I don’t like freemium; I want to learn from people who care enough to pay, not from the 20x more who don’t.

IMO far too many people jump to free.

Big companies offer a free tier because they exhausted the paid market and are trying to move downmarket. Startups and indie products offering a free tier makes no sense because we (unlike large companies offering a free tier) really need the money now. We just don't have the luxury of time hoping someone will eventually pay for what we have.

"But then I'll miss out on users!" people say. Fine, let them not pay for a solution. You need people willing to pay money now, otherwise all you have is a nice idea and not a business.

I went from a free trial to a 30-day moneyback guarantee and the difference was night and day. I went from converting very few customers to losing very few customers and that's something I'll never regret changing.

It always depends on the business model and the product/service you choose. Freemium doesn't fit everywhere, but rejecting it in general is critical. I recommend everyone to read the book BUSINESS MODEL NAVIGATOR by Gassman, where 55 business models are presented.

Good post and funny timing, I just wrote an article about the problem with freemium here and an alternative that we can use to keep the advantages of freemium without the disadvantages (tons of free users not converting to paid) - https://www.indiehackers.com/post/the-belief-freemium-strategy-that-took-this-sideproject-from-0-8-million-a-year-3b465df4c0

I think we should not offer a free trial period. I'm talking about small saas. Instead of a free trial, fits better with a good video explanation/presentation or something like that. I'm seeking to make money and those who support my software.

Of all the advice I've seen about how to run a startup - this is the best. Experience backed and to the point while also being smart enough to know that you don't know everything and yours is just one way of doing things. Gold!

This is really smart. I was nodding along in agreement and laughing at how true all of your statements are. I particularly like that you acknowledge every founder is and should be different, employing their own strategies and learnings. You get two thumbs up for value and being humble.