Why there is no free version of melo

Most of you will have heard this saying by now. In the tech space it is a simple approach that is pretty common by now: businesses have figured out how to provide users a service for free whilst still making money. The two most common options used are collecting user data and on selling this to advertisers and other organisations, and second is using the product as a place to serve ads to users.

So when we were starting melo we talked about those two paths. We had long, long discussions about the type of business we want to build. The two things we try to keep in mind are:

So from those two points of view the decisions on the two paths paths to a free product made themselves.

We, personally, were never comfortable with how our data is used by certain tech companies, and in many cases without our knowledge. We hated how easily we felt exploited and manipulated so why would we do that to our users. How can we say that We’ve Got Your Back and then be a path to exploiting your personal, private data. So right from the beginning we decided that we do not want to be in the business of selling user data.

Again, this was simple if we looked at our purpose. If the whole point of melo is to reduce the mental load of families, then cramming your screens with ads that let’s be honest you do not want to see, made no sense. So that decision made itself again.

Which leaves one path. In order to be able to provide a solution we needed to charge a subscription. We are hoping that you feel that the cost of a coffee per family, is a fair exchange for helping you stay on top of things and supporting you to work better as a team.

Kate, Fraser, Bec and Maja