App.net Launches Free Accounts (With Invite)
This is a good sign for the platform. It means the developers think they've reached a big enough user-base to sustain the product, and the addition of a free tier will bring in many users who would not have otherwise joined.
Although App.net has had only paid account tiers thus far, we initially conceived of App.net as a freemium service. It took some time to get to this point, but we are now ready to make this vision a reality.
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To get access to the App.net free tier, you must have an invite. These invites are being distributed to current App.net members on paid plans.
Free tier accounts are similar to paid tier accounts, but with a few limitations. These limitations are as follows:
Free tier accounts can follow a maximum of 40 users
Free tier accounts have 500 MB of available file storage
Free tier accounts can upload a file with a maximum size of 10 MB
MORE ABOUT THE INVITATION SYSTEM
As an added bonus, members can earn additional file storage by inviting friends. Both the inviting member and the invited member will receive 100 MB of additional storage if both of these things happen:
The invited member follows at least 5 other accounts
The invited member authorizes a third-party app
Accounts that were previously invited to a 30-day free trial are now automatically enrolled in the free tier, no action is necessary. Additionally, any existing invites that have been sent and unclaimed will also function as invites to the free tier without needing any additional action.