Nearly every plug-in developer sells some kind of plug-in bundle. Plug-in bundles are either a complete set of developer products or a selection of smaller bundles advertised as things such as the "Basic Mix Bundle" this or "Creative Basics Bundle" that. Many online plug-in stores also sell bundles. These types of bundles usually consist of plug-ins from various developers.
Plug-in bundles are marketed as a money saving option. The savings are often advertised comparing the bundle's purchase price against the cost of each individual plug-in from the bundle.
Value For Money
Now I thought I would do the sums and see if I have "saved" any money on one particular plug-in bundle that I purchased roughly three years ago. In the interests of fairness I will not be naming the developer or bundle as neither of those bits of information are relevant here. This is an article that asks "Do we really save money when purchasing plug-in bundles?" - Please feel free to comment below.
My anonymous bundle consists of 60 plug-ins. 42 of those plug-ins I don't use. I tried each of the 42 plug-ins but decided at some point early into ownership that those 42 plug-ins were just not to my taste. The remaining 18 are plug-ins I use all the time in both my past and current workflows.
Russ also suggests that often monster bundles, especially instruments, work in much the same way as 'all you can eat' restaurants, in that you pay what seems like an amazing price for a bundle of limitless potential and in fact you don't use most of them anyway. So whilst they feel like a bargain the reality is you would not have bought them in the first place. Most people never eat enough food to cover the cost of an 'all you can eat' meal offer.
The Calculator Does Not Lie?
What is the cost of the 42 plug-in you don't use?
If purchased individually would cost around $5,500
What is the cost of the 18 plug-in that you do use frequently?
if purchased individually would cost around $2,500
The bundle cost $3,000 three years ago. That works out as an overspend of around $500 compared to purchasing each plug-in individually.
Plug-ins bundles, on paper, do offer better value for money. My calculations listed above tell me that there isn't always a saving to be had. Next time I am tempted to invest in a plug-in bundle I will weigh up the cost value of the bundle against the possibility of myself not valuing a percentage of the included plug-ins as this would render the saving useless.
Discuss