Killed the free trial on mySaaS. Hit $1K MRR in 30days. Here’s what I learned :

Quick context:

I built Redditgrow.ai , a tool that helps people use Reddit for lead gen and SEO without getting banned. Launched a month ago. Just hit $1K MRR. Solo, bootstrapped.

Started from zero. Small waitlist, no paying users, no audience to speak of. Built it because I was tired of solving the same problem manually.

What worked:

Reddit itself, used correctly. Not spamming, not mass DMs. Building authority first, engaging where it actually made sense. I’ve been on Reddit for 5 years and I know how this place works. Most people building “Reddit growth tools” get banned before they see a single conversion because they treat it like LinkedIn.

Two pricing tiers from day one: $29/month subscription, or $37 one-time for people who want to test without committing. Both require a card. No free tier, no free trial.

That last point is the one I want to talk about.

What didn’t work: the free trial.

I had one initially. It was a disaster.
It brought in curious people with zero intent to pay. A few signed up just to screenshot the product.

My support queue exploded with questions from users who were never going to convert.

And a specific chunk of trial users treated it as a permanent free tool and churned on day 14 like clockwork.

The free trial wasn’t a funnel. It was a magnet for the wrong people.

I killed it. Replaced it with the $37 one-time option for “just want to try it” people. Same value prop, but skin in the game.

Result: fewer signups, way more revenue per signup, and my inbox is quiet again.

I’d rather have 30 customers at $29 than 300 free users clogging my support.

What I’m still figuring out:

• Whether the $37 one-time is leaving money on the table (some of those people would probably pay monthly)

• How to scale lead acquisition without burning my Reddit reputation

• When to raise prices (probably soon)

Anyone else here removed their free trial? Curious if you saw the same thing or if my experience is an outlier