Is Free Plan Really Free?

General (non-technical) Testing Forum for Moderators / Admins
#1

Hi, 

I’ve signed for the Free Plan but in the Plan details section I’ve seen this entries:

Excess Per 1000 Api Calls:        0.09

Excess_per_1GB:                0.25

Excess Per 1000 Push Notifications:    0.09

Does this mean that this plan can actually cost money?

Regards.

#2

Hi ignacioric,

Yes it is really free. 

These are overage prices, as in, if you exceed the resources allocated in the Starter (Free) plan.

Check out the FAQ http://coronalabs.com/products/corona-cloud/faqs/.

Thanks

-Mohamed

#3

Hi John,

Actually the plan is called Starter and I was only referring to free as a reference to his comment.

The cost of that bundle is “Free”, as in “Costing nothing; gratuitous” for the resources and features offered in that bundle, which are clearly shown.

There is nothing ominous about the plan, we are offering the Starter plan to get you going, with X amount of resources, plus we do offer Unlimited features such as Achievements, Leaderboards and User Account.

These Unlimited (so there is no misunderstanding http://www.thefreedictionary.com/unlimited) features usage does not count against your API calls.

So technically if you only use the Unlimited features offered you will not have to pay anything at all; which you would agree abides by the definition of free.

Hope that clarifies my point.

Oh btw; English is my first language! :slight_smile:

Thanks

-Mohamed

#4

So if I only use Achievements, Leaderboards and User accounts, I can be sure that I will not have to pay any money ever?

If the answer is ‘yes’, I will implement them ASAP in the Android version of my game.   :smiley:

#5

Absolutely, as long as you stick to these you will not be charged.

The best part is that this will give you the opportunity to release your app, monitor your traction and gather all the feedback from your users.

After that you will have a better picture of what features you should and more importantly shouldn’t add going forward.

-Mohamed

#6

Thank you very much mohamed.

Now I understand much better the terms of the service.  :slight_smile:

#7

According to the definition of FREE at http://www.thefreedictionary.com/free “Costing nothing; gratuitous” and “Not subject to external restraint”. I’m sure as English is not your first language, FREE means, it cost nothing. What you have here, is the typical bait and switch Corona staff attitude.

Look its FREE* but under certain conditions we can and will shaft you at these rates.

What a ridiculous statement. The plan is free - if you go above / outside / over the plan you are no longer in the plan and will pay an excess.

#8

I agree with chrisevans1001.  John, your comments are angry and malicious.  The thing that I love about the Corona community is that everyone is so helpful and friendly to one another.  John, you’re only listed as a trial user.  If you think Corona is so terrible, then go develop in Xcode or Titanium.   In the future, think of this saying, “if you don’t have anything nice to say, then don’t say anything at all”- and this is especially true in a public forum.

#9

Hi everyone,

I am sure John meant well, although his approach might not have been the best.

In any case, I would like to put this to rest and let us focus on the fun stuff and making great products.

As a positive note, this gave me the opportunity to talk with you all and clarify our service offering.

I am really looking forward to getting more feedback pushing us to improve our offering and help us make better products for you.

Thanks

-Mohamed

#10

Hey everyone - I just want to mention something that is implicit in the comments above but may not have been completely clear. Yes, the “Starter” tier is free. Overages apply, but *only* if you

  1. run out of API calls

  2. decide to put in your credit card number and acknowledge you will be charged

So someone can start using Starter and never pay us, even if they run out of API calls. Also, as mentioned above, you can use leaderboards/achievements/user accounts for ever, for free.

As specified in the FAQ I am pasting below, we will NOT charge you without your consent if you are in the Starter tier.

What happens if/when I hit my Starter tier monthly limits?

When you hit 80% of one of the limits, we will send you an email to let you know. We will send you another email when you hit 100% of one of the limits, at which point we will have to suspend service to your account. When the next monthly cycle starts, your account will be reactivated. You can upgrade to a paid tier at any point in time.

#11

Hi ignacioric,

Yes it is really free. 

These are overage prices, as in, if you exceed the resources allocated in the Starter (Free) plan.

Check out the FAQ http://coronalabs.com/products/corona-cloud/faqs/.

Thanks

-Mohamed

#12

Hi John,

Actually the plan is called Starter and I was only referring to free as a reference to his comment.

The cost of that bundle is “Free”, as in “Costing nothing; gratuitous” for the resources and features offered in that bundle, which are clearly shown.

There is nothing ominous about the plan, we are offering the Starter plan to get you going, with X amount of resources, plus we do offer Unlimited features such as Achievements, Leaderboards and User Account.

These Unlimited (so there is no misunderstanding http://www.thefreedictionary.com/unlimited) features usage does not count against your API calls.

So technically if you only use the Unlimited features offered you will not have to pay anything at all; which you would agree abides by the definition of free.

Hope that clarifies my point.

Oh btw; English is my first language! :slight_smile:

Thanks

-Mohamed

#13

So if I only use Achievements, Leaderboards and User accounts, I can be sure that I will not have to pay any money ever?

If the answer is ‘yes’, I will implement them ASAP in the Android version of my game.   :smiley:

#14

Absolutely, as long as you stick to these you will not be charged.

The best part is that this will give you the opportunity to release your app, monitor your traction and gather all the feedback from your users.

After that you will have a better picture of what features you should and more importantly shouldn’t add going forward.

-Mohamed

#15

Thank you very much mohamed.

Now I understand much better the terms of the service.  :slight_smile:

#16

According to the definition of FREE at http://www.thefreedictionary.com/free “Costing nothing; gratuitous” and “Not subject to external restraint”. I’m sure as English is not your first language, FREE means, it cost nothing. What you have here, is the typical bait and switch Corona staff attitude.

Look its FREE* but under certain conditions we can and will shaft you at these rates.

What a ridiculous statement. The plan is free - if you go above / outside / over the plan you are no longer in the plan and will pay an excess.

#17

I agree with chrisevans1001.  John, your comments are angry and malicious.  The thing that I love about the Corona community is that everyone is so helpful and friendly to one another.  John, you’re only listed as a trial user.  If you think Corona is so terrible, then go develop in Xcode or Titanium.   In the future, think of this saying, “if you don’t have anything nice to say, then don’t say anything at all”- and this is especially true in a public forum.

#18

Hi everyone,

I am sure John meant well, although his approach might not have been the best.

In any case, I would like to put this to rest and let us focus on the fun stuff and making great products.

As a positive note, this gave me the opportunity to talk with you all and clarify our service offering.

I am really looking forward to getting more feedback pushing us to improve our offering and help us make better products for you.

Thanks

-Mohamed

#19

Hey everyone - I just want to mention something that is implicit in the comments above but may not have been completely clear. Yes, the “Starter” tier is free. Overages apply, but *only* if you

  1. run out of API calls

  2. decide to put in your credit card number and acknowledge you will be charged

So someone can start using Starter and never pay us, even if they run out of API calls. Also, as mentioned above, you can use leaderboards/achievements/user accounts for ever, for free.

As specified in the FAQ I am pasting below, we will NOT charge you without your consent if you are in the Starter tier.

What happens if/when I hit my Starter tier monthly limits?

When you hit 80% of one of the limits, we will send you an email to let you know. We will send you another email when you hit 100% of one of the limits, at which point we will have to suspend service to your account. When the next monthly cycle starts, your account will be reactivated. You can upgrade to a paid tier at any point in time.