Planned obsolescence in business software
Your accounting software worked fine yesterday. Today there's an update, it wants a subscription, and half the features you relied on are now premium add-ons. Sound familiar?
The subscription shift
Software used to be something you bought and owned. Now most business software is subscription-based, and the terms tend to creep: prices go up, features move to higher tiers, things that were included become extras. The product you signed up for slowly becomes something else.
Upgrades you didn't ask for
Software companies regularly end support for older versions — sometimes shutting them down entirely. Your workflow, your data, your muscle memory with the interface — none of that factors in. Upgrade or lose access.
Complexity for its own sake
Simple tools don't justify high prices, so tools get complicated. Features pile up whether anyone asked for them or not. Interfaces get redesigned. You just wanted to send invoices, now you're navigating a dashboard with AI insights.
What most businesses actually need
Track money. Keep customer info organised. Manage appointments. Communicate clearly. That's the core of it. Not AI features, not a dozen integrations — just tools that work, stay stable, and let you take your data with you.
Finding better options
A few things worth looking for:
- Smaller vendors tend to be more stable — they're not chasing growth at all costs.
- Simple beats sophisticated if the simple tool actually does what you need.
- Clear pricing that doesn't change every year is a good sign.
- Easy data export means you're not trapped if things change.
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