Long-time Issuu users are reporting being hit with unexpected charges, with little to no warning, or only realising once a payment of over £1800/$2250 per annum has been taken from their account.
Independent publishers are in uproar after digital publishing platform
Issuu,
acquired by Italian technology company
Bending Spoons
in July 2024, slapped them with a staggering 450% price increase. The move, which saw the Premium and Optimum plans merged into a new "Unlimited" offering, has sparked accusations from its customers of "price gouging" and left many smaller publications scrambling for alternatives.
Adding fuel to the fire, Issuu's communication about the price changes has been slammed as "sneaky" and "unethical", eroding trust amongst its loyal user base.
Those attempting to downgrade to the entry-level "Starter" plan (£204/$252pa) are finding it severely limited, with key features like auto-detect hyperlinks missing and third-party ads now appearing on a paid service. One customer fumed, "It's like they're trying to force us onto the 'Unlimited' plan, no matter the cost!"
Issuu defended the price hike, claiming the changes will "support the development of the platform" and benefit all users. They acknowledged some negative feedback but highlighted "positive feedback" regarding new features. However, this explanation has done little to appease the growing anger.
Independent publishers are now rallying, airing experiences and complaints on
Reddit and review sites like
TrustPilot. Many are actively exploring alternative platforms like
BlueToad,
Yumpu,
FlipHTML5, and
Flipsnack.
One industry insider cautioned, "Issuu must listen to its users and restore its Premium service and pricing before they lose customers and harm its brand and reputation, which has taken years to build.
"This kind of price hike is unsustainable for many independent publishers and charitable organisations. We hope that Issuu reconsiders and supports the publishing industry."
UPDATE:
On 19 March 2025, Issuu issued an updated inactivity and storage policy by email to its users. Issuu stated: "We’re also updating our inactivity and storage policy to be clearer. We’ll retain the Content (including flipbooks) for 12 months from the starting date of your inactivity, after which the Content may be subject to deletion.
"If you become an inactive user, you will receive an email notification before we delete your Content to give you the opportunity to back up such Content, before we delete it. An account is considered inactive if there has been no interaction with Issuu for 1 year."
How do we interpret this? Even if you are a paying subscriber and have not uploaded content within a 12-month period, your published Content may be subject to deletion.
#issuu #issuupremium #issuupricehikes #issuupricing
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