First off, kudos to the LanguageTool team. LT is, in my opinion, the unrivalled multilingual grammar and spell-checking solution. I use it daily on all devices, reaping countless benefits.
However, one aspect has recently vexed me. As a Swiss, I’m used to paying a premium, given our smaller market and trilingual requirements. This is true for print products and, regrettably, software too.
Justifying a higher price for a language tool is challenging. I don’t mind paying extra for US English, UK English, Catalan, and “German with Austrian localization”, as LT accounts for “Helvetisms”. But the price difference between Germany, Austria, and France compared to Swiss Francs is, frankly, audacious.
The price tiers for 2 years, 1 year, quarterly, and monthly subscriptions we are given, are 51%, 55%, 68%, and 74% more respectively! These figures account for VAT corrected (eliminated), which is 20% in Germany, Austria, and France, but only 7.7% in Switzerland. Without VAT, the 2-year subscription is EUR 83.25, but the local price in Swiss Francs, converted to Euros, is EUR 125.35. Considering the Euro is below parity with the Swiss Franc, EUR 83.25 should equate to CHF 80.10.
I haven’t compared other local prices, but Austrians pay the same as Germans, and Switzerland now has a larger population than our neighbors to the East.
Unless I’ve overlooked something (calculation), I feel somewhat exploited and would appreciate an official response.