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Status: Brainstorm Phase: Phase 5 (AI Media) | Tier: All Tiers

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Overview

High IQ’s pricing needs to evolve. The current two-tier model (Free + Pro) works for a cannabis intelligence tool. But as AI media features come online — podcasts, videos, music, art, social posts — the question becomes: where does this new value live in the pricing structure? Does Pro absorb it? Does a new tier emerge? Do add-ons make more sense? This page captures the full analysis. The goal is not to pick a winner today — it is to lay out the options clearly enough that the decision becomes obvious when AI media is closer to shipping.

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Current Pricing (Live)

This is what is in production today:
TierPriceWhat’s Included
Free$0Browse 5,226+ strains, active stash tracking, strain profiles, High Family classification, add any strain, first order analysis free
Pro12.99/moor12.99/mo or 99.99/yrAll 35+ features: Gmail order sync, unlimited AI text reports, analytics dashboard, rankings, badges, Professor High chat, label scanner, dispensary tracking, stash history
Historical Import14.99−14.99 - 49.99 one-time6-month (14.99),12−month(14.99), 12-month (29.99), or full history ($49.99) order import
The annual Pro plan at 99.99/yr(99.99/yr (8.33/mo effective) represents a 36% discount over monthly. Historical Import add-ons are one-time purchases available to Pro subscribers only.

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The Three Options

Three pricing structures are under consideration. Each handles AI media differently. The tabs below break down each option in detail.

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Add a Premium Tier Above Pro

The cleanest structural change: introduce a third tier called Studio that contains all AI media features. Pro stays exactly as it is today — no features removed, no price change, no disruption to existing subscribers.Tier Structure:
TierMonthlyAnnualWhat’s Included
Free$0$0Same as today
Pro$12.99$99.99Same as today (all 35+ features)
Studio$19.99$149.99Everything in Pro + unlimited AI podcasts, video reports, strain art, session music, social posts, AI music videos + vanity referral code + early access to new features
Why “Studio”: The name communicates creativity and production. You are not just reading about your cannabis — you are producing content from it. “Studio” implies a workspace where things get made. It also avoids the overused “Premium” or “Plus” naming that every app uses.Pros:
  • Clean three-choice pricing psychology (Free / Pro / Studio maps to casual / serious / creative)
  • Current Pro subscribers are completely undisrupted — nothing changes for them
  • Clear upgrade path with a defined value proposition (“Studio adds AI media”)
  • Identity-driven tier naming (“I’m on Studio” sounds better than “I have the add-on”)
  • Simpler to market than add-on bundles
  • Single SKU in RevenueCat for the upgrade
Cons:
  • Less flexible — a user who only wants AI podcasts still pays $19.99/mo for the full Studio tier
  • $7/mo jump from Pro to Studio may feel steep without trying individual features first
  • Need to market and explain a third tier (cognitive load in the paywall UI)
  • Risk of Pro feeling “incomplete” once Studio exists (“Why am I paying $12.99 for the version without the cool stuff?”)

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The Upgrade Hook

The upgrade hook is the most important UI moment in the conversion funnel. It happens immediately after a user generates a text research report — the moment when the intelligence is fresh, the user is engaged, and the value of additional formats is most obvious.

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What the User Sees

Below every completed text research report, a new section appears: 
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
  YOUR REPORT IN OTHER FORMATS
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

  🎙  AI Podcast Episode
  "So you just picked up Blue Dream from..."
  ▶ ░░░░░░░░░░░░  0:15 / 4:32
  [ 15 seconds plays, then fades out ]

  🎬  Video Summary
  [ Blurred video thumbnail with play icon ]

  🎨  Strain Art
  [ Low-res, watermarked art preview ]

  🎵  Session Soundtrack
  ▶ ░░░░░░░░░░░░  0:15 / 18:00
  [ 15 seconds plays, then fades out ]

  ┌────────────────────────────────┐
  │  Unlock AI Studio — $4.99/mo   │
  │  or Upgrade to Studio          │
  └────────────────────────────────┘

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Why This Works

The previews are real, not mockups. The podcast actually plays for 15 seconds — the user hears AI hosts mention their name and their strain before it fades to silence. The strain art is a real generation, but low-resolution and watermarked. The video thumbnail is a real frame, but blurred.
The 15-second audio preview is the single most powerful conversion mechanism. Hearing your own name and your own strain discussed by AI podcast hosts creates an immediate, visceral “I need to hear the rest of this” reaction. This is not a feature list on a paywall screen — it is a tangible experience of the value being offered.
The CTA button is contextual:
  • Free user: “Upgrade to Pro” (they need Pro first before AI media)
  • Pro user, no add-ons: “Add AI Audio — 4.99/mo"or"UnlockAllFormats−−Studio4.99/mo" or "Unlock All Formats -- Studio 19.99/mo”
  • Pro user with one add-on: “Upgrade to Studio and save” (when the math favors it)

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Tier Naming Options

The naming matters more than it seems. The tier name is what users say to friends (“I’m on the ___ plan”), what appears in marketing, and what shapes perception of value.
ApproachFreeMidTopVibe
Current + StudioFreeProStudioClean, creative, professional
IQ BrandingFreeHigh IQHigh IQ StudioOn-brand but wordy
SimpleFreeProPro+Generic, forgettable
DescriptiveFreeIntelligenceIntelligence StudioLiteral, but “Intelligence” is unusual for a tier name
Recommendation: Free / Pro / Studio is the strongest option. “Pro” is already established with existing subscribers. “Studio” communicates creativity and production without needing explanation. “Pro+” is lazy. “High IQ Studio” is too long for UI elements.

