Can’t export

[Russell Martin]

I’m trying to export some databases to CSV. I’ve tried on my iPad and my iPhone. They both say the export is complete but, I can find no corresponding files in the Files app. Is export from Tap Forms 5 broken in iOS 26.2? If so, how can I export my data?

[Brendan]

Hi Russell,

In Tap Forms 5, the exports go to the Files AREA. Not the Files app.

The Files area is on the Tools screen. Your exported files will be in the Exports folder there.

From there you can tap on the file and then choose the Upload to Service command or email it or one of the other functions

Thanks,

Brendan

[Russell Martin]

Thank you! I could not figure out what the “Files Area” was about.

Just some food for thought for you on the new pricing scheme- I totally get that you need to move to a subscription model to have recurring revenue. I probably bought Tap Forms 5 about 8 or 9 years ago. I kind of wished that you would move to a subscription model so that Tap Forms would not go away.

All that being said, I just can’t get myself to commit to $50 yearly ($60 if I want to share any databases with my wife) for the amount that I use Tap Forms.

It’s not that you haven’t made a great product and I’m sure that there are some users for which that is a bargain. I’m just saying that for the simple lists that I’ve been keeping in the program, I can’t bring myself to spend that much annually.

That’s why I’ve been exporting my databases to CSV and experimenting with importing them in other apps.

And, honestly, importing them into Numbers where they will automatically sync if I keep them on my iCloud drive so they will be accessible on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and via the web at icloud.com (making them accessible on even Windows and Linux) and the fact that Numbers on iPhone and iPad has a Form view, I hate to say it but, I think I will be moving to Numbers and no longer using Tap Forms.

I’m sure you’ve done the math and have some idea of how many subscribers you will get at the price point that you’ve set but, for my casual use, I think I would have only been willing to go to about $19.99 (aka $20) annually for Tap Forms. Or, maybe not. Maybe I’d only be willing to commit to $15 per year. (I don’t know if you considered making a lower tier subscription with few features unlocked- like maybe no scripting at the lower price point.)

Again, I think you have a great product and I will miss it a little bit but, for my use Numbers is going to fit the bill and free vs $50 per year makes your new pricing seem even that much more expensive.

[Brendan]

Hi Russell,

It’s very difficult for me to compete with a multi-trillion dollar company such as Apple. So I’d basically have to just give up and concede to Apple for making Numbers free I suppose.

I understand that for the specific use case you have, perhaps Tap Forms is not the best tool for you. I’ve never wanted to lock people in to Tap Forms if it’s not the right tool for them. That’s why I’ve always included a way you can export your data so you can import it into other apps, as you’ve been experimenting with. I’m glad that I was able to spend the time to program that feature so you would have that flexibility when needed.

Perhaps one day you may find a need for Tap Forms again and I’ll be welcoming and happy to have you back and I’ll be here to provide free support for as long as you need it.

Thanks,

Brendan

[Russell Martin]

I understand, at least I think I do. Apple makes Numbers and makes it “free” because they can afford to provide a free (well, you have to have purchased one of their devices) office suite. That’s something that any indie developer has to take into account. That wasn’t my point. My point, which I failed to communicate effectively, is that Tap Forms has gone from being affordable to me to being too expensive for me.

I look at it this way. When I bought Tap Forms the first time, I think I paid something like $10 for the iOS version and $30 for the Mac version. It was the version before Tap Forms 5 so, I don’t actually remember but, I think it was around those price points. I got like 3 to 5 years of use before Tap Forms 5 was released so, effectively I was paying anywhere from $40/3 = $13.33 per year or $40/5 = $8.00 per year for the product.

Tap Forms 5 was released and I think I paid $10 for the iOS version and $40 for the Mac version, and again the total was $50 and I believe I got at least 8 years out of it so, effectively $6.25 per year. (Which is honestly too low and I know this so and that’s why I said I had hoped you would go to a subscription model- I don’t mind paying an affordable and fair price for products that I use and want to see maintained.)

Had you released TF6 and if it was going to cost me $15 for the iOS version and $50 for the Mac version and I was going to be able to use them both for at least 5 years, creating an effective annual cost of $13 per year, TF would have remained worth it to me for my uses.

But, it’s not. It’s not going from $6.25 or $8.00 per year to $13.00 to $15.00 per year now. It’s jumping to $50 per year for a single user and $60 per year for a family user. That’s quite the price hike.

And, again, I get it, I don’t know what you know. I have no idea if you have a good idea of how many subscribers you will retain at this new price point and if you’ve done the math on what you will need to charge based on that to make it worth your while or if this new pricing is an attempt to finally make some serious revenue from the product (which I wouldn’t necessarily begrudge you as TF is a great product).

My only reason for writing was to let you know that the effective price increase is just too much for a customer like me. I can’t help but wonder if, the subscription price was not so much more than the old “effective” annual cost if you would retain more subscribers and be more attractive to new users.

Also, as far as competing with free options, that’s something that every developer has to contend with in the modern world. From open source options to freemium options to loss leaders like the iWork suite, there’s just a ton of freely available software out there these days. So, you’ve always been competing with free and you probably always will be competing with free. The question will always be- are you providing enough added value at the right price point to make your software worth paying for. Right now, for me and the way I see the pricing history, that answer is “no”. Hopefully, for you, there’s enough users for whom the answer is “yes” to justify the new price hike.

Anyway, thank you for taking the time to respond when I couldn’t figure out where the Files Area was and thank you for taking the time to engage with my thoughts about the new pricing. I really do hope you have enough customers at the new price to stay in business just in case I need to come back some day but, I will still be hoping that there might, at some future date, be an annual subscription price more in line with what I’d be comfortable paying.

• This reply was modified 1 month, 2 weeks ago by Russell Martin.

[karen james]

I’m finding myself feeling as Russell does. We’re 4 months away from the 1 year anniversary of the release of Tap Forms Pro and it seems that the only new things have been added to the Mac version, which I will not subscribe to. Most of the updates have been bug fixes. For me, there is no incentive to maintain my subscription.

• This reply was modified 1 month, 2 weeks ago by karen james.

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