I built a free tool with a Pro tier that doesn't work yet
I used to compress and resize batches of images by hand, one at a time, and occasionally needed to merge a few PDFs into one file. Both are the kind of task that's simple but tedious enough that I kept putting it off. So I built a browser tool that does both: bulk image compression, resizing, and format conversion, plus PDF merging — all running entirely in the browser, with the files never leaving the device.
I designed the pricing before I built the payment system
Here's the part I want to be honest about. While building it, I also laid out a freemium structure directly in the interface:
- The free tier caps you at 5 images or 3 PDF files per batch. Go over, and the tool quietly processes just the first few and tells you why.
- There's a "Pro" tab describing a paid tier with no batch limit and no ads.
- There's an ad slot placeholder sitting on the page, waiting for an ad network's review.
None of that is actually live. The "Upgrade to Pro" button doesn't charge anyone — there's no payment link wired up yet, so clicking it just shows an alert saying it's not ready. The ad slot is an empty box with a label, not a real ad. If you used this tool today, you'd get the full free experience and nothing else, because that's genuinely all that exists right now.
Why I'm not embarrassed about that
My first instinct was to feel like this was premature — why design a Pro tier before a single payment processor is connected? But I think there's a real reason to build it in this order:
Sketching the free/paid split directly in the working interface, instead of in a separate planning document, forced me to actually decide what's worth paying for (in this case: no limits, no ads) before I'd spent any time on billing integration. If the answer had turned out to be "nothing here is worth paying for," I'd rather find that out from a UI mockup than after wiring up a payment provider.
The part I do want to watch myself on: it would be easy to leave a half-working "Upgrade" button live somewhere and forget it's not real. That's exactly the kind of overstated claim this site tries not to make — so until a payment link actually exists, the honest state is "not available yet," not "coming soon" dressed up to look finished.
What's actually next for this one
Wiring up real payment processing and applying for ad review are both still undone, and I'm not going to claim a timeline for either. When one of them actually goes live, that'll be its own post — with real numbers, not projected ones. It's the same "admit what's not done yet" approach I used for the product catalog tool and the pricing tool — both are working prototypes with clearly stated limitations, not finished products dressed up to look further along than they are.
Frequently asked questions
Can I actually upgrade to the Pro tier right now?
No. Clicking "Upgrade to Pro" shows an alert saying it's not ready — there's no payment link wired up yet. If you use the tool today, you get the full free experience and nothing else, because that's genuinely all that exists right now.
Is it safe to use with my files?
The tool runs entirely in the browser, and files never leave the device. There's no server-side upload involved in the image/PDF processing itself.
What are the free tier's limits?
The free tier caps you at 5 images or 3 PDF files per batch. Go over that, and the tool processes just the first few and tells you why, rather than failing silently.
When will payment or ads actually go live?
No timeline yet. Both are still undone, and this post won't claim otherwise — when either one actually ships, that'll be a separate post with real numbers.