is the worrisome part and not the finance.
Nerd Wallet has a list of buy now pay later services
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You dont have to. Just pay the regular subscription instead…
Yeah, that cost 240 USD per year, so nope.
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Agreed. Personally, iCloud subscription suffice my needs, with it not putting a dent in the pocket. I understand why Ente can’t compete with other companies when it comes to pricing, but everyone here have to also understand that not everyone has the luxury to pay the prices they offer; especially when alternatives exist for much cheaper.
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Nobody is forcing those people to buy these products.
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Then use the competitors. That some people cannot afford it doesn’t mean they have to reduce their prices.
I cannot buy an Aston Martin, should I complain that they do not cost the same as a Volkswagon Golf? Ofcourse not!
Also remember here, sure a Google and Dropbox are cheaper, but its rather likely you pay with your data as well. Sure you can use stuff like Cryptomator, but that is a lot less convienent.
This is truly what ente brings, Convienent security and privacy.
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That if they want to become competitive and appeal to more normal folk, they indeed have to reduce their prices. Or is Ente for privacy enthusiasts only?
Sure, they’re finding their footing, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a problem they need to address; but barely anyone even considers it one here and gets all defensive like it’s the product thats getting criticized.
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They already heavily reduced their price. I basically got double storage for 10% more price than before.
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Since there is a lot of debate regarding Ente’s pricing, consider reading their pricing update, which explains some of their thinking.
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Ente needs to increase their economies of scale to have better prices, which is only possible with having more paying users.
There are people who value E2EE, privacy, freedom, and supporting ethical business more than price per GB, and this is what Ente is currently targeted at.
Those who pay for Ente are also voting with their wallet by not paying for Google One, OneDrive, or anything similar.
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ENTE IS OVERPRICED
I 100% agree with @Bhaelros, Ente is overpriced. I’m not impressed by their Black Friday deal. People seem to forget that Ente is based either in India or Pakistan. Most of the people from the founder’s country cannot afford Ente.
PROTON & ENTE DON’T REALIZE THEY ARE TALKING DOWN TO POOR PEOPLE
I keep seeing Proton and Ente call out on social media people who allegedly refuse to listen to privacy advocates and keep using privacy invading products like Google. They use memes that could be perceived as condescending to people who’d love to use their products but can’t afford it.
They forget a huge part of the equation, which is that millions of people who care about protecting their privacy cannot afford to. They cannot afford Proton, Ente, or Standard Notes. And if they can afford one service, they cannot afford more. I guarantee you that millions of journalists around the world either don’t use E2EE email or cannot afford it.
CAPITALISM IS NOT GOING TO FIX SURVEILLANCE
At least not by itself. That doesn’t mean businesses cannot offer privacy solutions, they absolutely can. But the ultimate fight, the real fight, is advocating for passing policies that protect everyone’s privacy. Like the EFF. I believe Proton is involved in that fight. I’m not sure other privacy companies are.
PRIVACY CANNOT BE A LUXURY FOR THE PRIVILEGED FEW
Right now, that’s exactly what it is. Having a Proton Unlimited subscription is a privilege few can afford. I don’t think Ente is reasonably priced. And to be frank, I don’t think other privacy protecting services are either.
The only reason I can afford Standard Notes is because I got a lifetime discount. I had been aware of them fot years, but could never afford it until that lifetime discount came along. And before I paid for my subscription, I asked SN if the discount was for a lifetime or just a year.
TEMPORARY DISCOUNTS ARE NOT ALWAYS WORTH IT
I personally think that for the average person, unless you make a long term plan, most of Proton’s discounts are not worth it. What I mean is, if Proton gives you a 60% discount, with the understanding that after a year you’ll be charged full price, which you can’t afford, in order for it to be worth it, you have to make a plan for how you’ll afford it in a year’s time.
If you’re not confident that you will be able to afford it at full price in a year’s time, it might not be worth it. I don’t know when it happened, but I noticed that Proton has removed its 2-year plan for Proton Mail Plus, which was one of the most affordable IMO. Proton Mail Plus is considerably more expensive than Tuta Revolutionary.
CONCLUSION
IMHO, the goal for a company as big as Proton should be to consistently reduce the price of their service as they continue to grow, to make it more affordable for lower income people.
And all these privacy companies need to stop using dark patterns to hook new users. Emphasizing the monthly cost of a service, when the subscription is yearly, is a dark pattern.
Every time I see this, the only thought I have is, how much does it really cost? And they keep presenting that information in small font so it’s inconspicuous. Stop it. It’s deceitful.
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Actually, Proton’s prices are good, because they are offering a suit of applications and their yearly prices have fixed discounts like %20-25 rate, Ente on the other hand, asks for much more but provides less.