AppSumo Plus Yearly Plan Reviews

1. AS has declined significantly as a brand over the last three years and its sad to see. More than 50% of the tools I have bought have shut down or no longer work as expected due to bugs and errors.
2. There is so much AI tool slop, and the same repeated tools keep coming back. Three years ago, they offered better unique and useful tools. Now, it is more about sales than quality, and any random tool seems to get through.
3. Many tools lose support once they leave AS. These tools illegally change features, reduce lifetime deal benefits, making the tools useless, or lock features behind a paywall, forcing lifetime deal users to pay to use it. This goes against AS’s original deal terms, but once tools leave AS, no legal contracts are enforced, and companies have free rein over lifetime deal users.
4. Several tools have ended with owners taking money and shutting down, such as stockbroker.studio, which closed in less than a year, citing lack of funding while still happily taking customers’ money.
5. There is no real benefit to being a Plus member. You might expect extra protection, but it does not exist. When I complained about tools shutting down or stopping working, I was met with indifference and no accountability from AS. It feels like it is my problem to deal with, even though I paid for the tools on their platform, which earns them money. Every deal splits revenue 50% for them, even for tools that later shut down, so they do not really care what happens as long as sales grow for them.
6. AppSumo auto-renews Plus memberships without clear consent or disclosure, charges customers $99 without warning, and revokes all paid benefits upon cancellation, even if many months remain. I never even got notified by email that my membership is coming up for renewal except after the money was deducted from my card by AS.
7. I will never use Plus again, and I am likely done using AS as a customer. I feel taken advantage of. We spend our hard-earned money and generate sales for AS, yet when we complain, we are met with indifference and no accountability. What happened to putting the customer first or being a customer first business?

If you purchase at least 4 deals per year, it is already worth it. Not to mention if you have more purchases. This financial aspect, besides the other perks that plus membership brings was enough for me to consider it a good deal.

AppSumo can really help you save money, especially if you work with technology, AI, or online tools. I’ve found some great software deals that would be impossible to afford through regular monthly subscriptions.

However, there’s one thing that really frustrates me: when you request a refund using the $20 annual credit, that money is simply lost. It does not return to your credit card, and it does not even return as platform credit. In my opinion, this policy feels unfair and disappointing.

Is it worth it? Yes, if you research carefully before buying and avoid impulsive purchases. The deals can be excellent, but you should fully understand the refund policy before using your annual credit.

As a loyal customer since 2023 and a Plus member with four-figure investments, I’m pulling the plug today. Behind AppSumo’s casual marketing lies a system that abandons loyal buyers. Here are the reasons for my broken trust:

1. Bait Offers and “Waiting it Out” After the 60-Day Window:
There’s a clear pattern: before purchase, “Grandfathering,” GDPR compliance, and firm deal terms are promised. But once the return period expires, the harsh reality sets in: terms and conditions get changed, credits lose value, or services get cut. While customers are placated with “we’re working on it,” AppSumo simply turns a blind eye to this erosion of buyer rights.

2. Profit Over Customer Protection & Data Privacy:
The problem of deal dilution is ignored. Take the Supermachine founder as an example: he promised “all updates,” then introduced new “Gems” and locked out existing customers from every new update. The kicker: despite heavy criticism, AppSumo immediately gave the same founder a prime spot as a “Select” deal for his new project. This makes it look like chasing short-term commissions trumps genuine protection of existing customers.

Not even data and account security seem to matter.
My account with InsertChat (a Select deal) keeps being targeted with attempts to change my password. On April 10, 2026, I informed InsertChat via AppSumo’s site and email—so far, no response. Companies that neglect their responsibilities like this should lose their certifications, yet they are oddly rewarded instead.

3. One-Sided Review System Without Real Response Options:
Reviews are a one-way street. If a developer replies to criticism with falsehoods, you technically can’t respond directly. Updates to your own reviews are often blocked by filters. This creates a distorted picture for new buyers while leaving customers powerless against sellers’ misinformation.

4. The “Buyer Protection” Is Effectively Useless:
The protection for Plus members sounds good on paper but practically only applies in cases of insolvency, not gradual service reduction. When I pointed out these shortcomings, the case handler responded with nothing but canned phrases and an indifference that suggests this attitude is tolerated—or even encouraged—by management.

5. Bright Spots in a Losing Situation (Staff & Developers):
To be fair: not everything was bad. I had close contact over the years with many honest developers, and it’s sad to see even these “diamonds” lose their reputation under current company policies. I want to especially acknowledge individual support staff like Andrew and Crystal, who have helped me in the past and communicated respectfully.
That makes my current experience all the worse: while some employees like these show how customer service can work, in my current case I face outright disregard. The refusal to find constructive solutions and the way I’m being dropped as a loyal PLUS customer reveal a massive gap in service quality.

Conclusion:
The ongoing neglect of my case and the deliberate “dropping” of a loyal PLUS customer are unacceptable. AppSumo doesn’t just look away when deals are devalued, it even rewards questionable developers by promoting their new projects with the “Select” label—a label that suggests buyer protection but in reality only drives sales.

For me, the AppSumo system ultimately means a significant financial loss due to investments that were sold on false promises. Individual good employees and some honest developers can’t save this deeply flawed business model when management puts profit ahead of the fate of their most loyal buyers. Anyone wanting to build a sustainable business and not burn their hard-earned money in a profit-driven revolving door should steer clear of this marketplace.

They could have found solutions and addressed my criticisms honestly. Until that happens, I won’t make any more purchases and strongly advise everyone against wasting their money and data here.

No protection.

WbizTool, Meiro, VidPowr, Aitable, Bika.

Zero protection.