Tell people the charge date first

Published 2026-10-23

A paywall is a promise about money. If it is vague, people read it as a trap.

So the first rule in our apps is plain: say what happens, and say when. A trial is a trial. The date of the first charge is written on the screen where you start it, and a reminder arrives before it happens. In Pryvyd the reminder comes a day before the charge. In Koshyk it comes three days before, because the trial is two weeks long and a day is too short to decide anything.

The second rule is that the way out is never hidden. On Pryvyd’s paywall the button that keeps you on the free plan is visible at once, with no countdown before it appears. Cancelling takes two taps. No screen tells you that you will lose everything, because you will not.

That is the third rule: the free part stays yours. When Pro ends in Koshyk, nothing you entered disappears. Extra lists and holidays turn into view-only, and you can still cross things off. The suggestions go back to the few that free users get. Your data stays where it was.

We also decide what must never be behind a paywall. In Pryvyd it is the alarm itself, the mission and the backup alarm. An alarm that rings only for paying people is not an alarm. Pro sells a stronger morning, not the basic promise.

And we only list what already works. The comparison between Free and Pro on the paywall shows a row only if the feature exists in the app today. A row for something planned would be selling a hope.

Last, no pressure. No fake deadlines, no countdowns, no fear. If an app has to scare you into paying, the app has not shown you its value yet. That is why Pryvyd waits until your first morning that worked before it shows a paywall at all.

None of this is clever. It is just a list of things we would want from an app that charges us.