Getting my free tier abused
I’ve built a research tool (ideafast.pro) that scans communities for recurring problems; the kind of problems people have actually built startups around.
Initially, I offered a free trial that required a credit card. A lot of people signed up, but many churned immediately. The feedback was pretty consistent: “I’m not putting my card in without testing it first.”
So I removed the card requirement and introduced a free tier with one scan. It’s somewhat limited, but every scan still costs me money to run.
That created a different problem.
A lot of people now sign up casually, use their free scan to look for something to build, and leave. Some even create temporary accounts just to scan additional communities.
I understand why users want to try before paying, but as a bootstrapped product, it's hard to sustain giving away expensive usage to people with no buying intent.
I’m trying to find the right balance between letting people experience the product before paying and preventing the free tier from becoming an unlimited research tool.
How would you approach this?