As a firm believer that a person should be able to try before they buy, I would suggest you put out a FREE version of your app. That and the fact that most people won’t shell out 99 cents on your app, unless you are a known brand like Angry Birds, etc. Do you buy a car without taking it for a test drive? Well, I hope not…App users are the same. They will want to see why your app is awesome and why they should pay for it.
But what kind of free version should you put out? Let’s talk options!
So there are a few options when it comes to free versions.
LIMITED CONTENT VERSION
This type would contain only a fraction of the content of the full version. This could include:
-only a certain number of levels in a game
-only a certain number of functions
WHY IT WORKS:
Let’s them try it out and gives them a taste without giving it all away. Unless you are a newb like me (see alert below)
POTENTIAL DRAWBACKS:
Once user has finished all the levels, or used all the functions, they may not come back again and upgrade. It might not give the user the full experience without all the functions.
LIMITED USE VERSION
This type would allow the user to use it a certain number of times before it stops working, or the app is functional for a certain period of time, and then forces then to upgrade to the full version if they want to use it.
An example of this is a COUCH TO 5K app I tried out to get off my fat ass and get active. It works for the first two weeks.
WHY IT WORKS:
Let’s the user try out the full content before buying
POTENTIAL DRAWBACKS:
I guess the only issue I would see with this type is that you really only get one shot at getting the customer to buy the full version. Because once it stops working…they won’t use it again. You may also not be able to provide the user the full EXPERIENCE as well. For example, that running app only let me try out the first two weeks, which seemed kinda easy. Might have been nice to be able to try a harder level.
You also won’t be able to provide updated content…unless you reset the timer for each update I guess. But unless you can notify the user somehow, they may not bother going back to the app because they will think it won’t work anyway.
FULL USE FREE VERSION WITH PAID UPGRADES
This is a whole other ball game in my opinion from just a limited content free version and a paid version.
The idea is the app is free, but if you really want to get the most out of it, you will have to pay for the extras. If you go on the app store, these are the ones that you will find under the top grossing lists pretty much.
I have no issue with the ones that offer upgrades that add functionality(like extra filters for a photo app), but I’m not a fan of the ones where you have to continually buy stuff to advance in a game. But this is a way to get your app popular on the lists, because everyone will download it because it’s free…but they may not pay for the upgrades…
ONE YEAR LATER:
There is another option that I hadn’t explored, but might be the best way to go…
FREE WITH ADS
You have probably heard of Flappy Bird and the insanity around it’s popularity. If not, it was a free app with ads. It went viral and started getting huge amount of downloads. At one point, the developer was reportedly making $50,000 A DAY on ads.
Depending on your app, this might be a great way to offer the app for free, but if it’s popular enough, you can still make some money. You can also offer an ad-free version either as a standalone, or through in-app purchase (probably the better option, so you only have one app instead of two which can dilute your rankings)
WHAT DID THE NEWB DO?
I decided on the LIMITED CONTENT option. Mainly because I wanted people to be able to use it and get value from it and then upgrade. Plus, because I am a newb developer and was creating it using Dreamweaver and X Code it was the easiest and less technically challenging option.
But of course I sort of made a boo-boo with that as well…
NEWB MISTAKE ALERT!!!!!
Don’t put TOO Much content in your free version. The goal is to give people a chance to see what your app does, and want it all…not just be satisfied with the free content. And once you’ve put it out there, you cannot take it back. Well you can, but I can already imagine the lovely reviews you will get. “I originally gave this 5 stars cause it was awesome, but the jerk updated it and took away half the content. 0 STARS now!!!!“
Here is a review for the free version of my app:
“If you’ve ever had photographer’s block, then this app is for you. Don’t be fooled by the free version, it’s got plenty of content to keep you busy for a good long time. Then you can purchase the full version for additional suggestions. Metering settings and sample images get your creative juices going in no time by showing you exactly what to expect and how to get there.”
Oops.
Now, the reviewer does say that you will want to purchase the full version, but that review makes it sound like they can get by with the free one. Not exactly my business model… 🙂 But as the saying goes, I’ve made my bed, and now I have to lay in it! There is a free version for the iPad, it has the same content as the iPhone/iPod version…now, I could have taken things out because it’s a new app…but anyone who had the other free version would have noticed I think, and again…I don’t want the bad reviews! You can’t do anything about bad reviews and they will sink you faster than Pepsi stock after they released Crystal Pepsi…
HOW MUCH TO PUT IN YOUR FREE VERSION?
Well, you want to have enough to show what the app does, what makes it awesome, what makes it an app they have to have. Make sure you showcase the best features and let them try them.
But don’t put in too much content so they can just get by with the FREE version.
If you’ve done it just right, you should get people saying this:
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Noel Chenier
ps-Just cause it’s friday and everyone could use a bit of air guitar action…here’s how Canadians rock…
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Nice site. There