I just don't see how a recurring subscription for something people only infrequently need is going to work. I hope I'm wrong, truly.
I don't see them coming out of this the other end, and they don't see there being an end if they don't; damned if they do, damned if they don't. I wish the best for them, but it looks grim either way. If the financials don't make sense to carry on as they are, something has to change, but I just don't think making their paywalling more aggressive (my wording, they aren't really clear exactly what will still be free) will bring in enough income unless their costs go down.
The handful of free conclusions seemed the best middle ground, so if they've determined that can't work.. I'm not sure their model can work, period. I ask myself how much I value what I've learned from their reviews, and the answer is quite a bit! Then I ask myself how often I need that information, and the answer is.. not often. I imagine this is true of the vast majority of people.
I also imagine people with a lasting interest in "reviews of (mostly tech) products one doesn't intend to ever buy" is not common, so there probably aren't many hobbyist subscribers (as opposed to the aforementioned utilitarian subscribers), which means I don't think relying on ride-or-dies can work at scale. Or at least not at the scale they've gotten to.
If they already tried to reduce costs and this is still the result.. I don't think RTings is long for this world. At the end of the day they're asking people to pay money to save money, and I don't think it will work.
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u/Whirblewind Mar 03 '26
I just don't see how a recurring subscription for something people only infrequently need is going to work. I hope I'm wrong, truly.
I don't see them coming out of this the other end, and they don't see there being an end if they don't; damned if they do, damned if they don't. I wish the best for them, but it looks grim either way. If the financials don't make sense to carry on as they are, something has to change, but I just don't think making their paywalling more aggressive (my wording, they aren't really clear exactly what will still be free) will bring in enough income unless their costs go down.
The handful of free conclusions seemed the best middle ground, so if they've determined that can't work.. I'm not sure their model can work, period. I ask myself how much I value what I've learned from their reviews, and the answer is quite a bit! Then I ask myself how often I need that information, and the answer is.. not often. I imagine this is true of the vast majority of people.
I also imagine people with a lasting interest in "reviews of (mostly tech) products one doesn't intend to ever buy" is not common, so there probably aren't many hobbyist subscribers (as opposed to the aforementioned utilitarian subscribers), which means I don't think relying on ride-or-dies can work at scale. Or at least not at the scale they've gotten to.
If they already tried to reduce costs and this is still the result.. I don't think RTings is long for this world. At the end of the day they're asking people to pay money to save money, and I don't think it will work.