Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Site stuff

Join our Innovation Panel to try new features early and help make Mumsnet better.

See all MNHQ comments on this thread

MNHQ

Would you pay to go ad-free on the Talk App?

135 replies

TimMumsnet · 01/07/2019 17:29

Hi guys, I’ve got a bit of an unusual question, bear with me!

Some of you have mentioned you would be willing to pay to go ad-free, so we’d like to know your collective thoughts if we offered ad-free Talk in the iOS app, with some extra benefits.

On the iOS Talk app, if you could have:
- Ad-free Talk
- Increased allowance of photos
- Extra Mumsnet Emoticons

Would you be willing to pay a monthly subscription? If so, what would be a fair amount? This wouldn’t affect any of the existing Talk features, which everyone would continue to get for free.

OP posts:
MsMarvellous · 05/07/2019 07:22

@HoustonBess has a point. I'd want better functionality in an app. To be able to read and send private messages, change settings, better search function, the voting buttons. It's a shadow of the browser function.

soccerbabe · 05/07/2019 07:27

No chance.

Bellasblankexpression · 05/07/2019 07:38

Ha, pay for emoticons?! We’re not kids!

Absolutely no way would I pay. The existing app is pretty shite anyway and frequently crashes. I just use desktop with ad blocker.

If more ads start appearing I’ll just ditch the site altogether

DeadBod · 05/07/2019 07:42

Definitely not.

RezCowgirl · 05/07/2019 07:57

I'd expect a vast improvement of the app and more than just no ads if I were to pay. Except I probably wouldn't pay it. Browser with a (free) adblocker works better for nothing.

bananasandwicheseveryday · 05/07/2019 08:10

I use Android but prefer to use the mobile site rather than the app - tried it sometime ago and really didn't like it at all.
I don't get ads on the mobile site as I use an adblocker. The extra features you're offering would not be enough to entice me to use the app again, let alone pay for it. Sorry.

smashamasha · 05/07/2019 08:26

No

ZenNudist · 05/07/2019 08:38

No. If it got unusable due to ads then id give up. I spend too much time on mumsnet anyway!

Snausage · 05/07/2019 08:42

I wouldn't pay a sub but would pay a one-off fee for the app. But that's only if the app were improved! (Currently have no voting buttons and I HATE that in threads you can't jump to other pages/the end of the thread/last read. Long threads that I want to keep up with I will open in a browser rather than the app).

Pinkyyy · 05/07/2019 08:44

I feel as though if you introduced this feature, you'd up the amount of ads to make it annoying to the point where you'd hope people subscribed. For me, it would have the adverse affect. I'd just move to a different, free site.

Tatapie · 05/07/2019 08:46

No

BalloonDinosaur · 05/07/2019 08:55

Nope. Don't find the ads on the app intrusive and so will continue to ignore them.

Also Hmm at people having an issue with 'guys'

HappyLoneParentDay · 05/07/2019 09:01

Isn't it coincidental how the day after this thread is posted, I've started getting full screen video-ads on the iOS app?!?!

Would you pay to go ad-free on the Talk App?
HappyLoneParentDay · 05/07/2019 09:02

@BalloonDinosaur I've started getting full screen video ads on the app now! Just started today. Now that's intrusive!!!?

CookPassBabtridge · 05/07/2019 10:00

I've always seen so much support for this on other threads but seems not on this one Grin I wouldn't pay it as I barely get any ads on the app.

StoatofDisarray · 05/07/2019 10:58

No.

Advisemeplease1 · 05/07/2019 11:07

No, I would just stop using this site (as others have said). Wouldn't be a bad thing, the amount of time I waste on here lately!

freshasthebrightbluesky · 05/07/2019 11:40

I don't have the app or iOS anyway but no, I wouldn't be happy to pay. I hate paying for apps and actively avoid the ones that charge. As for the ads, I use duck duck go and don't get any.

BalloonDinosaur · 05/07/2019 12:02

@HappyLoneParentDay oh, that's weird. All I've ever had is the banners that I scroll straight past.

MNHQ
TimMumsnet · 05/07/2019 17:31

Thanks for all your feedback - it’s genuinely really useful hearing what you think.

Just to re-confirm, no one will be asked to pay to use Mumsnet. The only thing we’re considering charging for is additional ‘extras’ that aren’t essential to use Talk, features that currently don’t exist on Mumsnet.

And yes, I totally agree the Android app has some significant issues! We've made some fixes and we'll be working on more in the future. In the mean time thank you for your patience.

OP posts:
MNHQ
TimMumsnet · 05/07/2019 17:34

@HappyLoneParentDay - could you send a screenshot that shows the full screen video ads (so we can see the brand or something)? We haven't made any changes to the ads recently, it's an open marketplace so they're regularly changing.

OP posts:
smashamasha · 06/07/2019 06:45

After consideration the only things which might make me think about paying would be:

Ability to filter each thread to see individual replies/just OPs posts

Ability to search for all of an individuals posts

Advanced search options

However, I really wouldn't want to pay very much for it at all.

HigaDequasLuoff · 06/07/2019 07:01

I'd happily pay something to go ad-free and access additional features but

  • I'm an android user
  • I prefer not to use apps generally. I use a browser on my phone. I only install apps if they have very minimal "permissions" and wouldn't install the app if the permissions would allow personnel at mnhq to link my username with my real life ID
  • I would only pay anything at all if I could do so without linking my mn account to my real life ID. As most payment methods don't achieve this I'm not sure how this would be possible.
  • I'd rather have an annual or one-off fee than a monthly fee. I think I'd pay £20 for a year's access to the privileged zone.
HobbyIsCodeForDogging · 07/07/2019 09:24

@TimMumsnet I'm also getting full screen video ads on the app, but only since yesterday. Here's a screenshot.

Would you pay to go ad-free on the Talk App?
dadap · 07/07/2019 09:27

No - I wouldn't pay.

I find the ads annoying and it would deter me from using the site as frequently as I do now.