App monetization — free core, paid customization, sponsorship tiers
Voice-memo idea (2026-05-10, 11:50) for an IAP structure across the user’s own apps. Core stays free; payment buys customization (icons, themes). A top sponsorship tier lets buyers commission a custom app icon that gets designed and added to the public icon picker. Refinements added the same day decouple the sponsorship’s instant value (badge + theme + token) from the eventual icon design via a redeemable in-app voucher.
Applies generically — not tied to a specific app — but the immediate candidates are the user’s released and in-progress apps (see Projects): Hibi (active), Zettel, AI Shortcuts, Beat Kanji.
Voice Transcript
Recorded: May 10, 2026 at 11:50 AM
Okay, so if I ever get to add uh in app purchases and monetize my apps basically, um I think it would be good to have a structure where it’s fair, where the features basically currently that currently exist stay free, then uh well, the most important features that come in the future will stay free as well. I think that’s really important. And so maybe what you can buy would be like customization options. And I guess it makes sense to put them behind tiers. So there should be like a low cost, like 5 tier where you get most of the stuff basically. Then there’s like a middle tier in between for like 20 bucks where you get everything plus some extra. Um and then there’s this completely overpowered tier, which is really fucking expensive, but actually just gets you the same as the other tiers and then also a sponsorship basically like in Growtopia where people could sponsor items, it should be that you can sponsor something. And I think it makes sense to sponsor an app icon maybe, so the app icons that users can choose when they upgraded maybe. The basic tier the lowest tier basically is just uh all app icons essentially except for some that are part of 20 tier makes sense actually maybe it’s just 100 sponsorship, I guess that lets you then uh send a message to me as a developer with the description basically of the app icon that you want and I will then design it carefully, manually and add it to the app basically and other people can then choose it there. And well, of course the people that you would that would be some restrictions like you can’t put copyrighted content there if you don’t own the rights or allow me to use them in that sense. And then well, basic stuff. Um, I think that’s a really nice idea, but I’m not not sure on the 5 tier or like $3, I don’t know what makes sense there. That’s a support tier and basically lets you uh well, access the other app icons and maybe some themes or something like that.
Refinements (2026-05-10)
Immediate value at the sponsorship tier
The $100 sponsorship must deliver something the moment you buy it — App Store rules expect IAPs to unlock value immediately. So the purchase itself unlocks:
- A “Sponsor” badge or label visible in the icon picker
- An exclusive color theme or visual flair not available in the $5 tier
- The custom icon request token (see below)
The custom-designed icon ships later in a future app update — but the sponsor already got tangible stuff at purchase time.
Icon request as a redeemable token
Decouple the icon request from the IAP transaction itself. The $100 purchase grants a redeemable token in the UI — like an in-app voucher. The flow:
- User buys the $100 sponsorship → immediately gets badge, theme, and 1 icon request token
- User goes to a “Redeem” screen in the app whenever they’re ready
- They describe the icon they want (text field + optional reference image), accept the content policy (no copyrighted material, no NSFW, etc.)
- Submission goes to the developer (could be a simple form/email)
- Developer designs the icon, ships it in a future update, and marks the token as fulfilled
Benefits of the token approach:
- No time pressure — the user redeems when they have a good idea, not at checkout
- Clean separation: IAP handles money, the token system handles the creative request
- Could potentially allow gifting tokens or earning them through other means later
- The “Redeem” UI is a natural place to show content policy and submission guidelines
Related
- Projects — the apps this would apply to; Hibi is the current candidate, with Zettel, AI Shortcuts, Beat Kanji as released-app candidates.
- Hibi — most likely first deployment target (active iOS project; calendar app with strong visual-design surface where alternate icons + themes make sense).
- 2026-05-22-Hibi Plus monetization - early access, certificate, UI placement — Hibi-side specialization (5/22): names the paid tier Hibi Plus, adds early access as a perk on top of icons/themes, proposes a post-stamp purchase certificate as the at-checkout unlock, and opens UX questions about Plus-UI placement and the “now in early access” slot.
- Ideas — Apps section; this is a cross-cutting monetization strategy applicable to multiple entries there.
- Hitonami - Crowd Walking Game — sibling product-idea page (also routed from a voice memo): potential future app where these tiers could apply.
- There is no main js — author’s manifesto context (agent-native software, side-project mindset) — sets the “I want monetization that doesn’t compromise the work” framing this memo embodies.
- Paper as an affordable luxury good — registers the luxury-as-care alternative to luxury-as-paywall: keep the core accessible and sell crafted customisation. This monetisation pattern fits paper-feel software better than a hard paywall would.
Open questions
- Naming — what’s the “completely overpowered” sponsor tier actually called in-app? “Sponsor” / “Patron” / “Founder”?
- Refund handling — if a sponsor’s icon request gets rejected by content policy, do they keep the badge/theme but lose only the token, or get a full refund?
- Cross-app — does one purchase at the sponsor tier in one app grant the badge across all the developer’s apps, or is it per-app?
- Public visibility — should sponsor-designed icons credit the sponsor (display name in app credits / icon-picker tooltip)?