1 year
$259
Free tool
What does that subscription actually cost you?
App Store fleeceware hides a big number behind a small one. Enter a price, pick how often it bills, and see the real cost over time — then compare it to paying once.
Subscription details
$
Quick presets
$
Default is the Swarmval lifetime price ($19.99 once).
2 years
$519
5 years
$1,297
Pay once instead
A one-time $19.99 saves about $1,277 over 5 years.
The subscription passes the one-time price after about 4 weeks.
Swarmval apps are built the fair way.
Useful free tiers, then $4.99/month, $14.99/year, or $19.99 lifetime. No weekly traps, no ads.
FAQ
The math behind fleeceware
How much does a $4.99/week app really cost per year?
A $4.99 weekly subscription costs about $259.48 per year (52 weeks). Over five years that is roughly $1,297 — for a utility that is often a thin wrapper around a free iOS API. That is the math fleeceware apps rely on you not doing.
Why is weekly billing the fleeceware red flag, not the price?
Weekly billing makes a number look small ($4.99) while the annual total ($260) stays hidden. Apple has flagged weekly-subscription utilities for exactly this. A fair utility charges monthly, yearly, or once — not weekly.
How is Swarmval pricing different?
Every Swarmval app uses the same fair pricing: a useful free tier, Pro at $4.99/month with a 3-day trial, $14.99/year, or a $19.99 lifetime purchase. The lifetime option means you can pay once and never see a renewal.
Is this calculator accurate?
It uses simple, transparent arithmetic: weekly × 52, monthly × 12, yearly × 1, then multiplies across the horizon you choose. No hidden assumptions, no data collection — it all runs in your browser.