BeyondATC announces major overhaul in pricing strategy after community feedback

In a significant turn of events, BeyondATC, the much-anticipated AI-powered ATC software for Microsoft Flight Simulator, has announced a comprehensive revision of its pricing model. This change comes in response to the mixed reactions received from the MSFS community regarding its initial pricing strategy.

Approximately three weeks ago, BeyondATC unveiled a pricing model that introduced the concept of Transmission Time, a system designed to manage the costs associated with the various technologies powering the software. However, this approach led to confusion among users, complicating the understanding of how much actual flight time or number of flights could be obtained per purchase.

Acknowledging the community’s feedback, BeyondATC has decided to simplify its pricing model dramatically. The developer has renegotiated terms with service providers, leading to a new, more user-friendly strategy.

BeyondATC new pricing MSFS 3

Key Changes to BeyondATC’s Pricing Model:

  • Price Reduction: The cost for the core service of BeyondATC has been halved from $59.99 to $29.99.
  • Basic Voice Model Now Free: The Basic Voice Model will now be available at no additional cost. This AI-powered voice model, while not as advanced as the Premium option, still offers high-quality voice outputs for an immersive experience. Users can now enjoy unlimited use of this model for both traffic and controllers.
  • Unlimited Push-to-Talk: Another significant update is the removal of Transmission Time costs for push-to-talk functionality, allowing for unlimited use without additional charges.
  • Premium Voice Model: For those seeking the highest fidelity in voice models, the Premium option remains available but is entirely optional. This model features a wider range of voices and accents, providing an even more realistic experience that is now based on a cost-per-character system. As an example, an average flight is estimated to use about 15,000 to 20,000 characters, equating to approximately 45 cents per flight with the Premium model.
  • Free Characters Included: The core $29.99 purchase now includes 50,000 free characters for the Premium Voice Model, with the option to purchase additional characters in bundles of 250,000 for $10.

BeyondATC’s revised pricing model represents a significant shift towards transparency and simplicity, addressing the community’s concerns and making the software more accessible. Initial reactions from the community are a far cry from the confusion stirred by the initial pricing model and show that simmers continue to be interested in this intriguing software, especially now that the developers have shown that they are listening to feedback and are open to adjusting based on the community’s input.

BeyondATC is currently in the final stages of testing, and a release is expected probably within a few weeks. No estimate has been given by the developers, but they reaffirm that significant progress is being made daily, squashing bugs and polishing the overall functionality. So, expect to hear more details about the launch soon.