App.net edges closer to 20, 000 users, drops subscription prices to $36 to fuel the social fire

[ ](http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/02/app-net-edges-closer-to-20-000-users-drops-subscription-prices-to-36/)

When App.net [kicked off](http://www.engadget.com/2012/08/13/app.net-hits-funding-goal-500k/) its Twitter rivalry, the $50 yearly subscription fee was based on the assumption that the ad-free social service would maintain 10,000 customers. Founder Dalton Caldwell may have underestimated year-one adoption by just a tad: he now has nearly 20,000 customers on his hands in less than two months, which throws the previous economies of scale out the window. The pain for Caldwell's business model is a pleasure for fans, however. App.net's price of entry has dropped to $36 per year, with existing memberships' durations extended to match the new yearly rate. Anyone on the fence also has a chance to try the service for a short stint through a $5 monthly plan. While it's hard to know if the price drop will sustain the early runaway pace, it reflects a determination to play for keeps in the social media game -- an important trait when the chief opponent [isn't sitting still](http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/22/twitter-ceo-reveals-plans-for-interactive-tweets/).

Filed under: [Internet](http://www.engadget.com/category/internet/)

[App.net edges closer to 20,000 users, drops subscription prices to $36 to fuel the social fire](http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/02/app-net-edges-closer-to-20-000-users-drops-subscription-prices-to-36/) originally appeared on [Engadget](http://www.engadget.com) on Tue, 02 Oct 2012 03:33:00 EDT. Please see our [terms for use of feeds](http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/).

######

[Permalink](http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/02/app-net-edges-closer-to-20-000-users-drops-subscription-prices-to-36/)&nbsp_place_holder;[GigaOM](http://gigaom.com/2012/10/01/app-net-lowers-entry-price-and-adds-monthly-option-as-membership-grows/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=gigaom) &nbsp_place_holder;|&nbsp_place_holder; [App.net Blog](http://blog.app.net/blog/2012/10/01/app-net-pricing-changes/) &nbsp_place_holder;|&nbsp_place_holder;[Email this](http://www.engadget.com/forward/20338603/)&nbsp_place_holder;|&nbsp_place_holder;[Comments](http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/02/app-net-edges-closer-to-20-000-users-drops-subscription-prices-to-36/#comments)

URL: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/02/app-net-edges-closer-to-20-000-users-drops-subscription-prices-to-36/