As a fellow plugin developer, I’ve definitely noticed similar trends. The marketplace landscape has shifted dramatically over the past few years.
One major issue I’ve encountered is the increasing prevalence of low-quality, cheaply made plugins flooding the marketplaces. These often undercut more robust offerings, making it harder for quality developers to compete on price.
Additionally, I’ve found that customer support expectations have skyrocketed. Users now expect 24/7 assistance for even the most basic issues, which can be incredibly time-consuming and eat into profits.
The subscription model shift has been a double-edged sword in my experience. While it provides more consistent revenue, it’s also led to higher customer churn and more complex pricing structures that confuse buyers.
I’ve had some success pivoting to more niche, specialized plugins and marketing directly to specific industries. It’s required more upfront work, but has helped insulate me from some of the issues plaguing larger marketplaces.
Curious if others have found alternative strategies that are working well in this evolving landscape.