How Much Does It Cost?

At this time Kwipoo is 100% free for anyone.

But to be completely honest, in order to support the people behind it as well cover the cost of the services and infrastructure that make it possible for Kwipoo to run, we will need to make money off of it at some point. The sooner the better since we're currently 100% bootstrapping everything with our own funds which, despite numerous pleas with the universe, are not infinite.

We don't feel Kwipoo has achieved a state worth charging for yet, so we've kept it free and are just completely eating the associated costs ourselves. As we work towards building and improving Kwipoo to the point it is providing users enough tangible value, we're weighing a few options on how to monetize it. Sticking with our values, we'll be very transparent about whichever model we go with and why. We'll also do our best to break down what our costs are and where the money is going so people can know if we're being fair or not. We're not in this to extract as much money as possible from people, we want a fair exchange of value with them.
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So what are our options?
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What we'd prefer:
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Subscription
Either a flat subscription rate with monthly/annual options or possibly tiered subscriptions dependent on advanced feature access or "usage" of app (similar to mobile data tiers). We would aim to keep it simple, no per-feature micro subscription stuff.
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‍Pros:
- Predictable revenue that lets us plan and build sustainably
- Easy to explain the value exchange (you pay, we build, both of us benefit)
- No data selling or ads needed
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Cons:
- We know people are getting tired of subscriptions
- People like free
- Some users may bounce, even if they’d get value from it
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Donations / Pay-What-You-Want
If users love Kwipoo and want to support it voluntarily, we may explore a donation model. Could be one-time or ongoing via something like Open Collective, Patreon, or our own system.

Pros:
- Keeps the core product accessible to everyone
- Aligns with people who value transparency and mission
- Reinforces community ownership of the tool
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Cons:
- Unpredictable income, which makes planning hard
- Might not be sustainable long-term unless we have a huge user base or a very loyal core

Angel Investment/Grants
We find people/organizations with extra money and a solid bullshit detector who believe in the mission and want Kwipoo to succeed—without pushing us to sell out, scale recklessly, or extract every dollar possible.

Pros:
- Gives us breathing room to focus on value, not immediate revenue
- Keeps us aligned with long-term thinking, not VC growth theater
- Can accelerate development without compromising integrity

Cons:
- Hard to find the right investors who align with our values
- Still introduces some external influence, even if soft

‍What we'd really rather not do:

Data Sales
Selling or licensing aggregated, anonymized data insights (not personal data) to organizations—like sustainability researchers, supply chain firms, or local governments.Pros:
- If done right, can fund the platform and contribute to broader good (e.g., understanding consumption patterns, waste reduction, etc.)
- Doesn’t rely on charging users directly
- Some organizations are actively looking for this kind of ethical, high-quality data
- There is the potential we can pay users a cut of the proceeds
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Cons:- Easy to cross the line from “aggregated insight” to “surveillance capitalism”
- Hard to explain clearly and transparently—risk of user mistrust
- We'd need airtight ethical and technical safeguards
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Traditional Investment
Taking funding from institutional investors or funds that typically expect high returns and fast growth—often pushing for an exit (acquisition or IPO).

Pros:
- Can provide significant capital to grow the team, expand features, and improve infrastructure quickly
- Might help us reach a larger audience faster
- Some investors do genuinely care about long-term value creation
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Cons:
- Often comes with pressure to scale fast, sometimes at the cost of product quality or mission
- Success may get redefined as “growth” instead of “usefulness”
- Hard to avoid misalignment between investor goals and user needs
- We'd need to be very selective to avoid compromising our principles
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Ads
Monetizing the app by showing sponsored content, listings, or placements—ideally integrated in a non-intrusive, non-manipulative way.

‍Pros:
- Can keep the app free for users
- Done well, relevant ads or listings could offer real value (e.g., repair services, secondhand items, etc.)
- Provides flexibility in pricing models
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Cons:
- Even "ethical" ads can subtly shift product incentives toward engagement over utility
- Hard to guarantee quality and intent of advertisers at scale
- Users rightly associate ads with clutter and manipulation