The Hidden Costs of Free Apps: Free Apps vs. Paid Apps
Are free apps really free?
Apps without financial payment often means it’s free. Sure, it’s free because we don’t have to pay with money, but we are paying in some regard…
Our data.
This includes your personal details, device information, and behavioral habits. All of this key information allows app developers to use it towards targeted ads, or even to sell to advertisers. It may not seem like a problem, but when you come to realize that you become the product, it suddenly shifts how you use the free apps.
App developers need to sustain the app somehow
Developers who create an app have to make money in order to sustain it. If it’s not through an upfront payment/subscription based, it’s through in-app advertising, or collection/selling of personal data.
If you are paying for a subscription, that means the developer is being compensated through that and most likely will not offer ads or sell your data to third-party marketers.
Pros and Cons of free apps
PROS
- No upfront cost (subscriptions)
CONS
- Most likely uses your data to sell to third-party marketers to deliver targeted advertisements (no privacy).
- Interrupted by a bombardment of ads
- Locked features (ugh!)
- Make money via advertisement
Pros and Cons of paid apps
PROS
- One-time upfront fee for full access to all features
- No pop up ads and most likely no other paywalls
- Usually focus on the direct sale rather than selling user data for ad revenue.
CONS
- You have to pay money monthly or yearly
Why paid privacy-focused apps are so important
We can understand why many may not want to pay for every single app they own and can enjoy the frill of a free version. If it does not compromise your information or identity or that of another, then it’s a risk worth taking.
When it comes to apps that involve children and their personal information, that is where you may want to think twice. It’s no longer risking your own information, but of your non-consenting children. You never know where that information, nonetheless photos and videos, may be shared to and with.
An app like Clann that operates on a security and privacy model has to ensure our users data, whether it’s photos/videos or children’s personal information, are protected. That is why we’re funded by families, not advertisers.
We believe apps like private family photo sharing ones deserve to be treated with the upmost privacy and security, which means not soliciting your data to third-party marketers.
The next time you look into an app and its paywall, think about its hidden cost and whether or not it is worth it!
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