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Pricing Summary

The complete pricing matrix across all models:
ProductMonthlyAnnualAnnual Effective
Free$0$0$0/mo
Pro$12.99$99.99$8.33/mo
Historical Import (6mo)—$14.99 one-time—
Historical Import (12mo)—$29.99 one-time—
Historical Import (full)—$49.99 one-time—
AI Audio add-on$4.99$39.99$3.33/mo
AI Visual add-on$4.99$39.99$3.33/mo
AI Studio bundle add-on$7.99$59.99$5.00/mo
Studio tier$19.99$149.99$12.50/mo

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Revenue Projections (Conservative)

ScenarioMonthly RevenueAssumptions
100 Pro subscribers, no Studio$1,299Current state
100 Pro + 20% upgrade to Studio1,299+1,299 + 140 = $1,43920 users at $7/mo uplift
100 Pro + 30% add at least one add-on1,299+1,299 + 150 = $1,44930 users at avg $5/mo
100 Pro + 15% Studio + 25% add-on1,299+1,299 + 105 + 125=125 = 1,529Hybrid model
The pricing model can be decided later. AI media is not close to shipping. The decisions that matter right now are: (1) which AI media types to build first, (2) what the report detail UI redesign looks like, and (3) what the share card system looks like. The pricing structure wraps around whatever gets built. Do not let pricing analysis block feature development.

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RevenueCat Implementation

Regardless of which model is chosen, RevenueCat is the subscription management layer. Here is how each model maps to RevenueCat concepts:
Products (3):
  • pro_monthly / pro_annual (existing)
  • studio_monthly / studio_annual (new)
Entitlements (2):
  • pro — unlocks all current Pro features
  • studio — unlocks all Pro features + all AI media
Offerings:
  • Default offering shows Free / Pro / Studio with toggle for monthly/annual
Migration: None required. Existing Pro subscribers keep their entitlement.
Products (7):
  • pro_monthly / pro_annual (existing)
  • ai_audio_monthly / ai_audio_annual (new)
  • ai_visual_monthly / ai_visual_annual (new)
  • ai_studio_bundle_monthly / ai_studio_bundle_annual (new)
Entitlements (4):
  • pro — unlocks all current Pro features
  • ai_audio — unlocks podcasts + session music
  • ai_visual — unlocks video reports + strain art + social posts
  • ai_studio — unlocks all AI media (granted by bundle or by having both individual add-ons)
Offerings:
  • Default offering shows Free / Pro
  • Add-on offering shown contextually in-app (after report generation, in settings)
Complexity note: More products and entitlements to manage. Add-on subscriptions need to be checked independently. The bundle entitlement needs to grant the same access as both individual entitlements combined.

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Decision Framework

When AI media features are closer to production, use this framework to make the final pricing decision:
1

Benchmark Generation Costs

Run real cost benchmarks for each AI media type at production quality. If total generation cost per active subscriber exceeds $5/mo, the add-on model is safer (users self-select into what they want, reducing average cost per user).
2

Survey Existing Pro Users

Ask current Pro subscribers: “Would you pay 4.99/moextraforAIpodcastsofyourreports?"and"Wouldyouupgradetoa4.99/mo extra for AI podcasts of your reports?" and "Would you upgrade to a 19.99/mo plan that includes all AI media?” The responses reveal willingness-to-pay and which model resonates.
3

Prototype the Upgrade Hook

Build the 15-second podcast preview and blurred media section below reports. Measure engagement (play rate, tap rate on locked content) before building the full media pipeline. If nobody plays the preview, the pricing model is irrelevant.
4

Choose the Model

If costs are low and demand is high: Studio tier (simple, premium positioning). If costs are high or demand is uncertain: add-ons (lower risk, self-selecting users). If both: hybrid (flexibility + aspiration).
5

Launch with Flexibility

Start with add-ons. If adoption is strong, introduce Studio as the bundle tier 60-90 days later. This lets the market tell you the right price point instead of guessing.
  • Tier Comparison — Full feature-by-tier matrix showing how every feature maps to subscription tiers
  • AI Media Overview — The complete AI media strategy that this pricing model supports
  • AI Podcasts — The hero AI media feature most likely to drive upgrades
  • Share Cards — The sharing infrastructure that makes AI media viral
  • Report Sharing — How shared reports expose non-subscribers to AI media previews