Upgrade StorageRevise Zotero’s storage‑upgrade pricing or introduce student‑discount plans
dstillman
Zotero Team
This discussion was created from comments split from: Announcing Zotero 10.
I acknowledge that high‑quality software requires revenue for development and maintenance. Zotero’s primary user base consists of academics, researchers, teachers and students — a large proportion of students whom have no independent income. As a graduate student, my current local Zotero storage usage stands at 2.08 GB. I would need at least a 6 GB storage upgrade to meet my needs. The official price is 60 USD per year (approximately 400 CNY), which is prohibitively expensive.
When essential tool features carry high costs, many users will forgo paid upgrades or switch to alternative software. While a 400‑CNY subscription generates substantial revenue per individual customer, high pricing barriers risk losing a far larger pool of potential paying users.
If the 6 GB tier could be adjusted to roughly 20‑30 USD per year, many budget‑constrained students like myself would be willing to subscribe rather than abandon paid services. Although unit revenue per subscriber would decrease, higher subscription volumes could potentially raise total overall revenue.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
I bring up this feature‑optimization request mainly because my current setup happens to rule out all alternative solutions, and I rely on cloud‑sync functionality for a better user experience.
I am currently using a Windows‑based PC and an iPad tablet. My reference‑management software is Zotero, and I take notes with MarginNote.
I have to admit that both applications are my favorites with highly practical features. However, MarginNote does not have a Windows version, and the iPad build of Zotero cannot share all attachments due to cloud‑storage space limits. As a result, it is difficult for users with a Windows‑iPad workflow like mine to achieve interoperability between Zotero and MarginNote.
Furthermore, I believe I am not alone in this situation. Some users may want cross‑system integration just like me, while others may have other cloud‑synchronization needs, yet they hold back because of Zotero’s storage‑upgrade pricing. That is why I gather the courage to put forward this request to the Zotero development team.
Admittedly, the local desktop experience works excellently at present. Zotero is a great piece of software. I am truly grateful to the development team for building such an outstanding product that greatly facilitates my research work. I hope my suggestion can be reconsidered. Sincerely wish Zotero continued improvement!