[EN] MyRoute-app Routeplanner Next (Beta)

[Tenmill 0]

I think the frustration here is that these new features, whilst useful, feel incremental and therefore like they should be included with existing lifetime users.
Referencing the previous experience of navigation next is different as that was an entirely different product.
I bought lifetime in August this year and being asked for another £42 a month later for incremental upgrades leaves a bitter taste in the mouth.
Yes I know that I’ll continue to have access to what I’d original paid for but it still feels like I paid a not insubstantial amount of money for an already dated product.

[John S Parry]

@Con-Hennekens said:

Except Microsoft tends to deprecates older versions you once paid lifetime for almost every day without free upgrade to the new version. Exactly what MRA does NOT do..

I'm sorry -- I don't understand exactly what you're saying here.

What Microsoft does is 100% clear. I can (A) buy lifetime point-in-time functionality in a specific version, or (B) I can buy a subscription to automatically stay functionally up to date. All of this is disclosed up front in no uncertain terms.

With my MRA Gold lifetime, I just found out I that what I purchased was forever point-in-time functionality. It doesn't matter that effective February 2027, it will be wrapped in a different interface. The "upgrade to the new version" locks me out of any functional improvements. I'd have no problem if this had been disclosed up front.

It's the non-disclosure that feels wrong. I hope this makes sense.

[Con Hennekens]

@Tenmill-0 said:

I bought lifetime in August this year and being asked for another £42 a month later for incremental upgrades leaves a bitter taste in the mouth.

Obviously it's your own opinion that these new features are incremental. You don't mis out on anything by not purchasing them. That being said, I sympathize with the unlucky moment of purchasing your Gold subscription.

[Con Hennekens]

@John-S-Parry, I don't feel like turning this into an MS bash, but MS has MANY products with one-time licenses that get deprecated sooner or later.

@John-S-Parry said:

The "upgrade to the new version" locks me out of any functional improvements.

I feel this is really untrue. There are many functional improvements included in the upgrade for which nothing at all needs te be paid. Just wait and see

[John S Parry]

@Con-Hennekens said:

I don't feel like turning this into an MS bash, but MS has MANY products with one-time licenses that get deprecated sooner or later.

I was simply using MS as an example. I can't speak to the totality of licenses that get deprecated, but I don't see the relevance. I have an Excel 2016 license I use frequently, 10 years after I purchased it. My point was that I knew that license would never be updated, and I was fine with that because I only use it for basic stuff anyway. Again, the point is disclosure. MS was clear up front. I was never led to believe it would be updated over time.

My experience with "Lifetime" is that it's up-front money to help fund critical development in exchange for ownership/updates in perpetuity. It appears that the powers to be at MRA feel different. So be it. These are just my thoughts on the matter.

[Con Hennekens]

@John-S-Parry, Yes that's your thought on the matter, but it is unjustified, since your license actually does get updatet, and you will be able to participate in the new web planner. No disclosure needed.

[John S Parry]

@Con-Hennekens said:

Yes that's your thought on the matter, but it is unjustified, since your license actually does get updatet, and you will be able to participate in the new web planner. No disclosure needed.

I'm anxious to see the updates. Routeplanner is actually a pretty good product "as is", so whatever refinements to existing capabilities you're referring to will hopefully be a plus.

I maintain that my thoughts are justified -- others here clearly feel the same. And I'll strongly disagree that disclosure is not needed in business transactions. Otherwise, we wouldn't see the chaos that's rained on the announcement.

We're going to look at this differently, and that's OK. There is no need to further beat this horse. The rollout should be interesting.

[Hubert Thoring]

@corjan-meijerink

It is unclear whether all new and further add-ons are also included, because the same "old functions" would be too few in the new dress Next, in the update from "MRA Route Planner Gold" to "MRA Route Planner Next",

Only a new dress is too little, it is about the further development with all but also all functions including the add-ons in the program.

It would be good to confirm this clearly.

• A Lifetime Gold user can access everything in the update to Next without restriction and use it without restrictions.

Thank you for the further development to "MRA Route Planner Next".

