[ColinWright]

If you are still building your product, you don't yet have "customers." If you haven't charged them money, if they haven't paid, then you don't yet have "customers."

When someone pays you, they are a customer.

Perhaps you have potential customers. How do you know that what you're building will be very useful for them? What will you have that will make them pay you, and not simply use the free service your competitors are offering?

I would say yes, you should charge, from day one. Then you need to find your first true customer. Make them ecstatic about the service they get. Then find another 4.

Then you have a product, customers, and the thin end of the wedge. If you can't do that, how will you ever make money?

[ashok_varma]

Our product is similar to them but not the same. We both are trying to develop solutions to the same problem and trying to find the product market fit. Since they are not charging for their service and we are, do you think it would effect our chances of finding product market fit. Do you think we are making it harder for us to find product market fit.

[ColinWright]

I have no way of knowing, I've just tried to provide you with a more concrete place to start.

Find a customer.

Go and talk to someone you think has the problem you're trying to solve. Find out what they do now. Show them your solution. Get their reaction and build on it.

Sell your product.

This is hard work, but unless you actually sell your solution to someone, anyone, you won't know what your fit is.

Find a potential customer and talk to them.