Build Log #0 — Why I’m Building Pricewise: Pricing shouldn't be a guessing game
Like many indie hackers, I’ve launched products and hit that moment of dread:
“So… what should I charge?”
$9/mo feels too low. $29/mo feels risky. Usage-based pricing feels confusing.
So we guess. And sometimes, we guess wrong — really wrong.
Enter: Pricewise
I’m building Pricewise, an AI-powered pricing assistant that simulates virtual users (via GPT) to help you test and validate pricing before launch.
Here’s what it does:
- You describe your product + pricing plans
- GPT personas (early adopter, bootstrapped founder, marketer, etc.) choose a plan and explain why
- You get insights: “Which tier did most users choose?”, “Why did they reject your $9 plan?”, “Which features matter?”
Why this matters
In my own tests, I’ve seen GPT-simulated users reject low-tier plans due to “lack of trust”, while being willing to pay more if the narrative fits.
That blew my mind. Pricing is perception. Pricing is storytelling.
So I’m building this in public. No-code first. Prompt-heavy. Will probably fail a few times. But I’m betting other builders will want this too.
Current Status
- ✅ GPT-based simulation engine working
- ✅ Personas + prompt templates in v1
- 🛠️ MVP page live: https://pricewise.cc
- 🧪 Now onboarding early users for private pricing insights (DM me if you want in!)
Next log: I’ll share the first 20 GPT-user results + unexpected learnings.
Stay tuned, and let me know how YOU approached pricing your first SaaS.
Hi Jack! I wanted to reach out to talk about Pricewise with you and using it with my startup clients. Hope you see this!
Hi Victoria 👋 Thanks so much for the message — I’d absolutely love to chat and explore how Pricewise can help you and your startup clients.
Feel free to DM me directly on X → https://x.com/Gongqing007
Or drop your email and I’ll follow up ASAP!
If there are specific pricing challenges your clients are facing, I’d be happy to tailor a walkthrough or run a custom simulation for you. Let’s solve this together 🙌
I was actually battling with this precise thing.
I currently have 3 sub tiers: free, pro ($29/month), and enterprise ($99/month).
Ill check it out!
You're definitely not alone — I’ve seen so many indie builders default to the $29/$99 model (I did too 🙈).
What surprised me is how GPT-simulated users often rejected $29 for lacking perceived value or trust — even if the features made sense.
Let me know when you try it! I’d love to see how your tiers perform — especially how the virtual users react to the free plan vs pro jump.
This comment was deleted 6 months ago.
I don't know what price people would actually pay, Great Idea!
That’s the exact pain I had too — guessing price always felt like walking blind.
With Pricewise, you just drop your product description and GPT personas simulate their choices (and reasons).
What surprised me most was how different personas valued totally different things — not just price, but tone, positioning, even naming.
Happy to run a sample for your project if you're curious! 👀