Free trials · Large-scale field experiment

Freemium Pricing: Evidence from a Large-Scale Field Experiment

ESMT Working Paper / SSRN · 2016

Julian Runge, Stefan Wagner, Daniel Klapper, Jörg Claussen

Summary

Tests freemium pricing changes using large-scale field experimentation, providing evidence on how pricing scheme changes affect user behavior.

For your marketing

Possible founder application

Run controlled price/tier experiments and evaluate both conversion and downstream usage.

Reported result

What the study found

Tests freemium pricing changes using large-scale field experimentation, providing evidence on how pricing scheme changes affect user behavior.

Research question

What the authors investigated

How does the study’s stated design explain its reported outcome in this setting?

Design

Large-scale field experiment

Sample and setting

Freemium digital product users; exact sample not exposed

Scope and transfer

Limitations to keep in view

Working paper rather than journal article; abstract-only details.

Research sources

abstract_only

Study strength

3.5/5 Abstract-level evidence is useful for framing questions; verify full methods before transfer.

How this was assessed

The 1–5 evidence-check score is a practical reading aid, not a formal peer review or a probability that a conclusion is true. It combines design strength (2 points), sample reporting (1), comparison/control clarity (1), and how much of the paper could be checked (1). Access affects how confidently this directory can assess a study, not the study's underlying quality. Blinding is reported separately because it is not relevant to every design.

Design transparency · 2/2

Based on the reported study design in the retrieved source.

Sample and setting · 1/1

The sample context is stated; a numerical count is preserved only when reported.

Outcome clarity · 1/1

The finding is summarized from publisher or article metadata.

Access for checking · 0.5/1

Only abstract or bibliographic access was confirmed.

Double-blind? The retrieved publisher record does not establish whether participants or outcome assessors were blinded.