Ergonis has released KeyCue 11, a significant update to the keyboard shortcut and emoji cheat sheet utility. In addition to a redesigned and streamlined user interface with new Light and Dark themes, the update provides full Unicode 15 support with the latest characters and emojis, enables you to search and insert emoji with a keyword, improves shortcut customization, improves Apple Pay compatibility, adds an option to reset activations to default settings, and adds support for shortcuts with Fn, Dictation, and GlobalKey. KeyCue pricing has been updated to $39.99 for a perpetual license, with reduced pricing for those upgrading from previous licenses. Ergonis also offers two annual subscription tiers: Advanced at $19.99 per year (for individuals on up to two devices) and Business at $39.99 per user (on up to five devices). You can get a 50% discount on the first year of Advanced and Business subscriptions using a promotional code on this Ergonis blog post through the end of March. ($39.99 new with a 25% discount for TidBITS members, reduced upgrade pricing available, 3.9 MB, release notes, macOS 12+)
Very disappointed in this. My upgrade app upgraded this before it was announced leaving me with a window that launched with no info other than asking for email and password of which I had no idea. When clicking âforgot passwordâ it took me to a page that wanted me to purchase it all over again. Hoping to find an upgrade price I had to search for it. In the process I checked with TidBITS for a discount and when I opened it their was no code but only telling me to send an email to the company to request it. I ultimate found it and upgraded.
When looking in the help section for a âread meâ their was none so I had no idea what the changes were at that time. Ultimately I found that information somewhere on their website. Unfortunately the changes seem to me mostly cosmetic and bug fixes with few actual new features or somewhat minor improvements. As such I am quite disappointed with the upgrade in reference to paying for it. They also no longer use licenses which they claim is for eliminating passwords as you have to now sign into the App with an email address and a password they provide of which I did not find a way of changing it. While my testing has indicate the app will still work while not connected to the Internet, I suspect it is occasionally checking in the the companies servers to insure that it has not been moved to another computer or to a different user which disturbs me since I actually purchased the license for myself and so long as I do not violate the license requirements as a single user, I should be able to use it with any user I have created and on any single machine I own.
What strikes me it is the upgrade mostly a method for users that purchased the App to pay for it again as their website seems now focused on subscriptions. While a very useful tool for me, which is primary the reason I went along for the upgrade, frankly, if I knew of a worthy competitor, given this companies behavior, I might choose to abandon it for their competitor.
I too am disappointed. When I installed V11 and I could see no significant changes - just some cosmetics. Making a major version change seems to be to just an excuse to charge everybody again and/or move them to subscription.
I reinstalled V10. I wonât be paying for V11.
Ergonis have some good ideas, but let the apps stagnate.
They also eliminated the family plan. This means that if for two people (each with a laptop and desktop) You have to get their business plan. The base plan only offers minor bug fixes, so you are basically just paying for version 11.00000 with no feature upgrades that a subscription would usually offer.
There is nothing that I could find of their site that compares new features of 11 with 10
I too am disappointed. I have almost all their apps and love them but there is no help resource for them. The latest version does not let me increase the size of the display, which is really important to me but there is no way to seek their guidance. Great apps, poor support.
Thank you for sharing your feedback regarding KeyCue 11.0. We appreciate your long-standing support and understand that changes in software licensing and updates can sometimes lead to concerns. Weâd like to take this opportunity to address the points raised in your comments.
Licensing and Subscription Model:
We want to assure you that we have not eliminated perpetual licenses. While we now offer a subscription model as an additional option, we continue to provide perpetual licenses for users who prefer a one-time purchase. Our goal is to offer flexibility, allowing users to choose the model that best fits their needs.
Upgrade Process & Login Requirements:
We sincerely regret any confusion caused by the upgrade process. The introduction of email-based authentication is aimed at streamlining access and eliminating the need for serial numbers. While we provide an initial system-generated password right after your purchase, you can change your password via the account settings. If you need assistance with this, our support team (keycue@ergonis.com) is happy to help.
Regarding the concern that the app might require online verification: while KeyCue does not require a constant internet connection, it may occasionally check for licensing validation to ensure compliance. However, this does not affect your ability to use the app offline.
We apologize for any difficulties in finding support resources. Every app includes a long user manual and we try to improve our Learning Center and Articles about products on our website as good as we can - happy to add more articles if important questions arise.
We truly appreciate your insights and continued support. Your feedback helps us shape the future of KeyCue, and we will keep working to improve your experience.