Has anyone had any experience with releasing a lite version of their application? I’m wondering what kind of % of people who download the lite version go ahead and pick up the full version and whether releasing a lite version is indeed beneficial?
Last reports I heard were about a 5% to 10% conversion rate of people who buy full after playing lite. I have heard mixed reviews on how much sales differ with having a lite version versus not having one.
Well if that’s true then it’s well worth doing a lite version as lite versions can generate literally millions of downloads.
I know that years back PC shareware companies used to say that around 1% of people would buy.
There was of course the story of the guy who released only the lite version and waited 3 months for the full version… with 3 months worth of people wanting more, when he finally released it (his first ever GAME… not just iPhone, first ever GAME…) he earned $750,000 in the first month alone selling the app at $2.99
Release both and get a 10% spike or release one before the other… that is the real question to ask…
I, too, am releasing my first, Ever, game but my thoughts were to release the paid version first on sale for 99 cents to establish the URL and maybe work through a few bug fix releases (my first game but I’ve been a software developer for many years–I know I will have bugs!) Then, once it is stable, then release a free version that points to the paid version and bump the paid version up to what I think would be a good price.
Thoughts?
If you have $1 to spend and 10 000 apps to choose from…
How likely are you to choose one for $2?
It’s incredible, but the cheaper the items become the more stingy people get. Hey, “I don’t have to give you my dollar… There are plenty more people who are beggin for my dollar. Why should I give it to you”-mentality…
Have a look at how few apps sell for more than $0.99… Business stuff, sure. Games, not so much…
Personal opinion, start with $1 (on sale) and see if your game is really flying out the door and gonna sell at $2… Be warned, though, I thought that if a game is successful you will see 250 000 downloads in a month like that guy did… Turns out that guys who get featured on the front page get great sales… of around 200 per day…
I thought putting your app in the hands of 2 billion people would guarantee you at least a couple million on sales… Turns out people don’t like scrolling to page 2, much less page 3 and page 4 is just too much hard work… and if you dare ask them for more than a $1… seller beware!
Having said that, I do release a free game now and then. I released a drastically cut-down version of my first game (9 levels down to 2, 4 weapons down to 1, 3 difficulty settings… stuck on easy) and have had thousands of downloads of that and did see a slight pick-me-up in sales. Then when sales dropped I churned out a very simple and quick game, released that for free and saw another pick-me-up in sales of my first two titles. It won’t pay my rent, but help, right…?
After it finally went out of the top 100, I raised the price of mine to 1.99 from .99, and sales didn’t drop, plus I’m getting twice as much, so…
I got 6X that when I was featured on the front page.
It’s only 50 million. 
–Eric
Eric, did you release a lite version of your product?
One major problem with the itunes store is that it is per country on everything.
Front page, rankings, …
This is something that can trick you pretty easily but also offers great opportunities if you are able to fight in the european “fun park” 
We have a non-unity app called Gun Club, and it sat in the top 25 for a month or so in the US, and due to a case sensitivity issue (that only happens in a release or adhoc build, not a debug) we crippled our LITE version…
Subsequently, over a month, we lost 70 spots on the entertainment list.
Both products have been upgraded and checked now, and are just awaiting approval.
So even getting into the top 50 of entertainment isn’t a big deal, you really need at least 1500+ per day free downloads to do anything worthwhile.
Oh and I forgot the stat you cared about…
Its difficult to accurately figure it, but it works out to a roughly 7.5% conversion rate.
Not yet, though I’m planning on it.
–Eric
Lite versions can make a HUGE difference and are (in my opinion) the #1 marketing tool you have. If you can get a lite version into the top 10 free apps, then there is a pretty good chance you’ll get your paid version in the top 50.
We were selling approx 150 copies a day of Crazy Snowboard, then when the lite version came out sales went up to 2000 a day.
So what are the No-No’s for the lite versions again? I know you can’t disable the game after x number of days or anything. But can you end the game when they reach x number of points? (Still allow them to play again, but limit them at a certain point number.)? Would that go against apple’s policy on lite versions?
Also, what about the no nag screens? What’s considered a nag screen and what’s not? I assume if they get to the x number of points (and beat the game) can I then throw up a page telling all the cool extras the paid version has?
Can I throw up this same page the first time they run the app?
Can I throw it up every time they run the app (or is this where it becomes a nag screen)?
The main thing to watch is to make sure all buttons are functional. e.g. you can’t have a button that says ‘Play Level 2’ that takes you to a nag screen saying Level 2 is only available in the full version.
The best way is to grab a few Lite versions and see what others have done:
Funnily, for me I disovered that the attempts I made with lite versions were not good, they did not drive sales. A few per day, but not really noticeable.
After that experience I started putting in ads into the lite versions and found out that this is a good and steady income instead of having lite versions try to drive sales. Meanwhile I’m more and more producing just free games and see my daily ad income grow day by day. The benefit I see is, you have a next to none production risk as there is always ppl. that download free versions and play them and the ad income is steady and do not drop as it is with sales. Sure, there is not a big chance to make a #1 hit like Zombieville, but at least a good and steady income.
Has anyone tried putting ads in the full game, but only have them show up if you detect it’s a hacked version of the game? Is this worth it?
That’s a very good idea Smag, I like it! A good way of clawing back a bit of revenue also stick a proverbial finger up at people who pirate your work!
That’s interesting… You raised your price after hitting the top 50, and no one cried foul? My worry would be allegations of price gouging (if iPhone users actually read any iPhone specific press).
I submitted my game to the store last week at .99, and my thinking (until this thread) was a lite version would just draw away potential sales, where as if my game was higher priced there would be more of an expectation of “try before you buy” lite concept.
Thoughts?
Galen
Er, I said, “After it finally went out of the top 100…”.
Prices on games go up and down all the time. Mr. PirateNinjaAlliance raised the price of Zombieville USA when it was in the top 10 to see what would happen. Many games have a “special introductory price”, and then go up after a few days or a week (or sometimes they just stay that way). Anyone “crying foul” over this clearly doesn’t live in the real world.
–Eric