Yep, that's why I really don't agree with the point 3 of this article.
> 3. Don’t be afraid to ask for money
Only ask for money if you know you will get major coverage (either Apple placement in a feature in a country speaking a language that your app supports, or general public publications).
After switching to freemium model I earn more money per month than with a paid app during a year.
Another thing is, the author cites their app as a niche app but it is actually something a very large amount of people want. This helps _a lot_. Good, complex, apps are few on the App Store because apps must be free or very cheap.
> Only ask for money if you know you will get major coverage.
Or just ask for money if it fits in organically with your product and audience.
We build a camera app. We considered freemium, but couldn’t find a way to lock features without compromising the intended experience.
It also acts as a bit of a filter, as people do research before paying for an app. We suspect that if we were free, we’d have to contend with more support requests for things like video recording, which isn’t the use case for the app.
I agree, sometimes a freemium model is not viable, like in your case. And paid users are definitely more involved so they usually ask better questions if they have any.
Nevertheless, I believe that for a paid app, one needs good media coverage to be successful. Since there are no trials, there is not much the users can do to test the app before purchasing. (I think many people actually don't know that they can get refunds)
Anecdotal experience: bought it knowing that it doesn't record video, got exactly what I expected.
Really looking forward to a new phone so I can take advantage of the exciting new stuff, but I hear the 12 Pro might shrink to a 5.4" screen so I'm going to try and hold out. Once that happens I don't know if I'll touch my SLR again - it's already seeing minimal use because the phone is much more convenient.
I understand the context, but still.