The creators of Nowa are great people and building a Development suite is actually quite hard (I’ve build a few and still manage two for cross-platform suites) - Takes A LOT of work - and… its NEVER done - always more to want, add, update, change. It’s draining and time consuming - and twist and turns arise, users use products in unintended ways, and all sorts of complaints are always at the forefront. With that being said. The Nowa developers have done an amazing job at creating Nowa. 
This is why Ive also suggested BYOK (bring your own AI key such as OpenAI or Ollama (for local models) - which means they abide by their advertised statements, meaning you get AI as promised, but the “consumable” aspect (token fees) remain entirely yours - all promises kept and they don’t incur the fees for unlimited AI access. Their promise was to provide working ACCESS to AI for lifetime users. This would meet all legal obligations… but with that being said, speak to the owner.
The Nowa LTD + AI Credits Controversy:
What Was Promised, What Changed, and Fair Ways to Fix It
In mid-2024, Nowa publicly told Lifetime Deal (LTD) buyers on AppSumo that the upcoming AI features would be included in LTDs—“anything that we will build later will be included for lifetime deals.”
In August 2025, Nowa launched 3.0 with 5 AI messages/month for LTD accounts (same as the Free plan) and a paid AI-credits upsell. Below I document the original statements and the later policy, then propose concrete, fair remedies that protect both users and the company.
What Nowa Originally Told Lifetime Buyers:
- Founder’s promise that AI would be included for LTDs
“Yes… it will help you build apps in such an easy way with AI. It will be also available for lifetime deals. Anything that we will build later will be included for lifetime deals :)” — Nowa founder reply on AppSumo Q&A, Jul 19, 2024
- AppSumo deal terms visible on the product page
“Lifetime access to Nowa”
“Previous AppSumo customers will be grandfathered into any new features and feature limits.”
“Access to all tools on the Nowa platform.”
“AI” listed among product Features on the listing.
Why this matters: The founder’s reply plus AppSumo’s “grandfathered into any new features and feature limits” + “access to all tools” language reasonably leads LTD purchasers to expect that when “Build with AI” shipped, they’d get it without a separate ongoing usage purchase.
What Changed in 2025:
- New AI quotas & paid credits
Pricing page: Free/Starter shows 5 AI messages/month; paid tiers increase AI messages (e.g., Launch 50/month).
Nowa blog (Aug 5, 2025): “Even on the Free Plan, you get 5 AI messages per month… Need more? Upgrade to the Launch or Scale plans.”
Community post (Aug 5, 2025): LTD users are limited to “5 recurring AI messages per month”; LTDs can buy AI credits in the dashboard; a one-time AI credit package will be granted to LTDs when 3.0 exits beta.
Net effect: LTD accounts were effectively put on the same AI allowance as Free accounts (5/month), with ongoing AI usage requiring either a paid subscription tier or the purchase of extra AI credits—something not conveyed in the 2024 statements. Converting Paid lifetime users to Free status equivalence, is considered a bait-and-switch, under Consumer Protections Fair Practices.
Why This Feels Like a Material Shift
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Direct representation in 2024: “AI will be available for lifetime deals… anything we build later will be included.” That reads as inclusion without an ongoing metered charge for basic use.
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AppSumo LTD boilerplate: “Grandfathered into any new features and feature limits,” plus “access to all tools,” reasonably covers the flagship AI feature—at least to functional parity with non-LTD paid plans, not parity with Free.
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2025 policy: Puts LTDs at 5 AI messages/month, equal to Free, and pushes paid top-ups/tiers for normal usage.
Fair, Practical Options to Rectify This
Option A — Honor “grandfathering” in a meaningful way
Give LTD tiers a monthly AI allowance that maps to a paid plan (e.g., LTD Tier 3 ≈ Launch 50 msgs/mo; LTD Tier 4 ≈ higher).
If costs are a concern, offer rollover with monthly caps rather than tiny fixed quotas (so light months bank value for build sprints).
This aligns with “grandfathered into any new features and feature limits.”
Option B — Enable BYOK (Bring Your Own Key) / custom endpoint
Let LTD users connect an OpenAI-compatible endpoint (OpenRouter, private vLLM/Ollama, or company LLMs).
Keep Nowa’s built-in AI metered; unmeter BYOK usage since the cost is borne by the user.
This solves security/compliance concerns for enterprises also.
Option C — One-time “Founders’ Pack” credits + Light model default
Grant LTDs a recurring low-cost model (e.g., lighter coding agent) with a meaningful monthly quota, and include a large one-time credit pack for heavy tasks on premium models.
You’ve already floated a one-time pack; this just scales it and pairs it with a sustainable default paid tiers.
Option D — Clarify the original promise and carve-outs transparently
Publish a clear policy note reconciling “grandfathered features” with consumables (AI tokens).
If AI tokens were always intended as consumables, cite where that was disclosed; if not, acknowledge the gap and grandfather accordingly.
Transparency builds trust.
This is how I’d handle it.
But Alex, if you must, escalate through AppSumo support, referencing the same citations and asking how “grandfathered into any new features and feature limits” applies when AI is restricted to Free-level usage for LTDs. They can direct you on your best course of action, and/or get you a refund. Wording-wise, you do have ground to stand-on, but try to be respectful to find a resolution. Most companies, including mine, are advised to immediately terminate communications with anyone who threatens legal actions - so try talking to them first without the threats.
We reinvest every dollar we make into making Nowa better and into helping you build great things.
Why only 5 messages?
Good News for LTD Users
