HowTheyGotUsersHowTheyGotUsers

Pick Your Free Model With the Five-Filter Test

Pick Your Free Model With the Five-Filter Test is a pricing & monetization tactic for getting your first users: A decision rule for choosing between a time- or usage-capped trial and a forever-free tier, instead of defaulting to whichever your competitor uses.

It's a strong fit for B2B SaaS and Dev tools / technical teams, and works especially well for B2B SaaS, dev tools, self-serve products. As a pricing & monetization play, plan for medium effort and expect results to build gradually over time, all grounded in 3 linked primary sources.

Pricing & monetizationMedium effortSlow

Why does pricing & monetization work for this?

Freemium only pays off when free users are cheap to host and a fraction reliably upgrade; matching the model to your economics prevents giving away value you can't recoup.

The exact steps (4)

The full step-by-step this founder ran, what they posted, where, and in what order, plus the watch-outs, is part of the library.

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Sources

Works for
B2B SaaSDev tools / technical

Frequently asked

What kind of products does the "Pick Your Free Model With the Five-Filter Test" tactic work for?
It is a good fit for B2B SaaS and Dev tools / technical — pick it when your product looks like one of those, since the play is shaped around how those users find new tools.
How is the "Pick Your Free Model With the Five-Filter Test" tactic verified?
It is drawn from 3 primary sources — real founder write-ups and interviews, not generic advice. They are linked in the Sources section above so you can read the original accounts yourself.
How much effort is it and how fast are results?
It is medium effort, and results tend to be slow.
Where can I see the exact step-by-step?
The full step-by-step a founder ran, documented via The BEST Sales Funnel For Your SaaS and SaaS Marketing Trends & Tactics, is in the paid library.

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