MindNode 5 - Volume License

When we released MindNode 5 last year we switched from a paid upfront to a freemium business model. MindNode 5 is a free app on the App Store and the full version can be unlocked using an In-App Purchase (IAP). Considering the constraints of the App Store, this model gave us more flexibility by allowing us to provide you with a free 14-day-trial, discounted upgrades and a viewer-only version of the app.

When we changed business model we were aware that this model also had one major downside: We were no longer able to sell to businesses and education institutions as In-App Purchases are not available on Apple's Volume Purchase Program (this program allows to purchase bulk licenses of App Store apps). We had high hopes that Apple would eventually resolve this oversight, but the Spring Education Event and the World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC) passed without hints that this might happen in the near future. Talking directly to Apple representatives at WWDC, we realized that we need to find our own solution to this problem. We considered several options, had to dismiss our preferred option due to App Review concerns, but for iOS we finally have a solution that you can start adopting today.

MindNode 5 – Volume License is a new paid upfront version of MindNode 5 that is now available on the iOS App Store. This version is fully feature equivalent to MindNode 5 and we plan to update both versions with the same features going forward. We still think that our standard app is the best solution for most of our users, but if you want to purchase MindNode 5 through Apple's Business and Education Volume Purchase Program, or if you need Family Sharing support, this is the version you should get.

The volume license version is currently only available for iOS. For macOS, we are looking into providing a direct download version through our own web store. Though, we can't share more details at this time.

MindNode 5 – Volume License is now available on the iOS App Store for $14.99.