The path to paid: Designing Appwrite's billing experience
Appwrite is an open-source backend-as-a-service platform that helps developers manage databases, authentication, serverless functions, and other tools from a single, intuitive console.
The path to paid: Designing Appwrite's billing experience
Appwrite is an open-source backend-as-a-service platform that helps developers manage databases, authentication, serverless functions, and other tools from a single, intuitive console.
The path to paid: Designing Appwrite's billing experience
Appwrite is an open-source backend-as-a-service platform that helps developers manage databases, authentication, serverless functions, and other tools from a single, intuitive console.
The path to paid: Designing Appwrite's billing experience
Appwrite is an open-source backend-as-a-service platform that helps developers manage databases, authentication, serverless functions, and other tools from a single, intuitive console.
The project
Not long after I started at Appwrite, we launched our Cloud console, a cloud version of our self-hosted dashboard that had attracted developers ranging from engineering students and hobbyists to experienced professionals.
As the company grew, one of my biggest challenges was introducing paid tiers to this previously free platform. It became a multi-year effort to refine Appwrite’s console experience while maintaining the developer-first ethos that built our community, all without alienating our existing users.
The project
Not long after I started at Appwrite, we launched our Cloud console, a cloud version of our self-hosted dashboard that had attracted developers ranging from engineering students and hobbyists to experienced professionals.
As the company grew, one of my biggest challenges was introducing paid tiers to this previously free platform. It became a multi-year effort to refine Appwrite’s console experience while maintaining the developer-first ethos that built our community, all without alienating our existing users.
The project
Not long after I started at Appwrite, we launched our Cloud console, a cloud version of our self-hosted dashboard that had attracted developers ranging from engineering students and hobbyists to experienced professionals.
As the company grew, one of my biggest challenges was introducing paid tiers to this previously free platform. It became a multi-year effort to refine Appwrite’s console experience while maintaining the developer-first ethos that built our community, all without alienating our existing users.
The project
Not long after I started at Appwrite, we launched our Cloud console, a cloud version of our self-hosted dashboard that had attracted developers ranging from engineering students and hobbyists to experienced professionals.
As the company grew, one of my biggest challenges was introducing paid tiers to this previously free platform. It became a multi-year effort to refine Appwrite’s console experience while maintaining the developer-first ethos that built our community, all without alienating our existing users.
My role & process
I led the end-to-end design of the billing initiative, from early research and testing to post-launch iteration, while also managing the project's delivery across design and engineering. Guided by Appwrite's value of transparency , I set out to make a complex transition feel simple, intuitive, and trustworthy.
I redesigned the organisation creation flow to bring billing, usage tracking, and budget caps into the console, and crafted upgrade messaging that built trust. When early data showed developers dropping off during a free trial period, I helped rethink the flow with a credit-based system, giving users more freedom to explore the paid features (and boosted retention in the process).
The result was a smoother, more confident upgrade path that balanced business goals with developer trust.
My role & process
I led the end-to-end design of the billing initiative, from early research and testing to post-launch iteration, while also managing the project's delivery across design and engineering. Guided by Appwrite's value of transparency , I set out to make a complex transition feel simple, intuitive, and trustworthy.
I redesigned the organisation creation flow to bring billing, usage tracking, and budget caps into the console, and crafted upgrade messaging that built trust. When early data showed developers dropping off during a free trial period, I helped rethink the flow with a credit-based system, giving users more freedom to explore the paid features (and boosted retention in the process).
The result was a smoother, more confident upgrade path that balanced business goals with developer trust.
My role & process
I led the end-to-end design of the billing initiative, from early research and testing to post-launch iteration, while also managing the project's delivery across design and engineering. Guided by Appwrite's value of transparency , I set out to make a complex transition feel simple, intuitive, and trustworthy.
I redesigned the organisation creation flow to bring billing, usage tracking, and budget caps into the console, and crafted upgrade messaging that built trust. When early data showed developers dropping off during a free trial period, I helped rethink the flow with a credit-based system, giving users more freedom to explore the paid features (and boosted retention in the process).
The result was a smoother, more confident upgrade path that balanced business goals with developer trust.
My role & process
I led the end-to-end design of the billing initiative, from early research and testing to post-launch iteration, while also managing the project's delivery across design and engineering. Guided by Appwrite's value of transparency , I set out to make a complex transition feel simple, intuitive, and trustworthy.
I redesigned the organisation creation flow to bring billing, usage tracking, and budget caps into the console, and crafted upgrade messaging that built trust. When early data showed developers dropping off during a free trial period, I helped rethink the flow with a credit-based system, giving users more freedom to explore the paid features (and boosted retention in the process).
The result was a smoother, more confident upgrade path that balanced business goals with developer trust.
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Due to the nature of this project, I can’t share all the behind-the-scenes details publicly. If you'd like to learn more about the full process, please feel free to reach out.
