Why purchase Full Feature Set instead of joining Logos Now?

Wild Eagle said:

If you LN member and never buy feature set then it would be hard to give up LN because after few releases the price of set would be very high because it accumulates from previous editions. 

Good point, very good point indeed. Right now I own L6 so I would only pay to upgrade to L7 if I purchased the full feature set package. But if I go with LN instead and then change my mind when L8 comes around, I would then have to pay for both L7 and L8 features on top of what I spent on LN in the interim. I would think that a 5% discount from being a LN subscriber would not come close to compensating for that. I have also noted that only the yearly option appears now for LN. It seemed to me that one could do it for a month only before. Perhaps they are hiding this option now (much like they hid the core engine for L6 for a while to "encourage" people to buy a package instead). If there is only an annual option available, then there is also the problem of timing: if I subscribe for a year to LN but then decide, after using it for 6 months, that it was a bad idea and that I should get the full feature set, I would still pay for LN another 6 months. Or is it not so?

Moreover, I have not subscribed to LN so far, although I have been tempted to. One of the questions on my mind is how having access early to features affect one's work. I know that when L6 released -- and this was before the subscription model -- a number of features were incomplete. I assume, hope, that the fact that LN has been running for a while means that L7 features are more "mature" than were those of L6 when it was first released.

If that is the case (is it?) then one has to wonder whether early L8 features are also incomplete and in their first stages their data less reliable. For personal Bible study it may not be that great of a problem, as one does not depend on the program providing comprehensive data. For those who use Logos for research, however, it is more important that functions perform largely as they promise (not expecting perfection of course). Otherwise, it can result in erroneous conclusions or time loss. Certainly fiddling around with features that are still somewhat "beta" is not something that all of us can afford to do. So then, this makes me hesitant to go with LN and have early access to developing features. The ownership track seems to come at the end of the process of maturation of these features. 

Perhaps LN subscribers can offer their feedback on this. 

Francis said:

Perhaps LN subscribers can offer their feedback on this.

I don't think you need to worry too much. Some tools have improved with more features during Logos Now (e.g. concordance). Some datasets have been expanded. But there have been no major examples of datasets/tools becoming more accurate. That's not to say the datasets will be perfect, but I don't think they've been any worse than those in 'normal' Logos.

I think this thread goes back to when LN was released ... would you get credit if you got off the LN train?

My current impression is 'no'.  The L7 FFS is about $180 if you add over-top L6.  LN or not.

That's the first problem; LN is not rent-to-own (like Amazon Prime similarly).  The decision stands alone.

The second problem, is when you step off the LN train.  The FFS price-tag.  Buy a package, no problem.

But no package, then you face fairly significant price-inflation.  For me, having crossgraded from L4, and then adding FFS, the inflation is about 50-60% for a 6 yr period. Uncompounded, maybe 8% per year.

Then, add Francis' point .... shear sticker shock to catch up ... no pick and choose.  You really can't get off the LN train for free .... without backtracking to a Libby-type world (but called 'Logos). Or buy a package.

I wonder if one answer to the question why a feature set and not Logos Now is the following: Logos always gets bigger and takes up more space.  If you live in a poorer part of the world, unless you have a high spec machine, Logos will always tend to the slow side.  Purchasing the latest version of logos with your latest computer works well and then buying the next version when you update your computer is the best way to ensure you don't get sluggish performance.  

Paul Chatfield said:

 Purchasing the latest version of logos with your latest computer works well and then buying the next version when you update your computer is the best way to ensure you don't get sluggish performance.  

Unlike with OS (Operating Systems), latest version of Logos does not really slows down computer. It was so when update was from L3 (libronix) to L4. But this is not the case anymore. For instance, my L7 works noticeable faster than L6. I think for older systems L7 will operate much faster then L4 if you have compatible OS. 

Bill Moore said:

2) If one is an LN member, why purchase the Full Feature Set?

I am a Logos Now member and I am buying the Full Feature Set simply so at the launch of Logos 7 I own the feature sets. The ownership model is one Faithlife said they will keep. I do both so I can own the features and still get the new features NOW. I will do the same thing with Logos 8, 9, 10 and so on.

