Indeed as you mention, complex apps like Taiga are quite time-consuming to package in a way to ensure proper updates for the future. In fact I am right now in the process to iron out the update to Taiga v6 and that price-tag allows us to focus on such things so our users get a smooth experience without missing out on updates (disclaimer, I am one of the Cloudron founders :D )

For sake of our vision we surely would like to make it more cost-effective in the long run, however we are bootstrapped and thus walk a thin line with a focus more on long-term sustainability not just blind growth. (10x cheaper though would realistically even pose an accounting problem with micro-payments or plain transaction fees taking large chunks)

“ridiculous” is a strong word. Sure if you’re addicted to free, and being used as a product, $15 sounds crazy. If you want to take control of your data and don’t have the time or inclination to do it all yourself, $15 isn’t so bad.