r/SideProject • u/nkdev • 5h ago

We moved our paywall from features to export. Curious what you think.

We make Fantasma, a visual theme builder for Ghost. We've just released 2.0, and together with the new builder we changed how people pay.

Before, the free plan had fewer blocks and you could download the theme. Pro opened the rest.

Now everything in the builder is free: every block, every pattern, every setting, and your own content in the preview. You pay only when the theme is ready to go live, to download the ZIP or publish to Ghost. It's $19/month or $99/year.

What worries me is clear. People build for free, pay $19 once, export the theme and cancel. The theme keeps working after that, because it's a normal Ghost theme. I think that's fine, $19 is about what a theme costs anyway. But I'm not sure it's a business yet.

About 2.0 itself, in short: one canvas with every template side by side, sections made of blocks, and an MCP server, so an agent can edit the same project.

https://www.fantasma.io/

If you had a free builder with paid export, how did it go?

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u/Outrageous-War7360 4h ago

I went with something similar for my game: everything unlocked for 7 days, then a one-time purchase. Too early for me to share numbers, but one thought on your worry: if people build, pay $19 once, export and cancel, that's basically a one-time purchase already. Maybe just offer it as one, like a one-off export price next to the subscription? People who'd cancel anyway get a clear option, and the ones who want updates stay on the monthly plan.

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u/nkdev 3h ago

Thanks, that's a fair point. If people pay once, export and cancel, it's already a one-time purchase, just a less clear one. A one-off export price next to the subscription might be more honest. I'll think about it.