Why LogMeIn logged out of its free service
Unveiled new pricing options
LogMeIn recently made the decision to scrap its free offering. Anyone wanting to use the company's remote desktop tool will now have to sign up to a Pro plan, which comes with a number of benefits compared to the old free version.
Craig VerColen, senior director of Corporate Communications at LogMeIn, explains to TRPro why the company made the decision to scrap its decade-old freemium model.
TechRadar Pro: Why has LogMeIn made this change?
Craig Vercolen: We introduced LogMeIn and our freemium model 10 years ago, and it proved great at attracting mobile professionals while allowing us to disrupt the then early-stage remote access market.
The reality is that the remote access market evolved. The behaviour and needs of mobile professionals evolved. We'd like to think we've evolved with it. Over the years we've expanded our portfolio and applied the freemium model to new growth markets.
In fact, today, more than 70% of our first-time are introduced to us via join.me, our online meeting and collaboration offering. More than anything, this change reflects the maturing state of the access market, the need for a more modern access experience, and our desire to focus our freemium approach on growth opportunities.
TRP: Who is being migrated?
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CV: We are gradually migrating users of LogMeIn-branded remote access offerings and Ignition-branded remote access offerings to a single, premium access product.
Subscriptions include LogMeIn's signature remote access to two or more computers, premium mobile apps for Android and iOS, and native Mac and Windows desktop apps. We started notifying users today, but the full change will be rolled out in the coming weeks and months.
TRP: What does a subscription of Pro include?
CV: An account-level Pro subscription includes LogMeIn's premium remote access, free-to-download mobile apps for iOS and Android, native desktop apps for Windows and Mac, and premium features like integration with Dropbox, Cubby, Box, Google Drive, and SkyDrive, remote printing, and the ability to manage and transfer both cloud and local files.
TRP: Do existing users have to convert or upgrade?
CV: Existing users have to purchase Pro. That said, we will be offering significant – in some cases very significant – discounts for our existing free users. And people that purchased our premium mobile apps (LogMeIn Ignition for iPad/iPhone and LogMeIn Ignition for Android) will be given the first six months for free.
TRP: What about users who have a mix of Free and Pro?
CV: This change will impact all users of our LogMeIn and Ignition branded access products, and this change will be gradually rolled out throughout the year.
We expect this transition to span several months, and different user groups will be impacted at different times. If and when a user is impacted they will be proactively notified and will be provided details as to how they are being impacted as well as details on discounts and specific pricing considerations.
TRP: What about users who only use this for personal use?
CV: We understand that there may be a portion of our users who may not need nor desire the new multi-device premium experience. And they may seek alternatives.
This is unfortunate, but understandable. If users are looking for alternatives for occasional friends and family support, we suggest that they take a look at join.me, as we've heard from our join.me users than in addition to collaboration, some of them use join.me in such a manner.
Désiré has been musing and writing about technology during a career spanning four decades. He dabbled in website builders and web hosting when DHTML and frames were in vogue and started narrating about the impact of technology on society just before the start of the Y2K hysteria at the turn of the last millennium.