Fees Will Follow
Free is not best. It's true. Especially when it comes to value.
Instapaper (a great "read later" app) is moving from a free model to a subscription model. Some people get upset about this. Some folks are unhappy anytime payment is required.
But, Instapaper provides value. It solves a problem. (I have too much to read and can't do it all at once, so I will save it to read later - and possibly send it to a friend.) It's worth paying the people who created this tool, and in so doing, they provide even more value. (Ad-free web experience, text-to-speech reading options, send-to Kindle save, etc.)
Seth has been talking about the race to the bottom for a long time.
That's not a race you want to win. Faster, cheaper, free-er is not better. Better is better. And, in this case, better is the difference between free and $2.99 a month.
Don't look for ways to charge people more money. Look for ways to serve people better and solve more problems. Fees will follow.
“The problem with the race to the bottom is that you might win.”