Re:How do you make money from your free applications?
by alain94040 on Thursday May 07, 2009 @12:14PM
(#598159)
What's wrong with charging money for a good product? We geeks are a vocal minority that loves for everything to be free.
Guess what! 90% of the population doesn't care. If it solves a problem and is reasonably priced, then it's a no-brainer and they'll get their credit card out of their wallet. It's not extortion. It's about providing value and charging a fair price.
For desktop software, you can be nice and still charge money. Offer a free download and trial period. Or offer a free version with some limitations and an unlimited version for a price.
For online services, the same applies. Craigslist is free for almost everything except job ads. That works.
Gratis vs. Libre: that may just be the next big thing in the evolution of the Internet.
Guess what! 90% of the population doesn't care. If it solves a problem and is reasonably priced, then it's a no-brainer and they'll get their credit card out of their wallet. It's not extortion. It's about providing value and charging a fair price.
For desktop software, you can be nice and still charge money. Offer a free download and trial period. Or offer a free version with some limitations and an unlimited version for a price.
For online services, the same applies. Craigslist is free for almost everything except job ads. That works.
Gratis vs. Libre: that may just be the next big thing in the evolution of the Internet.