—-###—-

Unklar ist ob zum Schuss alle neuen und weiteren Add Ons auch enthalten sind, denn die gleichen „alten Funktionen“ wären zu wenig im neuen Kleid Next, im Update von „MRA Routenplaner Gold“ auf „MRA Routenplaner Next“,

Nur ein neues Kleid ist zu wenig, es geht um die Weiterentwicklung mit allen aber auch allen Funktionen inkl. der Add Ons im Programm.

Es wäre gut dieses deutlich zu bestätigen.

• Kann ein Lifetime Gold User auf alles im Update auf Next Uneingeschränkt zugreifen und uneingeschränkt nutzen

Danke für die Weiterentwicklung zu „MRA Routenplaner Next“.

[Con Hennekens]

@Hubert-Thoring said:

Only a new dress is too little

Don't you read anything but your own comments?

Con-Hennekens said:

There are many functional improvements included in the upgrade for which nothing at all needs to be paid. Just wait and see

So it is not "just a new dress", it's a completely new product...

@Hubert-Thoring said:

It would be good to confirm this clearly.

A Gold user can access everything in the update to Next without restriction and use it without restrictions.

Of course, but only as far as the licenses that user already has allow. It is really quite logical that fundamentally new features cannot endlessly be given away for free.

[JP d]

@Corjan-Meijerink "Not paying anything? That’s fine!
You keep the features you have, no extra’s and have to wait to February to use it."

What do we get to use in February?

[Brian McG]

@Con-Hennekens I do think it is a bit cheeky asking €49 to be a Beta guinea pig,
for the privilege of providing feedback, paying €49 + spending the time to test made me laugh

I understand that with my Lifetime Gold I just have to wait till February to use the new planner & I will have access to all the functionality I currently have in February

The only benefit I see for me in accessing the Beta would be the addition of the MRA Route Collaboration & Group Rides functionality to my subscription
I get that Route Collaboration means multiple users able to edit the same route file simultaneously & that seems like a nice new feature, is there a max number of concurrent users, is it 2 or higher?
As I have no idea what the functionality of Group Rides is I cant effectively evaluate if it is worth paying the €49 for the beta access, what does Group Rides do?

Oh & a bit of free feedback

screen real estate is precious, having the functions in a vertical tab takes up a lot of lateral space reducing the important map area, either revert functions tabs to horizontal, make it user configurable, or add the ability to collapse the vertical tab so it takes up less space
oh & I dont need a "Discover" button that I am unlikely to use always hiding part of the map

[Corjan Meijerink]

@Brian-McG it’s so much more than paying to test We did the exact same thing with Navigation Next and had thousands of sign ups.

Also, all those menu’s are collapsible already

[Peter Schiefer]

I also find the Gold Member offer rather surprising.
I could pay €49
for the following options

Early access from 2 November 2026
A private forum group where you help decide what we build
Lifetime access to the add-ons below*
The beta badge on your profile
Sleep sounder: you’re supporting a small, hard-working business

On the other hand, it says

Are you upgrading from Routeplanner Gold or Silver?
Gold gives you MRA Unlimited Routes, MRA Toolkit Pro and MRA Premium Routing. Silver gives you MRA Unlimited Routes. Nothing you’ve paid for will be lost.

So where’s the added value?
A badge for my jacket?
Does continuing to support the product mean helping to iron out bugs in return for payment?
Sorry, but that’s very little to say the least – or rather, unusual, to put it politely.

The only understandable point is that you’d be excluded from purchasing the upcoming Add-Ons as a lifetime package. Although you can’t even see or test the actual added value yet, and future prices aren’t known either.
If I’m already being offered a discounted price, then there should be measurable added value.
For example, the AI function – which is probably the best added value for most people – is then included for life.

It’s also unclear: even if you buy Beta Route Planning Next, will the routes work in the current Navigation Next, or will you then also have to purchase a future version of Navigation Next, as announced?

It’s all been very poorly planned.
Auch das Angebot für Gold-Mitglieder finde ich ziemlich überraschend.
Ich könnte 49 € bezahlen
für die folgenden Optionen:

Frühzugang ab dem 2. November 2026
Eine private Forum-Gruppe, in der du mitentscheiden kannst, was wir entwickeln
Lebenslanger Zugang zu den unten aufgeführten Add-ons*
Das Beta-Abzeichen in deinem Profil
Schlaf ruhiger: Du unterstützt ein kleines, fleißiges Unternehmen

Andererseits heißt es dort:

Upgraden Sie von Routeplanner Gold oder Silver?
Mit Gold erhalten Sie MRA Unlimited Routes, MRA Toolkit Pro und MRA Premium Routing. Mit Silver erhalten Sie MRA Unlimited Routes. Nichts, wofür Sie bezahlt haben, geht verloren.

