What is PVP IV Pro?
PVP IV version 3.0 introduced PVP IV Pro. This is a subscription service currently available in the PVP IV iOS app that provides a few benefits/features:
- No ads (ads were also introduced in version 3.0).
- See which matchups are better/worse compared to the Rank 1 IVs in the IV Ranker (you can still see how many matchups are better/worse as a free user).
- Unlock custom comparison battles, which let you choose any 2 Pokemon – with customizable movesets, initial damage/energy, IVs, shadow form, charge move timing, etc. – and compare their matchups against all Pokemon from any league or cup (including Premier Cup).
- Comparison Battles can be opened from the Compare tab on the Battle screen, while selecting an alternative in a Team Battle, or when selecting matchups in the IV Analyzer screen.
- More benefits are likely to be added in future updates.
Why We Introduced Paid Features
Adding paid features to PVP IV is not a decision we made lightly. My goal in developing PVP IV has always been to bring the best PVP tools to as many people as possible. However, over time it became clear that our previous approach of providing all our tools for free and relying on Patreon donations to cover our costs was not sustainable.
PVP IV has become more popular than I ever would have imagined when I threw together an IV ranking app over Memorial Day weekend. We now have thousands users on iOS alone, with a growing user base on Android and many people viewing pvpiv.com every day as well. All of this success is great, but it also means significantly more time commitment and more costs, e.g. web hosting, etc.
I’ve already invested hundreds of dollars of my own money – and months of my time – in making our services available and constantly improving them. I’d always hoped that we could cover our costs on Patreon, but a couple months after launch our Patreon makes $10 per month with only 4 Patreons. This amount doesn’t align with overall usage of the app, or the costs associated with that usage.
A major reason for this is that we were asked by multiple parties – including the Google Play App Review Team and mods at The Silph Road – to stop associating our Patreon with our app/content. Not being able to share our Patreon of course makes it difficult for people to find it. Unless they find pvpiv.com by clicking Help & About in the app, and then find the Patreon link from there, they’ll never even know we have a Patreon.
Another possible issue is that we’re somewhat late to the game as far as utilities for PVP. High usage of the app suggests that there’s a need for the services we provide, but many people who might have contributed to us are probably already contributing to established services like Pvpoke, Gamepress, and/or popular YouTubers. People are understandably reluctant to part with their money when they get nothing in return, and I imagine that’s even more the case if they’re already contributing to other services that are more connected and better advertised than we are.
Faced with these issues, I could see three paths forward:
- Continue to front the increasing costs of the app myself.
- Cut costs by decreasing quality (e.g. shut down pvpiv.com, stop releasing updates with new content in the mobile apps).
- Introduce ads and a premium version with additional features to bring in more revenue.
The third option was the only one that allowed us to continue improving the app (for both free and paid users) without covering all the costs myself, so it seemed to make the most sense as a compromise for everyone involved.
I understand that many of you will be disappointed by this decision, but I hope that this article has made it clear why we chose this route. As always, if you have any questions, you can contact me.
Cheers!
PVP IV 