Indie iOS/mac apps are testing freemium to the limit this month. From lifetime freebies to ad-free starts, five experiments show where solo developers think monetization should land.
Lifetime freebies and launch promos — FITA, the AI Personal Trainer, is running a limited-time offer: lifetime Pro access for users who sign up by October 31. [1] The pitch shows a '1-Year Free Trial' prompt at checkout, but the creator intends to upgrade subscribers to lifetime Pro on launch day. [1]
Core features stay free, unlocks via paid tiers — HelloHabit lets users use all core features for free with a 5-habit limit; unlimited access costs $20/year or a lifetime unlock. [2]
Time-Fill goes pure free (for now) — Time-Fill is 100% free with no ads or in-app purchases at launch; the creator says a premium version is coming later. [5]
PDFz: ad-free free tier, optional premium later — PDFz is 100% free, with zero ads and no data collection; the developer may add premium features in the future but the core stays free. [4]
On-device speech-to-text pricing: the price tug-of-war - MacWhisper is free for most uses and a one-time $59 payment for the Parakeetv3 model. [3] - Spokenly can run with your own key for free; Gemini-based prompts included. [3] - Many see paid transcription apps as pricey; comments call $40/year or $4/month too steep. [3]
Indie pricing experiments stay on track with no one-size-fits-all; watch which models win long-term.
References
AI Fitness Coach & Body Scanner, Lifetime Free Pro Plan before October 31!
FITA AI fitness coach body scanner launches on iOS; lifetime free Pro promo before Oct 31; pricing issues debated globally.
View sourceLooking for an accountability partner? Social habit sharing is now available in HelloHabit!
HelloHabit adds accountability sharing; Mac and iOS app; free core features with $20/year or lifetime unlock.
View sourceBuilt a desktop app that converts speech to formatted text with keyboard shortcuts
MacOS speech-to-text beta; compares to MacWhisper; pricing privacy debates; local models favored; seeking formats and use cases from community input.
View source[Dev] I made a completely free PDF scanner with no ads - PDFz
Dev launches PDFz iOS app; ad-free, free features, upcoming premium offshoot; compares to Open Scanner; seeks feedback from users early.
View sourceLaunched my first IOS App and it's 100% free!
First iOS Time-Fill launched; free, ad-free, visually pleasing countdown app with widgets; ongoing regional availability updates and user feedback sought.
View source