We think that good file handling is important for the future of the web. When we first started, we weren't planning and didn't want to build a company.
However, as we went on, we kept needing server side components to make things work smoothly. For instance, we handle large files upload by chunking them up and reassembling them, retrying parts as needed. Image conversion baked in and other components in the pipeline that we want to build also require servers, something that you can't do with a plugin.
We fully support plugin developments and we fix bugs or add features as we see them.
When we first launched, we had people emailing us asking to pay and we've been growing week on week so the developer need is there. Part of me is just as surprised as you are, until I write some code dealing when multipart form uploads or box's inconsistent error codes. Then I remember.
Yeah I was pretty skeptical when these guys first launched. I mean why not just DIY?
But if you think about it doing file uploads across tons of services and platforms is a PITA. As much as we love to tinker and hack, when you do need to execute fast, there can be a downside to reinventing the wheel.
@filepicker - Congrats on the the new pricing model, it's a definite improvement. Free is always a great price!
Also given that files are stored on customers buckets I feel is a good move, as it prevents lock-in.
Boutine had an Instagram integration already, but decided to use this instead. It was handy since it saved me from having to integrate with lots of third-party services myself.
I'm paying for it, but I'm not sure I would be if I weren't grandfathered into a $15/month plan... $100/month is a lot for my use case.
It does offer a lot more than any jQuery plugin does though, and doesn't require any server-side code. File upload is a huge PITA to begin with, not to mention integration with Facebook, Dropbox, Instagram, Flickr, webcams, etc, etc.
