Blynk has been bootstrapping since day one. The only investment we got was 49k from Kickstarter. As you would understand this is a ridiculously low number for such a complex system as Blynk 1.0. Not even comparable to Blynk 2.0. In order to function, company needs to be profitable.
@gfvalvo, could you please bring valid arguments for why Blynk has to provide hobbyists with free product? Where does this expectation come from? Does Arduino give makers electronics for free? Do you have a free source of electronic components? Do you get free electricity and internet as hobbyst? I’m a hobbyst too, but nobody gives me free stuff…
Correction: I do get some free samples from hardware manufacturers , so I guess it’s possible. All you need to do is to build an IoT company. But I still pay for Internet, damn!
To be honest we all have been spoilt by BLYNK 1.0
That is why we are facing a hard time to settle down with BLYNK 2.0’s subscription.
But eventually we forget the legacy and start to live with 2.0…
Till then topics like this will we knocking the door.
I quite agree with “gfvalvo” I liked the old system, but I am not against also paying a small monthly subscription, as Pierre says we pay well for Netfix, spotify etc … on the other hand I finds the new system much less attractive, very poor documentation, not being able to experiment with certain widgets without having a subscription. I admit that I was very enthusiastic about the first Blynk version, I am much less enthusiastic about it. I had a few projects that I may have to modify. I am currently doing tests with the free version, I hope that this will convince me to continue. Otherwise look for an alternative, but it is true that there is not much for the moment, that will change in the near future
Pascal
@Pavel I wonder if there’s scope for a free trial of the Plus subscription?
Obviously people could sign-up for a one month subscription then cancel if don’t like it, but maybe a one-off trial that either reverts back to the free subscription after the trial period ends would tempt more users to migrate to Plus?
Thank you Pete and dmitriy from my point of view version 1 could have continued for amateurs with a small price increase and version 2 reserved for professional applications, but I understand maintaining both platforms at a cost
Yes, the energy model was best for hobbyists. I might pay $5 per month; but the limit to 10 devices is a no go. I have 4 temp humidity sensors alone. A pool pump current monitor, a septic system monitor, a pool PH/ORP monitor with more ideas. I’m going to have to figure out some other solution. Ugh. I definitely can’t live with the free version. I’ll be busy with whatever I find and less likely to branch off into something commercial with Blynk in retirement I suppose.
You should look at Node-Red.
If you use MQTT messaging to exchange data between your devices and Node-Red, then install the Blynk plug-in for Node-Red then you have the best of both worlds - Blynk sees a smaller number of devices (just one if you wish) and you still get to use Blynk as your front-end.
MQTT really is the best way to run a home automation setup, and Node-Red acts as the rules-engine.
I too enjoyed the 1.0 arrangement, but I’ve taken a 3 year hiatus from all thing IoT and now that I’m trying to come back to it all, everything’s changed and costs more, lol. I don’t mind the $7 monthly subscription fee, as long as Blynk continues to enable me from having to learn how to get my MCUs on the internet, it’s worth it, though I too have some gripes about the documentation as well, but I’ll fight my way through as long as I can get my devices back online again. FWIW, I am not a coder and have only learned the bare minimum needed to put together an Arduino project, now on ESP8266 boards.
Perhaps Pavel might consider a free or lower cost app that bombs the free user with ads like most other free versions of apps have? I’ll still pay the $7, but I was once the type that would not and force myself to make due with whatever’s given in the free versions of things, so I understand that mentality as well.
No no no… please not this… ads ads ads everywhere. They are omni present. Blynk app is the only place without ads… we should not try to ruin it. Let Blynk charge us with money… but no ads please !! They are so annoying: especially those banner n popup type.
The use of adverts has been discussed before, and if you search the forum you’ll probably find those discussions.
It’s not a practical idea for a number of reasons, and the concept has been rejected by Blynk in the past.
I’m paying the $7, so the ads wouldn’t effect me any, but I just shared the idea as a possible means for Blynk to generate revenue from the free app while nudging the user to the subscription. The concept seems to work for a lot of other app services.
@Gsoulas i don’t work for Blynk, and am not part of their policy making process, but I do have experience of developing and supporting software products and systems.
It’s not viable for a company like Blynk to maintain two parallel development/support streams for products that are significantly different and which are rapidly diverging.
Blynk’s only sensible development route is to focus all of its resources into its new product, and incentivise users to migrate to the new product.
My advice would be to migrate your projects to the new platform, before the legacy platform is decommissioned.
, so I guess it’s possible. All you need to do is to build an IoT company. But I still pay for Internet, damn!
for BLYNK 1.0 