2 Comments

What an interesting breakdown. Time is absolutely NOT forever free. Features is forever free. Usage is kind of a cross between the two. For example, I can use 10 Trello boards forever. If I'm willing to delete one, I can have another. I would think of this as forever free. However, they could say, once you've started 10 boards, you're done. Then it's not forever free.

It almost feels like a clearer categorization is forever free or not. In forever free, the question is what gets constrained and you could think of amount of usage as a feature. In not forever free, the question is what ends the free period, time or usage.

Thanks for a very thoughtful piece. My HUGE takeaway concept is the phrase Forever Free.

Expand full comment

Thanks Mark! So glad you enjoyed it. I completely agree with you and love where your heads at around usage-based freemium. I've been brainstorming a future post breaking down the difference between usage-based that can be used in perpetuity, and usage-based that can't and am on the exact same page with you around how to think about it. Appreciate the note! 🙏🏼

Expand full comment