Key Takeaways
- AppSumo is a platform where software companies offer lifetime deals instead of recurring monthly subscriptions, often at a one-off price of $200–$300.
- Lifetime deals typically pay for themselves within two to three months compared to typical monthly subscription costs of $50–$100.
- Tools mentioned as purchased via AppSumo include Postoplan (social media scheduling), QR.io (dynamic QR codes), Foxly (URL shortener), and Depositphotos (stock photos).
- AppSumo Select is an annual membership that provides an additional 10% discount on every deal — worthwhile if you buy multiple deals per year.
- Subscribing to the free AppSumo newsletter delivers daily deal suggestions with video previews and links to the original vendor platforms.
- Always read the Q&A section beneath each deal on AppSumo to understand real-world questions and answers before purchasing.
- AppSumo allows returns within 60 days, making it low-risk to try a tool and switch to a better deal if one appears.
- Redeem deals immediately after purchase and store credentials in a password manager (e.g. eWallet) and bookmark manager (e.g. Raindrop.io) to avoid losing access.
- If you want to redeem the same deal more than once, use a different email address, as the deal identifier is tied to the email used at redemption.
- For AI tools, Thorsten now relies on CopyCockpit rather than AppSumo deals, but recommends AppSumo for all other software categories.
Introduction
Nice to have you with us again for another episode of Digital 4 Productivity. And this time I would like to give you a little tip on how you can save a lot of money when using digital tools.
AppSumo platform
It is the AppSumo platform, spelled like the app, i.e. APP and then Sumo like the wrestler. The idea behind this platform is that many software companies, which normally offer monthly licenses to get as many users as possible onto the platform, then offer so-called lifetime deals. This means that you very often receive offers for licenses for webinar solutions from event management platforms from social media platforms, which normally cost €50 or €100 per month. And then you often get them for $200, $250, $300 one-off. And that's really something that's certainly not relevant for all of you. For example, if you only organize a digital event once a year, then it may not be so relevant for you to have an event platform where you can have several thousand people on it for free. But if, like us, you have regular events and different events on a regular basis, then it's really practical.
App solutions that can be obtained inexpensively via AppSumo
So here you can get video conferencing solutions, for example. I might have a few more deals that have really saved me money. For example, I got Postoplan through them for a one-off, I mean somewhere around $99 or $200. And Postoplan is a service that allows you to schedule social media posts and then regularly output them to different platforms at the same time. I got a lifetime license there for a webinar platform, for example. I have a license for QR.io, which is a platform that allows you to generate QR codes. And now you might just say yes, QR codes, I can get them for free too. Yes, but the issue is that you might also want to change the link behind QR codes, so-called dynamic QR codes. And I did that via the app with QR.io. Then I got Foxly as a URL shortener, for example. In other words, just as you might want to change the links with QR codes, you also want to do the same with services where you can shorten links, because the idea of these services is that you can shorten links on the one hand, and change the links on the other. So that was one of the services I used. For example, I also used Depositphotos on a regular basis, where you can get stock photos cheaply, and I also have Envato Elements because we use a lot of stock photos and a lot of stock videos for our live streaming formats. I also pay a monthly subscription for this, I think €50 or €100 a year. But if you need images much less frequently, then you can get them wonderfully via Depositphotos at AppSumo, for example.
Yes, AppSumo also offers the AppSumo Select option. You pay an annual fee, but then get another 10% discount for each deal. Of course, this doesn't make much sense if you only get an AppSumo deal once a year. But if, like me, you do it more often, then it definitely makes sense.
What I would definitely suggest is to subscribe to AppSumo's free newsletter. You'll receive suggestions for deals almost every day. You can watch videos there and there is always a link to the original platform. And what I always do is watch this video, then, what I also highly recommend, is to always click on the link to the original platform for the original offer and then there is always Q&A underneath. So that always means questions and answers. Check again to see what questions are being asked and what the answers are. And then you always have to see how it fits. Because, of course, I also sometimes watch YouTube videos. And I've also had times when I've bought something that I've said, "Oh, it'll fit. Note, you can always, I mean even for 30 days, but you can always return it relatively quickly anyway. For example, I once booked a webinar platform and then saw an even better deal at AppSumo. I then took it out and was able to return it free of charge without any problems. And it was even over $300, because I had bought a large license that was Unlimited, so against the background of AppSumo.
I would always look for the lifetime deals, because instead of paying $50 or $100 a month somewhere, you usually pay $200 once. And that's really something that pays for itself very, very quickly, usually after just two or three months. You have to remember that you always have to redeem these deals relatively quickly. I think that's also part of AppSumo's business model, that many people never redeem it, so it expires, so I got into the habit of redeeming it straight away. And then in Raindrop.io, which is my book market tool, I got into the habit of bookmarking it straight away or putting it in the eWallet. That's my password tool, so I also store the passwords there. So redeem them straight away. By the way, if you like to redeem deals more than once, sometimes deals come back and then it's a good idea to redeem them on a different email address. That's because the identifier is usually the email address on which you redeem the deal. And the issue is that you redeem it there the second time, then it doesn't usually work with the same ID, but then like this.
