Is a web app earning $100/month a failure?

One of the lessons life teaches early on is that many decisions are not easy to make. Sometimes it’s a case of choosing a bar of chocolate over a packet of crisps/chips. Traumatic, but do-able. This is a quick follow-up to a post at the start of the month about InboxCleaner.

It’s been several weeks since I implemented the pricing change from $4.99/month to a one-time fee of $19.99. In a very small way, it’s been a success; I’ve had four people sign up for it, and if the rate continues, I’m due a fifth member before the month is out.

In one quick moment, InboxCleaner has gone from taking $50/month to $100/month. Yay!

On the other hand: it’s still not that much money. I’m starting to wonder if I’d be better off making it 100% free and using it purely to promote TweetingMachine. Several people seem to think so, and the idea does appeal to me.

The question I’m juggling with is: will any of the people using InboxCleaner be interested in buying something like TweetingMachine? I.e. is it the right target audience? Answers on a postcard, please…