Recently we pointed out that IFTTT had taken a step in a new direction by offering a paid-access pro version that allows users to create more complicated applets than your typical “if this then that” scenarios. This opens the service up to advanced users looking to do everything from multi-steps to queries, logic, and more. The idea sounds nice, however, it looks like it comes with a cost to everyone else who has been using IFTTT for free all this time.
We might have missed this ourselves, somewhere within the small print of things as we assumed that normal accounts would continue as, well, normal. However, this isn’t the case, and IFTTT has sent out emails to its users to point this out.
If you have ever enjoyed using IFTTT to create your own applets from scratch (if this, then that), you likely have gotten an email today with a subject line of “Upgrade to Pro before your Applets are archived“. The email states that:
Note: the free-forever IFTTT Standard plan no longer supports creating unlimited Applets from scratch.
To date, you’ve created more than 3 Applets. If you do not upgrade to Pro, all but 3 of your created Applets will be archived.
This means that if you have had fun all this time with IFTTT creating various “basic” applets for various devices around your home or social media accounts, you are about to lose access to nearly all of them unless they are applets that are already available and posted by other users (maybe? hopefully?). So Pro apparently stretches much further than just enhanced applets but includes the use of their normal basic options as well (if you want to be able to use them at least).
In a way, many users are getting bullied/pressured to either upgrade to a paid account or lose their settings and hard work. This looks to be kind of a cold blow to the userbase that has made them so popular over the years and we wondered how this will effect their faithfulness to the service.
To get an idea–we walked around the office here asking co-workers, who use IFTTT for personal needs, how they would respond to something like this. Only two of them said they would be half-interested in hearing about cost, but would likely opt to not go with it. The rest of them said they would find alternative options as they didn’t feel there was enough of a gain to suddenly have to pay for what they had been using.
Setting the limit of custom “basic” applets to just 3 seems a bit desperate on their part, clearly painting the image that they are in it for a profit before anything else. No options to grandfather users for the simpler options like that. Simple this, or that (I guess it fits their name). This means it creates a huge opportunity for competition to dive in and try to steal some of the success they have had all this time.
What do you think? Are you going to upgrade, cut back to just 3 applets, or jump ship? Feel free to share below in the comments.
2 Comments
I won’t be joining the subscription plan. Of course I understand that they are a business, but it leaves a sour taste when im forced into it… So its a good bye from me, ill work out another way
I do understand they need to make money, but for me who’s been with the service for years it’s a blow!
I have 25 my own applets, 27 total, but I think I can do away with just 3, unfortunately.