Freemium products
Freemium products have a free plan you can keep using, along with paid plans that unlock more. It lets you try the real thing with no card, so this page lists them, along with how to tell whether the free plan will actually cover your needs.
Freemium products
1 productWhat does freemium mean?
Freemium combines “free” and “premium”: the basic product stays free with no time limit, and you pay to go further. Paid plans usually add more usage, more seats or extra features. It’s different from a free trial, which gives you the full product for a limited time and then asks you to pay or stop.
How to judge a free plan
- Find the limit you’ll hit first. Usage caps, seats and history length often matter more than the feature list suggests.
- Check what’s locked. Exports, API access and integrations are common reasons people end up upgrading.
- See what happens when you stop paying. Some products keep your data read-only, and others limit access to it.
- Work out the real price, including the cost per seat if your team will grow.
Choosing freemium as a maker
Freemium lowers the barrier to trying your product, and it can spread by word of mouth. In exchange, you’re paying to serve people who may never upgrade, which adds up quickly for AI products with per-request costs. The free plan has to be useful enough to win people over, and limited enough that serious users have a reason to pay. Watch how many people actually upgrade, and adjust the limits based on that.
Other pricing models
Frequently asked questions
What’s the difference between freemium and a free trial?
A freemium plan has no end date, but its features or usage are limited. A free trial usually gives you the full product for a set time, and after that you pay or lose access. Some products offer both.
Do freemium tools ask for a credit card?
Usually not for the free plan, though it varies. If a product asks for a card up front, check when you’d be charged and how to cancel before you enter it.
Is freemium the same as free?
No. On ShipScroll, free means there’s no paid plan at all, and freemium means a free plan is offered alongside paid ones. Makers choose which applies when they list a product.