[imron]

Yep. Developers need to earn money. If I don't see a pricing page I start to wonder about how they are making their money, and more importantly if they have a sustainable business model. I don't want to rely on a tool that then goes out of business.

[eloisant]

Yes, developers need to earn money. I know, I'm one (like probably most users of this software). Sometimes developers release open source software, earn money with a different job and the project doesn't go out of business (because it's not a business). This is something I was used to explain in the 90's, I didn't expect to have to explain it again in 2016.

No back to "businesses". When I see a free version and a paid version, and I know the difference, I can decide whether I want to use the free version, pay for the paid version or use neither.

However when I see "everything free for now but paid version later, the difference between the 2 unclear", it worries me that there will be some bait-and-switch, and the free version will be gimped or will get ads.

[imron]

> This is something I was used to explain in the 90's, I didn't expect to have to explain it again in 2016.

The world, the Internet, and in particular revenue models for software and services have changed significantly since the 90's.

If I land on some project's Github page I'm not going to be looking for pricing.

If I land on the marketing site for an app I'm going to assume it's a business and look for pricing first.

I remember the 90's too. You didn't have half the dark pattern/bait-and-switch/datamining revenue models that are commonly seen these days (and there are enough companies that have left users high and dry at the end of their "incredible journey" that app/business longevity is also a valid concern).

And so now, in 2016 I'm more cynical and one of the first things I want to know when I come across a potentially interesting app/product is how they plan to make money off me.

If it's all open source, great, say it up front. If it's free with various premium options, fine, say it up front. If it's subscription based service, no problem, say it up front.

Just don't hide the pricing page (or the open source branding) from the front of your site, which is the context in which I made my comment.