[nicbou]

I experience the same with my website. Very few people donate, despite constant claims that everyone uses it all the time and that it made their lives so much better.

Such is life. I do the same with so many little tools that make my life better. Why pay for something if I can get it for free? There are so many things asking for my money. I say no whenever I can.

There are not many solutions here. Either sell your services, sell your users, or sell to your users. If people aren't upgrading to the paid version, the free version might be enough. You might need to adjust what they get for free.

[Nek_12]

This resonates. I do the same - use free tools, only pay when forced.

You nailed it: 'If people aren't upgrading, the free version might be enough.' That's exactly my problem. Level 177 user completes 800+ habits/month on free tier.

So I either:

1. Lock core features - risk losing the 9 power users 2. Keep it generous - accept it won't monetize 3. Shut down

Question: on your website, did you experiment with limiting free usage? Or accept it's a free tool with optional donations?

[nicbou]

My website is free by design; keeping it free has been my policy for years.[0] I ask for donations, but it was never a significant source of income. The website's birthday is a few days apart from mine, so I use the donations to get myself a really nice gift every year.

However, my business model is different. For software, you need to give people enough to fall in love with your product, but not enough to keep using it for years without paying.

[0] https://allaboutberlin.com/terms