Why $99 Lifetime Instead of Monthly Subscriptions
Every SaaS wants your credit card on file.
$9.99/month. $19.99/month. "Just $49/month."
Then you forget about it. Months later, you've paid $500 for something you barely use.
We don't do that.
Table of Contents
- The Subscription Trap
- Why We Chose One-Time Pricing
- What $99 Gets You
- The Math: Us vs Subscriptions
- But Don't You Lose Money?
- What About Updates?
- The Catch?
- Who This Pricing Is For
- TL;DR
The Subscription Trap
Here's how most software pricing works:
- Low monthly price to get you in
- Features locked behind tiers
- Annual commitment for the "real" price
- Price increases every year
- Cancel and lose everything
You think you're paying $10/month. You're actually paying $120/year. For years. Forever.
MAPILab Print Manager charges $115/year. Sperry Software charges $50-100/year. Cloud printing services run $20-100/month.
That adds up fast.
Why We Chose One-Time Pricing
AutoPrintEmail is $99 once. Forever.
Here's our reasoning:
1. Software should be owned, not rented
You buy a printer. You own it. Why should the software to use it be any different?
2. Simple problems deserve simple pricing
Auto-print email is a solved problem. The software works. It doesn't need constant reinvention to justify monthly fees.
3. We hate subscription fatigue too
We use software. We know the feeling of 47 monthly charges on a credit card. We don't want to be one of them.
4. Aligned incentives
Subscriptions incentivize keeping you hooked. One-time pricing incentivizes building something so good you recommend it.
What $99 Gets You
- The full application — no tiers, no limits
- Unlimited email accounts — connect as many as you need
- Unlimited printing — no per-print fees
- All current features — filters, attachments, labels, all of it
- Future updates — bug fixes and improvements included
- Mac, Windows, Linux — all platforms, one purchase
No asterisks. No "premium" tier. No "enterprise" upsell.
The Math: Us vs Subscriptions
Scenario: 3 years of use
| Solution | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AutoPrintEmail | $99 | $0 | $0 | $99 |
| MAPILab ($115/yr) | $115 | $115 | $115 | $345 |
| Sperry ($75/yr) | $75 | $75 | $75 | $225 |
| Cloud service ($20/mo) | $240 | $240 | $240 | $720 |
AutoPrintEmail pays for itself in month 5. Everything after that is savings.
But Don't You Lose Money?
Good question. Here's how this actually works:
We don't have servers to pay for.
AutoPrintEmail is a desktop app. It runs on your computer, not ours. We don't have infrastructure costs that scale with users.
We don't have recurring costs per user.
No cloud storage. No per-email processing. No monthly bills that grow with usage.
Our costs are fixed.
Development, support, basic web hosting. These don't multiply with each sale.
So yes, we could charge monthly and make more money. But we'd rather build something valuable and price it fairly.
What About Updates?
Updates are included. Here's our policy:
Bug fixes: Always included, forever.
Security updates: Always included, forever.
Compatibility updates: Always included (new OS versions, email provider changes, etc.)
New features: Included for at least 2 years from purchase. Major new products may be separate.
We're not going to leave you stranded. The software you buy will keep working.
The Catch?
There isn't one.
- No "lifetime" that secretly means 3 years
- No forced upgrades to a new version
- No features held back for a premium tier
The only thing you don't get: phone support. We do email support, which works fine for a desktop app.
Who This Pricing Is For
Good fit:
- Small businesses that hate recurring fees
- Freelancers who track every expense
- Accountants who appreciate simplicity
- Anyone tired of subscription creep
Probably not for you:
- Enterprise with complex procurement
- Companies that need a monthly invoice for budgeting
- Those who need phone support
We're not trying to be everything to everyone. We're trying to solve a simple problem at a fair price.
TL;DR
AutoPrintEmail is $99 once. Not monthly. Not yearly. Once.
Why:
- No servers = no recurring infrastructure costs
- Simple software doesn't need complex pricing
- We hate subscriptions too
What you get:
- Full software, all features
- Unlimited accounts and printing
- Updates included
- All platforms
Compare to subscription alternatives that cost $99+ per year. You'll save money starting month 5.
Software doesn't have to be a subscription.
Sometimes $99 once is just... better.
Start Printing Your Emails Today
Join thousands of users who have reduced their screen time while staying connected.
Local printing. Your emails are never sent to our servers.
Works on Windows, Mac, and web browsers
No need to open your browser or email client to manually print your emails.