Pirate101: Subscription vs. Pay-as-you-go Breakdown!

Pirate 101 is a Free-2-Play game, but anyone who has spent some time on the planet knows that you don't get something for nothing . . . at least not forever. Pirate 101 gives you two methods of accessing content after the free introduction: a monthly subscription and buying each chapter individually. I have been thinking quite a bit about which method would work out the best for me and had done some number crunching, so, since I went to all that effort, I figured I would share my results with you.

All this information is based on the current subscription packages available as well as the current dollar exchange rate of crowns in various bundles. The info for the chapter pricing can be found in greater detail on the Pirate 101 wiki here.

So, the first option is a monthly subscription, of which there are several models depending on how long you intend to play and how many months you want to buy at once. For the subscription prices, I have done it out to show how much you will pay per year with each of the different plans. Obviously, if you aren't sure you're going to play for a full year, you may not want to hunker down for the full 12 month subscription, so that will vary by player. Otherwise, here's how the various plans breakdown:

$9.95/month = $119.40/year
$49.95/6 months = $99.90
Second subscription with KI $6.95/month = $83.40/year
12 month sub = $79.95/year

There was a special deal that just ended yesterday where you could get the whole year for $59.95. Obviously, the more months you buy at once, the cheaper it will be, but if you plan to only play for a few months, buy accordingly.  As far as I know, there is no other advantage to membership, other than open access to all zones.  If anything presents itself in the future, I will update this post.

Now comes the part that I had to actually do some research on to find. Below is the pricing for each chapter of the game. After the first chapter, you will reach a paygate, which will become steadily more as you get further in the game. Once you unlock a chapter, it will always be unlocked for all of your Pirates on the same account, though I don't think that holds true to additional family accounts. The purchase of each paygate is made with the ingame currency of crowns. Crowns cost the following:

On sale at time of writing 60,000c/$60.00 ($1 = 1,000c), regularly 60,000c/$80.00 ($1 = 750c)
30,000c/$50.00 ($1 = 600c)
13750c/$25.00 ($1 = 550c)
5,000c/$10.00 ($1 = 500c)
2,500c/$5.00 ($1 = 500c)

That being the case, I have listed a breakdown of what each chapter costs as well as how much it would cost to buy. There are 5 different values for crowns depending on what size bundle you purchased. Therefore, I have listed the dollar amount, in ascending order, of each chapter with the $60 bundle being the outside. For those who want to skip to the meat of it, buying every currently available chapter (a total of 67,220c) would run you $134.44/$122.22/$112.03/$89.63/$67.22. Bear in mind that the last two rates would mean you bought two bundles of 60,000c, costing you $120.00/$160.00 respectively, but leaving you with 52,780c left to spend as you please.

Chapter Pricing:
Book I
Introduction = Free
Chapter 1 = 749c ($1.50/$1.35/$1.27/$.97/$.75
Book II
Chapter 2 = 1,249c ($2.50/$2.25/$2.12/$1.62/$1.25)
Chapter 3 = 1,249c ($2.50/$2.25/$2.12/$1.62/$1.25)
Book III
Chapter 4 = 1,499c ($3.00/$2.70/$2.55/$1.95/$1.50)
Chapter 5 = 1,499c ($3.00/$2.70/$2.55/$1.95/$1.50)
Chapter 6 = 1,499c ($3.00/$2.70/$2.55/$1.95/$1.50)
Book IV
Chapter 7 = 1,499c ($3.00/$2.70/$2.55/$1.95/$1.50)
Chapter 8 = 1,499c ($3.00/$2.70/$2.55/$1.95/$1.50)
Book V
Chapter 9 = 1,999c ($4.00/$3.60/$3.40/$2.60/$2.00)
Chapter 10 = 1,999c ($4.00/$3.60/$3.40/$2.60/$2.00)
Book VI
Chapter 11 = 1,999c ($4.00/$3.60/$3.40/$2.60/$2.00)
Chapter 12 = 1,999c ($4.00/$3.60/$3.40/$2.60/$2.00)
Book VII
Chapter 13 = 2,499c ($5.00/$4.50/$4.25/$3.25/$2.50)
Chapter 14 = 2,499c ($5.00/$4.50/$4.25/$3.25/$2.50)
Chapter 15 = 2,499c ($5.00/$4.50/$4.25/$3.25/$2.50)
Book VIII
Chapter 16 = 2,499c ($5.00/$4.50/$4.25/$3.25/$2.50)
Chapter 17 = 2,499c ($5.00/$4.50/$4.25/$3.25/$2.50)
Chapter 18 = 2,499c ($5.00/$4.50/$4.25/$3.25/$2.50)
Book IX
Chapter 19 = 2,499c ($5.00/$4.50/$4.25/$3.25/$2.50)
Chapter 20 = 2,499c ($5.00/$4.50/$4.25/$3.25/$2.50)
Book X
Chapter 21 = 2,499c ($5.00/$4.50/$4.25/$3.25/$2.50)
Chapter 22 = 2,499c ($5.00/$4.50/$4.25/$3.25/$2.50)
Chapter 23 = 2,499c ($5.00/$4.50/$4.25/$3.25/$2.50)
Book XI
Chapter 24 = 2,999c ($6.00/$5.40/$5.10/$3.90/$3.00)
Chapter 25 = 2,999c ($6.00/$5.40/$5.10/$3.90/$3.00)
Chapter 26 = 2,999c ($6.00/$5.40/$5.10/$3.90/$3.00)
Book XII
Chapter 27 = 2,999c ($6.00/$5.40/$5.10/$3.90/$3.00)
Chapter 28 = 2,999c ($6.00/$5.40/$5.10/$3.90/$3.00)
Chapter 29 = 2,999c ($6.00/$5.40/$5.10/$3.90/$3.00)
Chapter 30 = 2,999c ($6.00/$5.40/$5.10/$3.90/$3.00)

So there are the numbers. If you are aware of your playstyle/playtime, hopefully this will help you make the right decision on how to spend your hard earned (I presume) money.

One last note: if you go with the paygate model, you will have to pay for any expansions of the game, should you wish to continue the story. Enjoy!