Many of us former Reddit Sync users requested that he make the app for Lemmy, so in a sense we do have a contractor type of relationship with him. Hence why many former Sync users are comfortable paying the amount. I think a lot of people who are complaining about the price are just not the target audience for Sync.

You make valid points, however, I'd like to point out that most games on the play store don't cost a lot because the real costly transactions are in-app purchases. It's common, in my experience, for the popular free apps to have IAPs upwards of $100 for in-game currency.

There's also that matter of the no-cost version of the app. It seems perfectly usable, making the ad-removal an optional purchase.

Considering the smaller user-base and the finite economic value of life-time purchases I'd say $20 is fair. But that's my stated opinion and I have yet to put my money where my mouth is.

I think you’re mistaking value for cost. ljdawson doesn’t work for us and sync is not work for hire. Lawrence is not a contractor nor do we have an employer/employee relationship so we don’t owe him a wage for the work he has done or compensation for his time. We have a customer/vendor relationship, and the only thing that matters to the customer is the value of the end product that the vendor is trying to sell.

This is a fair response, and ultimately it is incumbent on the developer to create the value-add that justifies the cost.

I suppose my comment is directed at the sentiment that the developer is "greedy" or trying to swindle consumers in an immature market.