Yes, so there are various areas here, if you go to AppSumo.com, then it's also a good idea to browse through the different areas. There are great tools for webinars, for example, on the topic of AI. However, as you may know, I'm a big fan of CopyCockpit. We recently had a cooperative seminar with my dear friend Jörg Knoblauch and Sam Handy. So this topic of AI and CopyCockpit should be exciting for you. We had a very limited time campaign. But if you missed it, Sam Handy has just sent me a link where you can get the discounted conditions again. So that should be interesting for you. On the subject of AI, I have even bought some tools via AppSumo. I have now replaced them with the CopyCockpit from Sam Handy. I'm much more satisfied with that. It's like the Swiss army knife.
Yes, but for everything else I can highly recommend AppSumo. My recommendation is to get the newsletter. As always, I'll also include the links in the show notes and please let me know if you've found any great deals at AppSumo or perhaps don't know any sources anyway. After all, I'm always happy to learn from my podcast listeners.
Conclusion
Yes, on that note, I wish you an analog and digitally productive time. Because so does my very esteemed business partner Katharina Aguilar. Sorry, dear Katharina, if you're listening, Katharina Aguilar, a very esteemed speaker colleague, who is also on Team Karin Burger, an entrepreneur, a very exciting entrepreneur. And she rightly says "What's the next big thing?" The next big thing is the merging of the analog and digital worlds, "it's a phytical world". And I will be conducting an interview with her about this in the near future. You can already look forward to this exciting topic at this point. As you know, this podcast is all about concrete tips and strategic questions, how to first switch on your brain and then simply use technology and, of course, exciting interview partners.
Yes, if you have any requests regarding interview partners or what topics you would like to see in this podcast, I would of course be delighted to hear from you. And you can see from the slip of the tongue I just had with Katharina Aguilar. I don't cut anything, I give you the authentic one-to-one points that I deal with all day. And that's also the idea behind this podcast. Simply from practice for practice. If you like it, I would of course be delighted if you would also give it a positive rating on iTunes, on the podcast platforms. Because then even more people like you will find access to this podcast.
With this in mind, all the best. See you next time.
Yours, Thorsten Jekel
Frequently Asked Questions
What is AppSumo and how does it work?
AppSumo is a marketplace where software companies offer lifetime deals instead of monthly subscriptions. Vendors list their tools at a one-off price — often $200 to $300 — to attract as many users as possible onto their platform quickly.
How much money can you realistically save with AppSumo lifetime deals?
A typical software subscription costs $50 to $100 per month, while the equivalent AppSumo lifetime deal often costs around $200 to $300 as a one-off payment. This means the deal usually pays for itself within two to three months of what you would otherwise have paid in recurring fees.
What kinds of software tools are available on AppSumo?
AppSumo offers tools across many categories, including video conferencing solutions, webinar platforms, social media scheduling tools, URL shorteners, dynamic QR code generators, stock photo services, and AI tools. Thorsten Jekel specifically purchased Postoplan, QR.io, Foxly, and Depositphotos through AppSumo.
What is AppSumo Select and is it worth it?
AppSumo Select is a paid annual membership that gives you an extra 10% discount on every deal you purchase. It is worth it if you buy multiple AppSumo deals throughout the year; if you only pick up one deal annually, the membership fee likely does not justify the discount.
How do you find out about new AppSumo deals?
The easiest way to stay informed is to subscribe to AppSumo's free newsletter, which delivers deal suggestions almost every day. Each deal comes with a video preview and a link to the original vendor platform where you can research the product further.
How should you evaluate an AppSumo deal before buying?
Thorsten recommends watching the deal video on AppSumo, then clicking through to the original vendor's platform and reading the Q&A section at the bottom of the deal page. The questions and answers there reveal real-world use cases and potential limitations that help you decide whether the tool fits your needs.
Can you return an AppSumo purchase if it does not meet your expectations?
Yes, AppSumo allows you to return purchases within a set period — Thorsten mentions being able to return a webinar platform that cost over $300 without any problems. This refund policy makes it relatively low-risk to try a tool and switch to a better option if one becomes available.
What should you do immediately after redeeming an AppSumo deal?
Thorsten advises redeeming the deal straight away after purchase, because unredeemed deals can expire — which he considers part of AppSumo's business model. He also recommends saving the login credentials in a password manager like eWallet and bookmarking the service in a tool like Raindrop.io so you can easily find it later.
Is it possible to buy the same AppSumo deal more than once?
Some AppSumo deals return periodically, and you can redeem a deal a second time by using a different email address. This works because the deal identifier is typically tied to the email address used at redemption, so the same email address cannot be used to activate the deal again.
Are AI tools on AppSumo a good choice?
Thorsten has purchased AI tools via AppSumo in the past but has since replaced them with CopyCockpit, which he finds more comprehensive. For AI specifically he now prefers CopyCockpit, while still recommending AppSumo highly for all other software categories.
Tools & Resources Mentioned
- AppSumo – marketplace for software lifetime deals
- Postoplan – social media post scheduling across multiple platforms
- QR.io – dynamic QR code generator that lets you change the destination link after printing
- Foxly – URL shortener with the ability to change destination links
- Depositphotos – stock photo and image library
- Envato Elements – stock photos and stock videos subscription service
- Raindrop.io – bookmark manager used to store and organise redeemed deal links
- CopyCockpit / KI-Tools – AI writing tool that Thorsten uses as an alternative to AppSumo AI deals
