How to Price Your First App: A Simple Guide for Solo Builders
Pricing feels scary when you have no users yet. A clear, practical guide to choosing your first price, deciding between free trials and free plans, and changing price later without upsetting anyone.
October 17, 2026 3 min read
Pricing is one of the decisions builders put off longest. There are no users to ask yet, every number feels like a guess, and charging anything at all can feel uncomfortable.
The good news is that your first price does not need to be perfect. It needs to be reasonable, simple and easy to change. This guide shows you how to get there.
Price on value, not on effort
It is tempting to think: it was quick to build with AI, so it should be cheap. But your users do not pay for your effort. They pay for what the app does for them.
Ask: what does this save or earn the person using it? Hours of work each week? A client they would otherwise lose? A problem that would cost them more to solve another way? Your price should be a small fraction of that value.
Thinking about effort
It took me a weekend, so maybe two dollars a month.
Thinking about value
It saves a freelancer three hours of chasing payments a month. Ten dollars is an easy yes.
Why most first prices are too low
Very low prices feel safe, but they have hidden costs. A price that is too low can make people trust you less, because they wonder what is wrong with it.
- You need many more customers to earn anything meaningful.
- Low-paying customers are not always less demanding.
- Raising prices later feels bigger than starting at the right level.
Free trial, free plan, or neither?
| Option | How it works | Good when |
|---|---|---|
| Paid from the start | People pay before they use it | The value is obvious and the price is low |
| Free trial | Full access for a limited time, then pay | People need to try it to see the value |
| Free plan | A limited version stays free forever | Free users help you grow, and you can afford to serve them |
For most solo builders, a free trial or a simple paid plan is easier to run than a free plan. Free plans can bring lots of users who never pay, and every one of them still costs you time and money to support.
Keep it simple
You do not need five plans. One plan is fine. Two plans, a basic one and one for people who need more, is plenty. Every extra choice makes the decision harder for someone who just wants to start.
- Name plans by who they are for, or by what they include.
- Make the difference between plans easy to see.
- Show the price clearly on your site. Hidden prices make people leave.
Changing your price later
You will change your price. Almost everyone does, usually upwards, as the product improves. That is normal and healthy.
- 1
Change it for new customers first
Existing customers can keep their current price for a while. It rewards early believers.
- 2
Tell people early and plainly
If existing customers will pay more, give them plenty of notice and explain why.
- 3
Add value as you raise prices
Higher prices are easier to accept when the product clearly got better.
Your first price is not a promise. It is your first experiment.
Your pricing checklist
- Worked out the value your app gives one user
- Checked what people pay for similar tools
- Chosen paid, trial or free plan on purpose
- One or two plans, clearly different
- Price visible on your site
- A plan for changing it later, starting with new customers