[yehosef]

Seems like a mistake to me. Charge a small fee ($5-10) for "beta testers" (aka everyone now) limited to 2000 users. If you don't sell anything - fine. But if you do, it'll encourage and enable you to continue developing and may even generate more interest/publicity (FOMO).

[skinnymuch]

I’m sure the reason is sensible but why the limit of users? Is 2000 just to keep it manageable? The app has a lot of features already and is stable.

[yehosef]

No, the 2000 limit is just for the "beta price" with that assumption that the future price would be more (I'd assume $15-30)

It accomplishes a few things - measures interest, give people that value the product a way to thank the creator, and adds a FOMO factor which can be good for publicity, if he wants it.

When Google Reader shutdown, Feedly offered 5000 lifetime subscriptions for ~$100 (vs $65/year). They sold out in 8 hours. It's not the same case, I understand - but the idea is similar.