Prices, updates, and support at Aventiq Digital

Phrases such as the following were used:

Quote

Simply import the current system onto a test system and manually raise the exclude statement in the database.

This discussion is what prompted this article. Not because price discussions are particularly exciting, but because they bring together fundamental issues that are important to customers: pricing policy, consistency, warranty, support costs, and dealing with manipulation.

What is paid for

A plugin is not "a file that is finished once." It is a product that must be maintained, tested, documented, delivered, and supported over many years. In addition, there are dependencies: a new major version of WoltLab Suite changes interfaces, processes, and, in some cases, boundary conditions in the system.

In practice, this means:

• Each new major version of WoltLab Suite requires testing.
• The update process itself must be tested, not just the target version.
• Experience shows that support cases increase significantly around version changes.
• Troubleshooting takes time, even if it turns out that "only" a minor component was broken.

We work to a high standard of quality that requires a systematic approach. That is precisely why we do not have a "quick release" mentality.

Our model for major upgrades

Our plugins are always purchased for the current version of WoltLab Suite. When a new major version of WoltLab Suite is released, this constitutes a major upgrade.

Our model:

• Major upgrades are available to customers of the previous version at a 50% discount.
• There is generally no entitlement to major upgrades.
• A product can also be discontinued if it is no longer economically viable. In such cases, a new version can still be produced as a custom order.

This is not a "backdoor subscription." It is a clear distinction: a specific version is purchased. Anything beyond that is a new release that requires work and must be financed.

Warranty and Support

Under German law, the statutory warranty essentially covers the rectification of defects. This typically applies to:

• bug fixes
• security fixes

Anything beyond this is not covered by the warranty, for example:

• Setup and configuration
• Migration
• customizations
• consulting
• Analysis without a concrete, reproducible error description

Such services are provided as a gesture of goodwill or as paid services. This is also clearly stated in our license terms and conditions.

Important to note: Support is not a "quick fix." Even a clear answer to a single query can easily take 2 to 5 minutes. As soon as an investigation into the code is necessary, 30 minutes is a realistic estimate. Converted, that's already a mid-range double-digit amount. Plugin prices don't automatically recoup that, especially for larger products.

Why prices change

We reserve the right to change prices at any time. Not on a whim, but because conditions change:

• more functionality
• more support load
• Higher requirements due to new WoltLab Suite versions
• more testing effort
• increasing expectations regarding response times and "service"

We currently charge a low three-digit hourly wage for contract work. This is the benchmark that can be used to roughly classify the amount of work involved. In reality, plugin development often costs significantly less than what would be economically viable as a service. Nevertheless, the result should be stable, clean, and maintainable in the long term.

This is precisely where consistency comes into play: if prices do not reflect reality, the product will eventually disappear from the market. And this is exactly what has already happened several times in the WoltLab scene. Many developers did not complete WoltLab projects because they stopped programming, but because the ratio of effort, expectations, and return was no longer appropriate.

Consistency is a decision

Aventiq Digital is intended to grow and remain in existence for the long term. This is a conscious decision, not just empty words.

Long-term means:

• Updates not "somehow," but cleanly
• Support not as constant stress, but as a plannable process
• Prices that allow for further development

That costs money. But it is the basis for ensuring that customers are not left with an obsolete product after two years.

"Simply adjusting the package limits" is not a solution

At first glance, the proposal to change package limits sounds pragmatic to some: test system, raise version limits, done.

In practice, this is not a good idea for several reasons:

• It bypasses approvals that are specifically designed to ensure that a version has been tested.
• It makes error analysis much more difficult because the actual state differs from the original.
• It's a problem for support: if a package has been modified, reproducibility is no longer guaranteed.

Und noch klarer: Unsere Lizenzbedingungen untersagen die Verwendung außerhalb der freigegebenen WoltLab-Suite-Versionen sowie das Verändern von requiredpackages- und excludedpackages-Angaben. Diese Grenzen sind Bestandteil des Produkts und der Qualitätssicherung.

Deception in support has consequences

Support takes time. If you fail to disclose that a package has been modified when submitting a support request, this is negligent at best and can lead to unnecessary investigations.

That is why we have the following rule:

• If any manipulation or modification of the plugin is concealed, at least negligently, when requesting support, we may charge for the time spent at our standard hourly rate.

This is not a "list of penalties." It is protection against wasting time due to incorrect starting positions.

Which customers suit us

With Aventiq Digital, we deliberately target companies and professional communities with budgets and similar quality standards. This is not meant to be elitist, but honest.

Hobby projects are perfectly legitimate. But if the expectation is that major products, major upgrades, and support will run at virtually cost price, that's not sustainable in the long term.

Those who purchase our products should be able to rely on two things:

• clear rules
• clean work

And if you realize that another model is a better fit, you should switch without any drama. That's a normal decision.

What customers can do specifically to make support efficient

The better a request is, the faster a solution can be found. This saves time and money, including on our side.

The following are helpful:

• Precise steps for reproduction
• Relevant logs from the administration area
• Specific information about the version used
• No changes to the package, or at least complete transparency about any changes made

Realistically, there will never be a perfect plugin without bugs. WoltLab continues to develop, systems change, and new features are added. That's exactly why clear bug descriptions are so important.

Fazit

Prices and upgrade models are not a moral issue. It is simply a question of whether a product can be maintained in the long term. Aventiq Digital stands for:

• Tested releases instead of assumptions
• Warranty within the legal framework
• Goodwill where it makes sense
• Clear boundaries for manipulation and abuse of support
• A pricing model that enables further development

If you share this view, you've come to the right place. If you don't, you'll save yourself a lot of hassle by using products that better suit your expectations. Best regards, Julian