iOverlander 2

We recently launched a new app, iOverlander 2. (Available on the App Store and Play Store.) Entirely rebuilt on a new platform with a lot of features that have been requested for years! We’re excited about it. But, we know it raises some questions, especially with our paid subscriptions. In an effort to continue our transparency, here’s what ’ s happening and why.

First, let me clarify, this new app is still free. There is an optional paid subscription available which turns off ads, gives you the ability to download more points at one time, and allows you to download offline maps. All other features (new and old) are still available for free.

Why does your new app have a paid upgrade?

In short, iOverlander is nearly broke and we want to do better. Overlanders need better. We have massive technology problems that we can’t solve on volunteer hours. I know, because we’ve been trying for a decade to make this work and it simply doesn’t.

Without a steady stream of income we cannot support the time and technology required to maintain our app and our database of places. We currently have an amazing team of volunteers, moderators, developers and just awesome people doing what they can. It’s an incredible community. But, people get busy, go back to real jobs and our cycle of recruiting starts over. It’s a constant struggle to have enough income to pay our hosting and software fees, much less to pay developers to maintain our app.

And, if you haven’t noticed, our old app is pretty broken and really needs an upgrade. It’s on a platform that’s no longer supported, and has become near impossible to maintain. We intend to keep the old app available as long as possible, for people that want all the points at once or have bugs in the new app… and I know, some of you are emotionally attached to it. However, because of the lack of support for this app’s infrastructure, it will eventually be discontinued. That will be a sad day.

A big reason for this paid app is because of the frequent requests we get for new features. Wow, you guys have ideas… and most of them are really good! You’ve been waiting for some really basic ones for years. It’s painful and I’m sorry about that. This new app is loaded with stuff that’s been on the list for a decade, but it’s not the end. The income generated gives us the ability to keep new features rolling. Search. Translations. Garages. Map Routing. Cell phone signals. So. Many. Things. It’s coming.

All of the users did the work to add places, why are you now charging us?

We have many volunteers and moderators that have contributed huge amounts to our app. They are amazing, and all of them have been given free upgrades for life. In addition, several thousand travelers (our top contributors of places, check-ins & corrections) were also given free subscriptions. If you believe this is you and you did not receive an email, please contact us at [email protected]. And yes, we are working on a program to continue rewarding our top contributors every year!

That said, I want to address a few misconceptions in the question above. “All of the users did the work” is very inaccurate. Of our users, less than 3% have contributed even a single check-in. In fact, over 30% of all our check-ins have come from .05% of contributors. (That’s not five percent, that’s half of a tenth of a percent! These contributors and more, have free upgrades for life.)

In addition, adding places, check-ins, and corrections are only a small part of what makes iOverlander work. An important and critical part, absolutely! But not the only part, and definitely not the most time-consuming part. Developing, upgrading and maintaining our website, apps and database takes a huge amount of resources. It also costs a substantial amount of money to keep the lights on given our large user base. As stated above, this is not something that can be sustained by volunteer hours. And the technology costs to run an app this size also cannot be sustained on donations alone. When you consider everything that it takes to make iOverlander work (not just the points on the map) it is clear we need additional revenue.

Why are the subscriptions set up this way and why does it cost so much?

Our paid subscription is a bit different and it costs a bit more than other travel apps. Here’s some info on why we work this way:

First, we expect that most users will stay on the free version! That was always our hope, and our promise. We don’t restrict categories, or offline mode, or have a long list of upgrade-only features. We don’t want every user to be required to have a subscription, instead we expect a small percent of you to upgrade. We’ve intentionally kept our subscription simple, and our old app available, so most overlanders can stay on the free version.

Second, all of the items in our subscription package directly correlate to iOverlander’s overhead costs. We limit these items and make them part of our upgrade because our bandwidth fees for downloading places and offline maps are both big expenses. Items that are simply great features that may cost to develop but not to use, are all included in our free version.

Finally, iOverlander does not accept income from other sources that may compromise our data quality. We don’t bulk import, we rarely license our points to third parties, and we don’t allow places, such as RV parks, to promote their places or own their place descriptions. This is so important to us, we put it in our general criteria: “All places in the iOverlander database must not be given any type of preferential treatment for iOverlander’s financial gain.” Protecting our data integrity means we have fewer opportunities to raise funds. But it also means that we have no ulterior motive behind what we publish in our database.

We are hoping to add additional subscription choices soon, including a monthly option! These subscriptions are complex and we did not have the resources to build everything we wanted for launch. But we hear you! And we are working hard on improving them.

Are you still asking for donations?

No. We have an income now, from our subscriptions. We have removed all language and requests for donations on our website. In addition, as a thank you for supporting us, anyone who has donated $50 or more was given a free subscription to the new app. If this is you and you haven’t heard from us, send an email to [email protected].

Isn’t it terrible to use donations to build an app that you then expect us to pay for?

Yes, that would be terrible, but we did not do that. As stated several times, all of our donations are tracked separately than other income. These funds are used to pay for expenses related to our current app, and expenses related to running and maintaining our website and database. Is there some overlap here because both apps use the same database? Yep. That’s one of the reasons that many donors received a free subscription. But, did donations directly pay for the development costs for building our new app? No.

Are you still going to be run by volunteers?

No. Because the 2.0 app will bring a steady income, we will be able to pay all moderators, developers, translators, etc. We hope to transition to fully paid positions in the first few months after the app is released.

Are you still operating as a nonprofit?

There are a lot of misconceptions around the term nonprofit, so please bear with me on this explanation. iOverlander has always operated on a nonprofit model, but we are not and have never been a registered 501c3. (We made this decision a long time ago to save the cost of registering and renewing annually.)

When I say “nonprofit model”, I mean that 100% of our income went back into our apps. Our income pays expenses, like hosting fees, maps, development time, etc. As owners we have never taken profit draws. Meaning that at the end of the year if iOverlander had extra money, we (as owners) pay tax on this revenue, but it stays in the iOverlander bank to use the next year for whatever expenses we have.

For the foreseeable future, our income will still go directly back into maintaining and improving the app, operating similar to our nonprofit model of the past. However, as explained above, we are no longer soliciting donations, and we are no longer volunteer run. Because of this, we believe it would be misleading to claim that we are still a nonprofit.

Regardless of how you classify our entity, this change from a volunteer run, donations-based system, to an app with paid upgrades, was not because we wanted to make a whole bunch of money. We made this change because our expenses exceed our donation income and it is the only way to sustain our app, and improve it for overlanders worldwide.

Download the App

For offline support, improved filters, and so many more features, download our app:

About iOverlander

iOverlander is a website and mobile app to help overlanders find their next destination. All of our places and reviews are created by travelers like you. Please help us improve our data by updating and adding places you have been.