business model?

[GordonG]

Hi all,
I'm trying to get a handle on the business model for an app I am developing that will use backend database services and possibly push. I'm not sure if I would use server code, I don't know why, but I don't understand yet why server code would be needed or what it can be used for. Backend storage is, I think, all text data and possibly small, but I'm not sure - it depends on how many users I have and how often they use my app.

The thing I need in thinking about this is some guide to how much I could possibly charge my users to use my app vs how much aperry.io resource usage my app would use and what I would have to pay for. The basic pricing for appery.io subscription are small, but the overages are potentially large depending on how my app makes use of appery.io services.

I'm developing an app that students and teachers will use in the classroom.

For example, let's say an average teacher using my app, for a given session using my app, will require 30 push notifications (to 30 students), and 20 database reads and writes (API calls?). In the same session, 30 students will use the app (which is configured slightly differently - it is a student version, based on login data, or it is a completely different app. The student version does 10 database reads, 5 at app load and 5 for every push they receive - assuming one push per student per session.

Let's say 1 teacher and 30 students use my app 5 times a day, 5 days a week. The database storage I don't really know how to calculate, but lets say it is .5k for every push ( I know the the push itself does not require database writes, but the user action that will initiate the push writes to the database - essentially the push is notifying the student of a database update.)

Give those assumptions, let's say I am lucky enough to get 1000 paying, teacher subscribers to my app. Students are free (or covered by the costs of the teacher subscription)

Now I could do all the math here to spitball a figure that would tell me how much I would be paying appery.io based on those loose assumptions (for overages). With 1000 teachers it may not be much, but with 10,000, or 100,000 the prices goes up considerably.

Is that a good way to think about the business model for my app, and what I can charge teachers as a monthly subscription? (I imagine a sweet deal is going to be between $2 - $5 a month for teachers, but maybe I am too low, or too high here.)

Any comments about my assumptions and my basic thinking? Any flaws in my logic, or anything I am missing here?

[Evgene Karachevtsev]

Hello Gordon,

We can try to help you with some specific problem/question, but business models are outside the scope of our support. You don't need to keep paying for a subscription after the app is finished, if your app does not use Appery.io backend services. You need a subscription only as long as you build or update the app. The final app (once exported or published) will not be tied to the platform.

[GordonG]

Thank you, Evgene.

I understand you guys are providing tech support, and in my experience all of the employees who participate here do a fantastic and timely job - it has helped me greatly. I do understand that you are not here to teach people how to run a business, but I think some of these questions are relevant to the technical aspects of how appery.io works.

The one constructive criticism, therefore, that I have to offer, and please pass this up to your superiors, is that you do need a webinar(s) or videos that give people some idea of how all these technical services can be used - what are they good for in the larger picture of putting together an app that could sell, or is useful to others, especially if appery.io is hosting a HTML5 app or it is using backend services.

Because it is not as simple as implementing an idea that sells - because to implement a selling idea it needs technical expertise to know how to utilize the services offered effectively and efficiently. So, in many of the tutorials I find this kind of knowledge missing.

One specific example I can think of, aside from my questions above - which I think are relevant because they relate to how to calculate the pull on appery.io's services - is how server side code can be used. I've seen the tutorial that tells me how to set up and run server code, but, as a relative beginner, I don't see what it might do for me. Why would I? How could I use server code? I can think of other examples.

So, I think having information about why some of these services are useful would need to touch on business issues.

That's what I am missing in all of the great support - tutorials, videos, and human - appery.io has to offer. I think you have hints of it here and there, but I think the documentation could use more of it - place the tutorials in a more useful context.

Thanks again & cheers!

[Evgene Karachevtsev]

Gordon,

Thanks for your feedback. I will pass it on to our management. If you'll have any specific question, please do not hesitate to contact us if you need any further help.

[Evgene Karachevtsev]

Gordon,

Just a small update. You may find some webinars and video tutorials here: https://www.youtube.com/user/apperyio
Also you may contact a href="mailto:mkatz@exadel.com" rel="nofollow"mkatz@exadel.com/a directly with regards to your propositions.