pneel141Q: Lack of Clarity on Lifetime Deal Feature Promises
I noticed in the latest announcement that the chat system will not be available for LTD users and will instead be offered as part of add-on plans. However, on the AppSumo deal page, it was mentioned as “All future Professional Plan updates.”
Now you're saying chat will be offered as an add-on for LTD users. Don't you think that's misleading LTD users by breaking commitments?
If the chat system was expected to incur long-term costs, it would have been better to communicate this upfront.
Could you please share your thoughts on this?
Ramesh_Astravue
Dec 29, 2025A: Hi There,
Thank you for raising this. It is a fair concern, and I appreciate you calling it out.
To be clear, there was no intention to mislead or break commitments. The statement “All future Professional Plan updates” was made in good faith based on how Astravue was designed and costed at the time of the AppSumo launch.
When Astravue launched on AppSumo, chat was not built as a fully native feature. As we evolved the product, it became clear that delivering a reliable real-time chat experience required third-party infrastructure that is billed on actual usage. Unlike core features such as mobile apps, project fields, guest access, and reports, chat and AI introduce ongoing, variable infrastructure costs.
In hindsight, we agree that this should have been communicated more explicitly upfront. That responsibility is on us.
At the same time, we have been careful not to break the intent of the Professional lifetime plan:
AppSumo LTD users will continue to receive all current and future Premium features that are built natively within Astravue
This includes mobile apps, guest privileges, project fields, reports, and more
No existing feature is being removed or restricted
Chat and AI are the only exceptions because of their recurring usage-based costs. Even then, they are optional and not forced. Chat is available as an add-on at USD 3 per user per month, strictly to cover infrastructure costs. There is no downgrade, no penalty, and no feature throttling for LTD users.
I also want to be clear about our long-term intent. Once Astravue reaches a stable and profitable operating mode, we plan to open chat access to all users, including AppSumo LTD customers, without additional charges.
AppSumo supported Astravue from day one, and we take that trust seriously. This decision is a necessary compromise to keep the product sustainable and improving, not a change in how we value early supporters.
Thank you for the feedback and for holding us accountable. We remain committed to being transparent and fair with the AppSumo community.
Ramesh Kumar Ramachandran
CEO, Astravue