Grab Nova Launcher Prime now if you don’t want to end up overpaying later

Nova Launcher has been a series of ups and downs lately. Despite being sold to new owners, tested for display ads on the homescreen, settings, and the app drawer, and facing a slew of performance issues, Nova Launcher remains a favorite among Android Authority‘s readers. But with its new owners, Instabridge, evaluating means to keep the launcher alive, we can anticipate a pricing change or switch to a subscription model. And this might be a good time to grab Nova Prime if you want to continue using the launcher’s best features without recurring payments.

As part of its realignment, the owner company plans to “evaluate other pricing options or tiers,” it noted in a post last month. That indicates either a price increase or a new payment model coming for new buyers. However, if you’re an existing paying user of Nova Launcher, Instabridge has confirmed it will honor any purchases made before the ownership transfer or until it introduces a new pricing structure.

In case you plan to continue using Nova, grabbing Prime for $3.99 might be worth the leap at the moment. While it’s not as lucrative as some of the discounts Nova Launcher has enjoyed in the past, it may be the best price before the company switches to a model that might be more sustainable for it continue development. If that’s any consolation, that’s also $1 less than its previous usual price.

Long-time Nova users still love it

While the free version is sufficient for users just trying out Nova Prime, the paid version extends functionality by unlocking swipe gestures and additional customization options for folders and the app drawer. People who have paid for Nova don’t regret it, and we have so many accounts from our readers.

On a recent post, our reader derrynj wrote

I paid for prime over 10 years ago. I’m sure there’s other options, but Nova has been and still is perfect for my needs. It’s probably the oldest app I have.

Another reader, megaframeman, echoes this emotion. They say

Paid for mine back in 2014 with the nexus 5, it’s been my launcher ever since, I tried many but nova always fit the bill.

We’ve seen similar sentiments for the launcher on social forums such as Reddit, too. For instance, user basic1020 stresses the importance of supporting companies that do good work.

Should be mass purchases from any of the free users who are disgruntled. No brainer, it’s one of the best purchases I’ve ever made. Smart people want companies who make good products to make enough money to keep making those products.

Another user, Cloud-Buster28, says

I love Nova launcher. Been using prime for over a year. I don’t agree with tracker or ads and the prime price is a no brainer, especially when compared to other launchers.

Best defense against ads in Nova Launcher

Another reason to get Nova Prime is to remove ads (alas, it’s more like the only resort). Instabridge has stated that Prime will not have any ads, and that stands true for now. We hope that stance remains unchanged, even when new prices take effect. 

It is worth noting that certain reports indicate Meta and Google ad trackers have been found in the Prime version, while Instabridge has confirmed it intends to collect some data but also pledges not to sell it to third parties while being open about what it collects. We hope it clarifies its stance before making any significant changes. While Meta and Google trackers could indicate you see ads on platforms owned by those companies, your launcher should remain free — “should” being the keyword here. 

With the looming pricing changes, you might want to act quickly and purchase Nova Prime for life. Once the company switches to a new payment regime, returning may no longer be an option, and you’ll either regret it or dwell on FOMO.