Wo liegt also der Mehrwert?
Ein Abzeichen für meine Jacke?
Bedeutet die fortgesetzte Unterstützung des Produkts, dass ich gegen Bezahlung dabei helfe, Fehler zu beheben?
Tut mir leid, aber das ist, gelinde gesagt, sehr wenig – oder, um es höflich auszudrücken, eher ungewöhnlich.

Der einzige nachvollziehbare Punkt ist, dass man vom Kauf der kommenden Add-Ons als Lebenszeitpaket ausgeschlossen wäre. Dabei kann man den tatsächlichen Mehrwert noch nicht einmal sehen oder testen, und auch die zukünftigen Preise sind noch nicht bekannt.
Wenn mir bereits ein vergünstigter Preis angeboten wird, dann sollte es einen messbaren Mehrwert geben.
Zum Beispiel ist die KI-Funktion – die für die meisten Menschen wahrscheinlich den größten Mehrwert darstellt – dann lebenslang enthalten.

Unklar ist auch: Selbst wenn man „Beta Route Planning Next“ kauft, funktionieren die Routen dann in der aktuellen Version von „Navigation Next“, oder muss man dann, wie angekündigt, auch eine zukünftige Version von „Navigation Next“ erwerben?

Das Ganze ist sehr schlecht geplant.

[Rob Verhoeff]

@Peter-Schiefer I seriously wonder whether you actually took the time to read the entire topic. Corjan has explained at various points in the thread what you do and do not get. What exactly is so difficult to understand about that?

[martin-phogel.de]

@Con-Hennekens sagte:

It is really quite logical that fundamentally new features cannot endlessly be given away for free.

This isn't a matter of logic; it depends on the business model.

A "lifetime license" can certainly be understood as a one-time payment that grants access to all future features. This is the case with many other products — for example, Scenic (a direct competitor) or Roon (music management). Often, such licenses are sold only at launch or at a significantly higher price than with MRA.

Regardless of which features you will get with the upcoming version (with or without the extra payment), it's completely unclear which future features, developed after the official launch of the new version, will then be included in the lifetime license. Some will be included, while others may cost extra.

In my view, the entire announcement of the new version is an absolute communication disaster, as shown by the many questions still being raised. This can't be dismissed by saying users are too stupid to read or understand it.

As harsh as it may sound, I agree with what's already been said here: It's quite obvious that the business model based on numerous inexpensive lifetime licenses no longer works, so a change is needed, and MRA is testing how much extra revenue can be generated by splitting features into those included in the lifetime license and those that aren't.

To be clear: I recently purchased an additional license for Navigation Next so I could use more than two devices at the same time. For convenience and, yes, to support a small business. That was totally fine. But this change to the lifetime license model doesn't feel right at all.

[Mzokk]

In terms of the announced additions I might have been tempted by improvements that would improve the way I navigate. However, I have no interest in AI generated routes, I don't have friends who use the product so collaborative route planning would not be an advantage for me. I already plan multi day trips with the product using the roads I want to be on and the places I want to visit. The biggest weaknesses for me in the current product are the inability to handle tracks well (I use other tools for those) and the limited information you can attach to POI's and the fact you can't make them proximity alerted for "Free Rides". Again I use other tools and devices for this functionality. The biggest advantage of the current product for me is the ability to change routes or create different routes "on the fly" according to accommodation availability, weather finding out another place to visit ETC. What has been announced so far does not add value to that as far as I can see?

[Vince Hyde]

since the new web planner is on a different site with a new login will all the routes in my library, my friends and events migrate over to the new site once I link my lifetime gold account if I join in October or February

[Corjan Meijerink]

And those are all valid arguments so you don’t need to spend a cent

Hence I don’t understand why people start with assuming the worst. Everyone gets a free upgrade.

Yes, I can agree with the fact we did not announce it as such (a free upgrade) but we are also so overwhelmed by everyone absolutely assuming the bloody worst.