Ask HN: Paid app to free and Patreon?

I’ve got a paid Mac app that was mildly successful for a time, but trickled off. I’m considering making it free, and creating a Patreon account/blog to talk about technical issues and let patrons ask for specific features. Maybe it could even be open-source — I’m flexible.

I’d also be willing to sell sponsorships to companies, if any were interested (though I have no idea if any would be). Everybody hates ads but done well I’ve seen them work, when they’re not annoying.

Another option is making the app free, and then using an IAP to enable advanced features. Honestly, the part I hate most about that is the complexity I’d have to add to the software. I’d rather just give everybody all the features, and let people who want to financially support me do that. I don’t know how the economics would compare, though.

What other considerations should I have, for this type of change? What am I forgetting? What other alternatives should I consider, to try to monetize an app so I can keep working on it? Has anyone done this, and how did it work out for you?

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Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18358314

Points: 15

# Comments: 5

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