1Blocker has been self-financed since the very beginning. We have never received investments and have remained independent over the years.
Staying independent is very important because it lets us build a product guided by our vision and the feedback from our community rather than investors. As a result, we can focus on building the best possible product that we love using ourselves.
1Blocker is available for iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Vision Pro. However, to maintain the app among multiple platforms and devices, we need to cover our main ongoing costs:
Catch up with new iOS & macOS releases, new features, and requirements imposed by Apple.
Keep our server running, enabling us to ship and adjust filters for the constantly changing web.
Answer support emails and Twitter messages.
The "pay once, free updates forever" business model we used before was good when we launched 1Blocker. However, this paid-upfront model couldn't keep revenue healthy in the long term. To keep revenue positive, we would need to focus on getting more and more downloads instead of improving the app for existing customers.
1Blocker is in the same market as many large competitors who often have "Acceptable Ads" or other, sometimes questionable, programs. We think privacy is not for sale, so we stay away from such programs.
We only generate revenue through direct sales of 1Blocker on the App Store. So, those who purchase this app are ultimately the ones who keep it alive. Without your support, 1Blocker wouldn't be able to exist. Thank you all for using it and supporting its development.