Today’s release of Darkroom includes two new features that people have been asking for for a long time: Export Watermark, and an expanded App Icon Picker. We’re also switching to subscriptions for new users to set ourselves up for success in the next phase of Darkroom’s life.

What does this mean for existing users?

Starting today, anyone who paid for anything prior to this release will have access to all our premium features for free. To be crystal clear, even if you only bought a single filter set 4 years ago, you’ll now have access to all the filters and all the tools! We’re doing this to honor the commitment we made to you when you supported us before this switch.

How much is this going to cost new users?

For new users, a $3.99 per month or $19.99 per year subscription will unlock access to every filter and tool in Darkroom, on iPad and iPhones, now and in the future. As we grow and our product offerings expand, all new features and services will be included in this single subscription. For those who prefer to pay once and not have to reaffirm their commitments, we offer a one-time $49.99 purchase option.

Why is this better?

Since we launched Darkroom 5 years ago, we have been committed to building a photo editing and management tool that rivals any market leader in features, experience, and design. We have also committed to working on Darkroom for the very long term. That’s why we never took any outside funding from investors, and why we opted to go slow and steady, rather than fast and furious. This work will only grow in scope and volume as the team grows and the platform we’re building grows with it.

As an example, for the past 12 months we have been busy rebuilding the core infrastructure of Darkroom from the ground up. This has been a massive investment in our future, and it will enable us to finally build out some long-awaited features, improve the stability of the app, and dramatically increase its power and efficiency. As we embark on this new phase of Darkroom’s life, we need to ensure that we have a healthy business that can support its continued development and the investments necessary to get there.

Subscriptions will hopefully increase our revenues and with that, we can hire more people, invest more heavily in our infrastructure, and expand the scope of our ambition. We have 5 years of history to demonstrate our commitment, and we hope you in turn trust us with yours.