Help us build a better Linux app!

Hello. My name is Terence Pua, one of the founders of Insync and CEO. We started Insync in December 2008 and have been offering a paid app for over ten years.

Insync is a desktop app that syncs and backs up multiple cloud platforms (Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox) to your local system. The biggest problem we solve is supporting Linux users with a first-class citizen desktop app for syncing their cloud files to their desktop and peripherals. But we also support Windows and Mac for cross-platform compatibility.

The biggest mistake we made was in the beginning – when we offered Insync as a one-time paid model, which included a lifetime license + support. As it turns out, this model is not sustainable despite our relatively low costs. Continued development, including bug fixing and support, became a capital expenditure that couldn't be amortized over the lifetime value of a customer since we don’t have such a concept. Customers pay once, and that’s it. (note: we do have upgrade paths for customers that want to change their license)

For over ten years, we have been “firefighting” our business model – focusing on features instead of reliability so we can “compete” better and get new customers. As a result, app quality has suffered, and so has the business.

If we want to continue Insync, we need to change the fundamental issue – fixing our business model so we can focus on app quality rather than chasing new customers with unwanted features.

This is where you come in!

We need your help to continue funding Insync development. Without your help, we will be hard-pressed to continue as a business as our revenue model is not sustainable. Therefore, we are pre-selling Insync using a more sustainable business model. This hybrid business model takes the best parts of the one-time pricing and the subscription model.

The hybrid business model will look like this – Insync at a one-time price ($29.99 per account, one-time), and it will include 1 year of updates and email support. After 1 year, you can continue to use Insync (with no additional payments), but there are no additional updates or email support. Optionally, you can subscribe to the yearly plan ($19.99 per account, per year) that will give you an additional 1 year of updates and email support.

Our goal is to raise $25,000 to $50,000 to help fund continued Insync development as we switch over to this new hybrid business model, which will take time.

You can contribute in multiples of $50. Each $50 contribution (vs original price of $70 = $29.99 [one-time] + $19.99 [annual recurring] + $19.99 [free year]) will get you a new Insync license per account for 3 years (instead of 2 years). Additionally, you will also receive the Insync builds during active development.

We will double down our Linux support by re-introducing symlink support and a headless version included in the same price and a flatpak and/or snap build (all to be released by Q3/Q4). We will also continue to support Windows and Mac.

We plan to release this new hybrid business model by Q3 this year. So the obvious question is…”why would I buy Insync again?”

Well…

Besides supporting an independent software vendor, you benefit from continued development for better reliability (for mission-critical stuff) and the future goodies – more cloud support (S3, Backblaze B2, etc.), more Google Docs conversion options, file automations and more!

But more importantly, if you want to see Insync continue and thrive as a business, please support us by pre-buying Insync at $50 (per account) and get 3 years of updates and email support (2 years paid + 1 year free).

Thanks for reading and your support!