What should a free plan include, and where should the limit sit?
A free plan is a marketing channel and a cost. Set the limit too low and nobody gets value; too high and nobody pays. This guide shows which limits suit work apps and how to show them without frustrating people mid-job.
What should a free plan include in a work app?
Enough to complete the core task several times on your own: scan a handful of documents, run a few checklists, create some work orders. It should not include unlimited daily use, shared team work or company controls, because those are the reasons to pay.
Think of the free plan as a product demo that does real work. ScanForm, a fictional scanning app, lets anyone scan and export a clean PDF free, with a monthly cap. Heavy users hit the cap within days, and teams hit the sharing limit the first time they try to file into a common folder.
Which types of free limits suit work apps?
| Limit type | Example | Hits whom first | Effect on upgrades | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Usage cap | 20 scans or 5 work orders a month | Daily individual users | Clear reason to pay for personal plans | Can block a task mid-job if poorly timed |
| History window | Records kept 30 days on free | Users who need records later | Strong for compliance and audit apps | Feels like holding data hostage if not explained |
| Collaboration cap | One shared project or 2 members | Teams | Leads to team plans | Stops viral spread if set too low |
| Feature gate | Templates, custom fields, exports | Power users | Moderate; depends on the feature | Users may not see what they are missing |
| Branding | App name on shared PDFs | Users sending work to customers | Moderate; also drives awareness | Can annoy professionals sending to clients |
| Company controls | Admin, single sign-on, audit logs | IT and operations | Leads to company plans | None for individuals; this is the company line |
Most work apps combine a usage cap with a collaboration cap and keep company controls for the top plan. Compliance-heavy apps, such as the ones in the compliance apps guide, often add a history window because records over time are what auditors ask for.
How do you set free plan limits step by step?
- Find the activation volume. How many scans, checklists or orders does a new user need to reach a first useful result? The free plan must cover that with room to spare. See activation.
- Find the habit volume. How much does a paying user do in a typical month? Put the cap well below it.
- Choose one primary limit users can understand and track, and show a counter before they reach it.
- Put collaboration limits where teams start, not where individuals work alone.
- Keep company controls in the company plan and list them on your pricing page.
- Decide what happens at the limit: finish the current task, keep all existing work, offer the upgrade and a way to wait until next month.
- Review the limits every quarter against paid conversion and activation.
The pricing tiers guide covers tier design in general; the paywalls guide covers the screen users see at the limit.
What does a good limit message look like?
Both screens show a ScanForm user reaching the free monthly cap. The weak version stops the task and hides the scan. The strong one saves the scan, says what happened in plain words and gives three choices.
Limit reached
You have used all free scans.
Scan saved
Your free scans reset on November 1. Pro removes the monthly cap.
- 20 scans a month
- PDF export
- 1 shared folder with 1 colleague
- Unlimited scans
- Custom file names and OCR
- Cloud backup
- Shared folders for the team
- Admin and roles
- Single sign-on on request
Free covers one person doing the job occasionally.
Paid covers doing it every day, sharing it with a team or running it under company control. If a free user can run their whole business on the free plan, the limit is in the wrong place.
What free plan mistakes block growth?
- Limits below activation. A user who cannot finish a first task never learns why they would pay.
- Unlimited free use. Some users will run a small business on it for years.
- Surprise limits. A counter that appears only at zero feels like a trap.
- Holding finished work hostage. Keep existing records visible and exportable.
- Collaboration caps too tight. If a user cannot share one result with one colleague, the app cannot spread inside a workplace. The referrals and invites guide explains why sharing matters.
- Never revisiting limits. As features grow, the free plan often grows by accident.
Trade-off: a generous free plan brings more users and more word of mouth but fewer, later upgrades. A tight one does the opposite. Work apps that rely on spreading inside companies usually do better with generous individual use and firm team limits.
What should you measure for free plan limits?
| Metric | Question it answers | Where to find it |
|---|---|---|
| Free users who activate | Does the free plan allow a first result? | Activation event by plan |
| Users reaching the limit | Is the limit set where habits form? | Limit-reached event |
| Upgrade rate at the limit | Does the limit lead to payment? | Limit-reached event joined with purchases |
| Return after limit without paying | Do free users come back next month? | Sessions after reset date |
| Team plans from collaboration limit | Does the sharing cap create team deals? | Upgrade source field |
| Long-term free power users | Is anyone running a business on free? | Usage percentiles by plan |
Read the numbers by user type, not only in total. A self-employed inspector who reaches the scan cap every month and never upgrades may be price-sensitive, and a cheaper annual plan could fit. A free user who keeps sharing results with five colleagues is a team waiting for an offer, and a short message about the team plan is more useful to them than another scan reminder.
When you change a limit, give existing free users notice and a grace month. People who built a routine on the old limit deserve warning, and a sudden cut produces the store reviews that hurt your next hundred installs. Next, compare the free plan with a time-limited trial in trial conversion.
Frequently asked questions
Should a B2B mobile app have a free plan?
Often yes, if a single person can get value alone. A free plan lets professionals try the job before their company is involved.
What is the best type of free limit?
There is no single answer. Usage caps suit daily individual tools, collaboration caps suit team apps and history windows suit compliance apps.
Should free plans include team features?
A small amount, such as sharing one result with one colleague, helps the app spread. Full team features belong in paid plans.
What should happen when a user reaches the limit?
Let them finish the current task, keep all existing work, show the reset date and offer an upgrade as one of several options.
Is a free trial better than a free plan?
A trial suits apps whose value needs several days of full use. A free plan suits apps that prove value in one task. Some apps offer both.
How often should I change free limits?
Review them quarterly. Change them only with a clear hypothesis and read activation and paid conversion together afterwards.
Can free users see company features?
Yes. Showing admin and single sign-on as company features helps users explain to their employer what the company plan adds.