What 3 makers on MakerMap learned about it, in their own words: their best posts on X, filed under Pricing & revenue.
I was scared to add a free trial.
Each one costs me money. I pictured people burning a week of free data and disappearing.
Two months later, most people who start a free trial stay.
They also stick around. Churn is down to 8.3% over the last 30 days.
Glad I bit the bullet and offered the free trial!
I went against the common advice and removed my hard paywall.
It's something that I think is app specific. For household management apps, I don't think it works because the audience is generally adverse to putting down their cards. They're generally more low touch so needs more time for the user to become comfortable with your app.
I also noticed that my direct competitors didn't have a paywall either. They gated in app in a different way. Looking at successful competitors for some aspects is sometimes better.
Instead, I automatically opt'd people into a 30 day free trial after onboarding, then it almost completely locks after the 30 days are up.
Try something, gather data and iterate
On the contrary, focus on long-term engagement. No trial or free plan.
Allow customers to enter and explore your product, trying it in limited capacity.