Ask HN: Is Sublime Text profitable?

Development of sublime text stopped last year, during which time version 3 beta is made into permanent evaluation. But it's under active development again from march onwards and the version 4 is coming soon, which will not be a free update.

If you like it and use it, why don't you pay for it?

The creator has been working on Sublime full time for over 8 years with only a couple of relatively short breaks, so whatever the return it is clearly enough.

The model seems much the same one a busker uses: no up front admission charge, no enforcement, the music is out there as you walk by, speaking for itself, and there is a hopeful hat on the ground.

Much though creators might like a bit more certainty than that, in a cynical market as reluctant to make purchases as you yourself are, sadly, it seems difficult for an independent to do much better.

Sublime is the best editor I have encountered, and I use it heavily, daily. The busker is a professional virtuoso. If I stand there, entranced, listening, day in day out, it seems churlish to walk away without putting some money in the hat. Therefore I have purchased a license, even though no-one is forcing me to and doing so unlocks no new features.

Apparently enough others also feel the same way.

I bought it a long time ago because I loved it and used it everywhere. Also the license allows me to use it everywhere I need it. As I am a professional developer myself, and would also like to be paid for my work, I pay for software that I use and like. Best $70 I spent for any piece of software ever.

You also forget that you have to own a license for business.

free version is enough to use.

I haven't used Sublime in a long time, not since Atom released v1.0 and I switched. But I paid for a license and feel that despite not using it anymore, that license was well worth the cost. Sublime is a great tool and I'm sure it's profitable.

I wander what's special about Sublime Text, compared to other fast (i.e. not electron/js based monsters) editors? There are many fast, native editors, sharewares or freewares. One feature that comes to mind - ST targeted TextMate userbase by out of the box supporting its add-ons. What else?

Most people who aren't going to pay for text editor are not going to pay for Sublime whether or not its free. These people would choose something else if Sublime was "paid only."

On the other hand, people and their circumstances change. A person who is using the free version of Sublime is a strong sales lead for the paid version. If the free version produces more sales of Sublime than it cannibalizes, then it's a profitable strategy.

The free version works because the nominal cost of producing and maintaining it is approximately zero.

Good luck.

There are lots of companies in the world, especially startups, that have very generous "get-what-you-want" IT budget for every employee. Sublime Text for a long time has been favourite text editor for developers and $60 will only make a minute dent in that allocated budget.

I don't have the numbers but I can imagine lots of licenses being purchased that way, even if the normal user would balk at spending on something that is mostly free.

I bet the guy is loaded on money. I've paid for it from my own pocket because it is amazing. And now I am using atom but I don't regret having paid for it. $70 for something that you use 8h/day for ever? That's basically free.

Unless the creator released the figures nobody will know however it must be bringing in enough money to keep him interested.

Personally if you're using the software to make money then dropping a one off payment of $70 is nothing in the long term.