snailianQ: Appsumo deal loses it's value beyond 200 monthly users
Tier 3 matches your Lite plan $240/mo: 200 active monthly users. But exceeding 200 users requires upgrading to the Business plan at $400/mo + $0.80 per user.
At 200 users charging $10/mo, revenue is $2,000. After app stores take 30% ($600), net revenue is $1,400. Subtracting the Business plan's $648 leaves $752 in profit.
But here's the rub: moving to the Business plan means needing about 366 total users just to break even with the profit we had at 200 users on the AppSumo deal. That's 166 more users required just to maintain the same margin.
It seems this AppSumo deal is an onramp to the Business plan, but the economics become challenging for buyers beyond 200 users. The value proposition seems limited unless growth stalls below 200 users.
Could you clarify what value AppSumo buyers receive after scaling beyond 200 monthly active users?
Anders_AudioRista
Nov 24, 2025A: Hi Snailian,
AppSumo customers receive a 30% discount on the Business plan for the first year, which reduces the cost of scaling once they grow beyond 200 monthly active users. It is also important to note that most creators qualify for Apple’s Small Business Program, where the fee is 15% rather than 30%, which materially improves the economic model as the audience grows. Check out https://developer.apple.com/app-store/small-business-program/
The AppSumo deal is intended as a low-risk way to build, validate and operate your app. When you reach a point where more advanced functionality is needed, the Business plan provides the integrations, automation and operational capacity required for long-term scalability. For most creators, the upgrade becomes relevant only once the app has gained traction.
Kind regards, Anders