Folders / tags / more filtering for filaments#444
I have quite a bit of filament. Some generic, like white or black PLA/PETG, and some more decorative, like silk copper PLA. Obviously, I use the generic ones much more often, but there isn’t really a way to filter out the rarely used ones.
This could be done with folders, but it would probably easier to use the same filters we already have (brand, material type) and let us add custom tags to each filament (could be as easy as just typing it in), and allowing us to use those tags as filters.
@Tim Derks & @Nazmaker what’s the verdict here; is this achieved in our recent(ish) Filament v2 update?
Since this feature is completely locked behind a paywall, not really (basic filtering by material / brand already existed). Although I understand that you need to make money, your plans just aren’t very well balanced for hobby users. Why would I need access to multiprint, multi-livestream, stats, SMS notifications and the print queue (all things that are relevant to people who have multiple printers and are probably running a business with SP) just to be able to organize my filament list? Why aren’t there 1 or 2 locations available for free (other than “in the printer” and “elsewhere”) or for a few bucks a month?
I get it, you’re a business, you need to make money. But so many people are very fed up with subscriptions, especially ones that cost 10 bucks a month with low ROI. For a business, your software is dirt cheap. For a hobby user, it’s just not worth it.
Because of how I’ve seen SP develop, I’m looking at alternatives. The software is definitely getting better, but almost all improvements are locked behind a paywall, and more and more limitations are being added to restrict the free version.
Hi @Tim Derks - thanks for the honest feedback. That’s exactly what this board is for.
You’re definitely not alone in this. We’ve had quite a few suggestions asking for different pricing structures or the ability to mix and match features, like these:
https://suggestions.simplyprint.io/566
https://suggestions.simplyprint.io/668
https://suggestions.simplyprint.io/567
https://suggestions.simplyprint.io/565
https://suggestions.simplyprint.io/277
https://suggestions.simplyprint.io/117
https://suggestions.simplyprint.io/454
So we’re very aware that some users - especially hobbyists - feel like they’d be paying for a lot of things they don’t actually need.
One thing I do want to clarify though: we haven’t restricted the Free plan. Not a single feature has been removed from it. In fact we’ve added a lot over the years while keeping the price tiers the same. Most of the new features simply landed in the paid plans (that also haven’t increased in price to reflect these additions).
The way our plans are structured today is more “ecosystem bundles” than feature-by-feature pricing. Very few people actually use everything in a plan. Some Pro users don’t care about the filament manager at all. Others only subscribe for slicing or statistics. So the plans and pricing are designed with this in mind - which can be hard to communicate, though.
But I completely understand the reaction of looking at a plan and thinking: “I just want this one feature.”
Part of the challenge is that SimplyPrint now serves a lot of very different users: hobbyists, schools, print farms, enterprises, OEMs. Many of them want the same advanced features, but their willingness to pay is obviously very different.
Because of that, we’ve actually been discussing internally whether we should split things more clearly into different product groups. For example something like:
- Full SimplyPrint ecosystem (similar to today): current plan structure
- A filament-manager focused plan
- A slicing focused plan
That’s still just an idea and it would require some work to support properly, but it’s something we’ve been thinking about as the platform grows.
In the meantime I’d genuinely love to hear what a plan that would make sense for you looks like. Price point, features, limits, etc.
The more feedback we get from people who say “none of the current plans fit me”, the easier it is for us to design something that actually does.