I have been using Day One since the beginning. I really like the app and although not a huge fan of subscriptions I did take them on the offer of $24.99/year since I had been using Day One 2. When they switched to their own servers for syncing instead of Dropbox or iCloud things got a lot smoother and faster as well. I am very pleased with the subscription so far and the updates have been good. On a user interface point, I like day one, it's colorful and intuitive.
After reading many of the posts here about Dyrii I was intrigued and downloaded it. I imported my Day One entries to it with no problem. I liked it and I did purchase the annual subscription at $9.99. So far I like it, but will it replace Day One 2 for me, at this point I doubt it. I've only been using Dyrii a few days, compared to several years that I have had Day One. Perhaps I will use Dyrii as a backup, but I will give it a decent chance and there are some features that I like in Dyrii. I do like what I see at this point.
I don't mind subscriptions that much if the app is one that I will use and value. I subscribe to Informant/Pocket Informant and it works great and the developers (Fanatic Software) are very responsive and hard working. I've been using their products since they first appeared on iOS and now they have a great Mac App. Before I got into iOS, when the iPhone 3G was first released I had a Windows Mobile phone and used their Pocket Informant app on that platform as my primary calendar/tasks app. Wonderful app and they have a subscription model if you choose to use their sync service which works far better than the iCloud. You do have a choice to go through their service or iCloud, but their service will sync all the fields available whereas iCloud will not.
I also subscribe to Office365 even though for what I need Apple's programs are more than sufficient. I am just more familiar with Excel than Numbers. In addition on the rare occasions I need to do something work related from home, Word/Excel/PowerPoint are the industry standards so the $100 a year is worth it to me.
Subscriptions, to sum it up, are really a personal preference and should be based on the value you receive out of it. I subscribe to several things and they all have a value to me as the user that I don't think many people griping about the subscription plan really understand. With all of the subscriptions I don't have to worry about the latest updates, I am always on the latest version. I have access to the apps no matter what platform I am on if it is available on that platform (i.e iOS/Mac/Windows/online). I find some of the subscriptions invaluable to ME and therefore don't mind the costs. One or two I could probably do without, but again these apps I've been using a long time and/or have features I appreciate so I keep the subscription and sacrifice a fast food meal a year or so.
Subscriptions I use include
Office 365 - $99.99/year Excel mainly but includes Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, One Drive, One Note, Skype
Day One 2 - $24.99/year Journal Software
Informant - $15.00/year Calendar/Tasks/Notes/Contacts
ToDo Cloud - $19.99/year Task App (The first task app I used since I started on iPhone at 3G launch) also avail w/o subscription I keep it because it has some features that I like others don't
YNAB - $45.00/year (Great finance /budget app)
HP Instant Ink - $4.99/month
Dyrii - $9.99/year Brand new journal app that I am giving a try. Only had a few days so far.
AnyList $7.99/year
MLB.com $2.99/mo.
Apple Music $9.99/mo.
iCloud $2.99/mo.
Netflix $9.99mo.
To me all of these apps/subscriptions hold some value to me as the user and therefore I don't mind the costs. When I feel they are no longer needed I will cancel them. A lot of these apps also have free trial periods and you can use them to try it out to see if it's for you. If it is, then subscribe, if it's not then don't use it. I don't see what the big deal is. I've used some of these apps before they went the subscription route and after and the benefits and performance was far better after the subscription. The biggest complainers, in my opinion, are the ones that have never used the program or service and they think that because the bought a Mac or an iOS device they should get everything for free.
After reading many of the posts here about Dyrii I was intrigued and downloaded it. I imported my Day One entries to it with no problem. I liked it and I did purchase the annual subscription at $9.99. So far I like it, but will it replace Day One 2 for me, at this point I doubt it. I've only been using Dyrii a few days, compared to several years that I have had Day One. Perhaps I will use Dyrii as a backup, but I will give it a decent chance and there are some features that I like in Dyrii. I do like what I see at this point.
I don't mind subscriptions that much if the app is one that I will use and value. I subscribe to Informant/Pocket Informant and it works great and the developers (Fanatic Software) are very responsive and hard working. I've been using their products since they first appeared on iOS and now they have a great Mac App. Before I got into iOS, when the iPhone 3G was first released I had a Windows Mobile phone and used their Pocket Informant app on that platform as my primary calendar/tasks app. Wonderful app and they have a subscription model if you choose to use their sync service which works far better than the iCloud. You do have a choice to go through their service or iCloud, but their service will sync all the fields available whereas iCloud will not.
I also subscribe to Office365 even though for what I need Apple's programs are more than sufficient. I am just more familiar with Excel than Numbers. In addition on the rare occasions I need to do something work related from home, Word/Excel/PowerPoint are the industry standards so the $100 a year is worth it to me.
Subscriptions, to sum it up, are really a personal preference and should be based on the value you receive out of it. I subscribe to several things and they all have a value to me as the user that I don't think many people griping about the subscription plan really understand. With all of the subscriptions I don't have to worry about the latest updates, I am always on the latest version. I have access to the apps no matter what platform I am on if it is available on that platform (i.e iOS/Mac/Windows/online). I find some of the subscriptions invaluable to ME and therefore don't mind the costs. One or two I could probably do without, but again these apps I've been using a long time and/or have features I appreciate so I keep the subscription and sacrifice a fast food meal a year or so.
Subscriptions I use include
Office 365 - $99.99/year Excel mainly but includes Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, One Drive, One Note, Skype
Day One 2 - $24.99/year Journal Software
Informant - $15.00/year Calendar/Tasks/Notes/Contacts
ToDo Cloud - $19.99/year Task App (The first task app I used since I started on iPhone at 3G launch) also avail w/o subscription I keep it because it has some features that I like others don't
YNAB - $45.00/year (Great finance /budget app)
HP Instant Ink - $4.99/month
Dyrii - $9.99/year Brand new journal app that I am giving a try. Only had a few days so far.
AnyList $7.99/year
MLB.com $2.99/mo.
Apple Music $9.99/mo.
iCloud $2.99/mo.
Netflix $9.99mo.
To me all of these apps/subscriptions hold some value to me as the user and therefore I don't mind the costs. When I feel they are no longer needed I will cancel them. A lot of these apps also have free trial periods and you can use them to try it out to see if it's for you. If it is, then subscribe, if it's not then don't use it. I don't see what the big deal is. I've used some of these apps before they went the subscription route and after and the benefits and performance was far better after the subscription. The biggest complainers, in my opinion, are the ones that have never used the program or service and they think that because the bought a Mac or an iOS device they should get everything for free.