Lifetime Plans – An Update

We briefly touched on this topic in our last status update, but we felt it deserved a standalone post to provide a bit more context and clarity.
For those just looking for a quick summary, head to the Tl;dr.

Lifetime Plans have been part of Filen from the very beginning. They’ve played a key role in helping us get started and grow – especially in the early days, when one-time purchases gave us the flexibility to build out the platform without relying on outside investors.

Over time, that support also allowed us to take bigger steps – like investing in our own infrastructure and operating on fully in-house servers. That kind of independence is something we’ve always valued – and we’re genuinely thankful to everyone who supported us by choosing a Lifetime Plan and making that possible.

Each year around Black Friday, we’ve traditionally run a major Lifetime Plan sale. For many, this has become a regular and expected part of the calendar. Outside of that, however, we’ve increasingly limited their availability – mainly because offering them long-term comes with sustainability challenges.

It doesn’t really make sense to withhold Lifetime Plans all year for the sake of financial stability, only to then sell a larger number at a lower price within just a couple of weeks. It’s a bit like cutting back consistently, only to overcompensate in a short burst – which doesn’t quite align with the original goal. That’s why we’re currently reconsidering how we approach Lifetime Plans going forward.

Since last Black Friday, Pro Lifetime Plans haven’t been available at all – partly because our internal algorithm, reacting to the unusually high sales volume during the sale, automatically removed them from availability, and partly because we deliberately chose not to bring them back. We’ve been increasingly cautious about relying on one-time sales, and wanted to avoid creating long-term obligations that could conflict with ongoing development and operations.

At this point, it’s very likely that Pro Lifetime Plans will be phased out permanently. That said, it’s not something we’ve finalized just yet – and we know there are still users who would like to have the option. For that reason, we’re currently considering making them available one last time during this year’s Black Friday. If we do, it won’t be with major discounts or promotions – just a final opportunity for those who’ve been waiting.

The Starter Lifetime Plan will continue to be available for now, and there are no immediate changes planned there.

We’re sharing this early so expectations are clear. And as always, we’ll let you know if anything changes.

Thanks for being here and for supporting Filen along the way – whether through a Lifetime Plan or otherwise.

Tl;dr

-It’s very likely that Pro Lifetime Plans will be phased out permanently.
-We’re currently considering making them available one last time during this year’s Black Friday.
-The Starter Lifetime Plan will continue to be available.