Built a free browser tool to replace expensive research software — now unsure whether to charge
A PhD student built a tool that replaces expensive, slow widely used by researchers. It runs without installation and covers most of what people actually need.
Colleagues tested it and reacted far more positively than expected. The dilemma: the people who need it most are fellow broke students, making charging feel wrong.
There is also self-doubt about not being a professional developer. The student is leaning toward a model but is unsure whether that is a genuine philosophy or just a way to avoid making a hard call.
Key points
- A tool with no install step removes the biggest early adoption barrier
- can serve as a experiment, not just a soft opt-out from charging
- Distinguishing 'I care about users' from 'I am avoiding a decision' is the core question here
- Free-forever is a sustainability risk — even a small floor helps keep the service alive
- The tool's value comes from solving a real problem, not from the builder's