Freemium Services: What To Charge For
blog.jasonshah.org
blog.jasonshah.org
Not to be intentionally blunt, but your argument seems to be structured around attaining the highest userbase possible, rather than the highest revenue possible.
The natural followup is that a higher userbase begets a higher revenue, but why -- and how? I think that's certainly true with companies such as Facebook or Pinterest, where a) higher userbase equals stronger value proposition and/or b) advertising is a primary revenue source, but neither of those seem applicable to Instapaper.
Frankly, I don't think Instapaper needs to revolve around a Freemium model at all. It's a high-quality, standalone app. I don't understand the trend in the tech world that tends to demonize paying up-front for an app (and hell, Instapaper's online version is free); frankly, I'd rather know what I'm paying up front than be saddled with IAPs or subscriptions down the line.
Only charging for a service and not offering a free version can kill adoption. I know very few online services, especially consumer-facing services, that don't give you SOMETHING for free.
You and I may know it's high quality. But if you're a skittish consumer and there are free or freemium choices, I think it's unlikely that a paid-only option will thrive.