Should you offer free access when launching a paid product on Product Hunt?
I'm seeing more products launch on Product Hunt that require payment to actually use any features. No free trial, no freemium tier, just a download that leads straight to a paywall.
Part of me thinks this makes sense. If your product has real value, why give it away? People on Product Hunt understand they're looking at premium tools. Plus offering free access can attract users who will never pay anyway.
But I also see the argument for temporary free access during launch. Product Hunt users want to actually try what they're upvoting. How can they give meaningful feedback or become advocates if they hit a paywall immediately?
Some makers offer special promo codes just for the PH community.
Then there's the middle ground - a limited free trial that gives people enough time to evaluate during the launch buzz, but converts them to paid after.
I've seen successful launches using all three approaches, but I'm curious what actually works better for building genuine momentum versus just getting empty upvotes.
What's your experience launching paid products on PH? Do you think the community expects some level of free access, or are people fine paying if the value is clear? And does it affect your chances of getting featured?
Replies
Optibot
A free trial even if it's limited.
If you're launching the MVP, give it for free. If you're already in the market but just coming to PH your offering needs to have the same value as the real world to get any traction anyway. Some products take fuel to run: ether or ai tokens. Super enterprise products often need a demo period. Lower cost consumer products without a lot of social trust already built in networks will often require a freemium model to make it. If it is a low cost pay once and use for life model then it seems like the only valid case....just don't see the upside of pushing most paid out of the gate products and doing a launch here.
I think a free demo feature should be the bare minimum.
Triforce Todos
Great question! I think some level of free access during launch helps a lot.
The middle ground works best IMO. Give users enough free access to get a real feel for the product without unlocking everything.
For NoteTube, I let them test core features like AI note generation and collections, but limit processing to just one video. This way they get a clear overview of the app without giving away the farm.
@azharuddinn I like that idea. I think finding the balance for my app would be adding a faint watermark to the generation. This way users can see and use the product fully, without circumventing systems.
I think users need to experience this product at least once before paying for it, before they are willing to take the next step. If it's all about paying in the first place, then I think it reduces the desire to learn more about this product.
@zeyang thats very true. Cant expect people to care if you dont offer any value upfront. According to what everyones been saying so far I think the best model is a free trial for launch so I will do that thank you for your feedback
Offering free access during a Product Hunt launch can drive authentic engagement and feedback. While paywall-only models highlight value, a trial or PH-only code builds trust. Users want to test before committing—like checking custom size boxes before shipping. Genuine access often leads to loyal users, not just empty upvotes.
Definitely offer a free trial- look at it from your own consumer tendencies.
if I visit a landing page and it only offers paid subscriptions, i'm pretty much immediately turned off.
Unless the product is an actual god send and i already know its exactly what i want.
Yes, offering free access (or a generous free tier/trial) when launching a paid product on Product Hunt is often a smart move — but it depends on your goals.
Think of the value your product is providing to your users. If that value should be given away for free. I think a free-trial for a limited time is good enough for users to try and decide if they would want to continue receiving that value and if it's worth paying for.