Mark Barnes said:

You should purchase the Full Feature set instead of joining Logos Now if you're intending to skip L8 and L9, etc., but want to keep using Logos 7 for years to come. Otherwise, you should become a member.

Mark, you said elsewhere that you had purchased the FFS. Can I ask what your thinking is? I assume you're not planning on skipping L8 and 9 and are already a LN member! 

Personally, while I do like to own rather than subscribe, subscription seems to be the way things are heading (eg there seems little point buying a box-set if I'm already subscribing to netflix). What might push me over the edge towards subscription is that even if I pay more to own the features, I'd still be missing out on LN features like lemma in passage. 

Bill Moore said:

I typically prefer purchasing instead of leasing software, but Faithlife has Logos Now and the Full Feature Set so priced that I don't see the advantage of owning the feature set.

LN is $89.99 (though it rises to $99.99 after the first year). To buy the Full Feature Set will cost $172.01, unless you buy a base library. I doubt that I'll buy another base library, but I could change my mind. It looks as though Logos is now on a two-year release schedule, so leasing the feature set would be a total of $189.98, $18 more dollars than staying abreast of Logos feature updates and perhaps some discounts.

1) If one is not an LN member, why purchase the Full Feature Set instead of simply joining LN?

2) If one is an LN member, why purchase the Full Feature Set?

Oh well, I'm going to bed. I have Logos new release brain fog. 

I've mentioned it elsewhere, but as an LN subscriber I also want to own the Full Feature Set. The reason is that when I eventually gift/bequeath my library down the road, I don't want that individual to have to sign up for a SaS program or pay out of pocket to roll up the features. My wife and I have discussed it and if one of my children doesn't want my library, I'd like her to give it to a young pastor who is just starting out. I'd like to be able to give that person a fully functional library and avoid the possibility that it simply goes unused because they can't afford the fees. 

Bill Moore said:

I joined Logos Now yesterday without also purchasing the full feature set.

I have been a Logos Now member since last December, but I really thought hard about whether or not to purchase the Full Feature set. In the end, like you, I've also decided not to do so, but just to continue on with Logos Now. I like the early access to new features (although there's only a few I use) and I loved waking up at 3 AM one morning to find Logos 7 downloading—no fuss over what package to buy.

As to cost, $100 a year to rent a powerful tool is a good deal (compare that to other industries, like renting construction equipment). I'll set aside $10 a month from my book fund to pay for it—so it actually makes finances easier for me.

When/if I retire, I'll probably not need all those features that I did not purchase every two years, but I'll still have my books and something to read them on and to search them.

I didn't think I would be, and it took several months to change, but I am happy with Logos Now.

I think that the financial situation of the buyer makes a difference as well (and their confidence that they can count on continuing to be rather prosperous in years to come). 

There are buyers like me for whom the question FFS vs LN is either/or from a financial standpoint. 

Others seem to have more money to invest and so can use LN both for its own benefits (early access to new features, promos, Bible browser) and to get a discount on packages they want to own. 

Personally, I have learned not to presume of the future. I cannot presume what my means will be and that I will be able to continue a subscription indefinitely. I cannot presume that I would then have sufficient means to pay the accumulated differential to revert to full ownership. Getting what I can now is what I know I can do now and will remain mine.

Furthermore, while I hope that FL lives long and prospers, we cannot predict how the economy of the US will fare in years to come and how long of a future the company has or how it may affect its future policies and pricing. All in all, it goes back to my very first point: playing it safe or assuming that all will be well.

BTW, how long has LN been around for? It's already 10% up. I don't mean to be cynical, but while I believe that FL really wants to keep its cost reasonable, reality might catch up at some point (cf., Noet, pre-publications, etc). It may be too good of a deal to continue to be true. 

I am all in support of solutions that can help FL leverage cost of operation over time if this what they need. This is why I would be in support of a rent-to-own approach. But sole dependence on subscription does not seem a good alternative to ownership if a choice must be made between the two.