I, and I am not alone, find it difficult to navigate app pricing menus.
Is there a way to tell if an app has a “free” basic version? Not a free trial, free.
I think some still do, but no idea how to see this. I don’t want to double click and download it incase I end up getting billed right away.
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Greg
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When you look at an app in the App Store, you can always see the purchase price at the top, in the big blue button. If there is no price, but the word "Get," then it is free to download and install.
But I think what you are worried about is how much of the app can you use for free before you have to pay for an in-app purchase or subscription. You can see next to the blue button the words "In-App Purchases" if there are any. So if all you see is "Get" and nothing text to it, then you can't give the developer any money even if you wanted to. But if it is "Get" and "In-App Purchases" then you can download for free, but you can pay for things inside the app.
Note that it is never the case that you get a free app and you are charged for something without specifically buying the in-app purchase. You have to launch the app, and then click a button or do something else to choose to buy the in-app purchase. So you have nothing to fear other than wasting your time maybe.
Some apps let you do a lot, or even everything for free. Other apps hide some functionality or even core features until you make an in-app purchase. One way to tell even before getting the free app is to scroll down on the app description page and look for the "Information" section. Look for "In-App Purchases" there. Expand that section. Then you get a list of items you can buy. Hopefully it is clear from the item names what they are. For instance, if an item is "Monthly Subscription" then it is pretty clear that you have to pay that each month. But if it is "Unlock Feature X" then it should mean a one-time payment for that feature.
You can also read the description to see if the developer mentions what you can do with the app before making any in-app purchases. That, combined with the list of potential purchases hopefully paints a picture of what you can and can't do before paying anything. But you never have to fear of being charged for something unless you select that in-app purchase in the app and confirm that you want to buy it.
When you go onto the app store and click on an app to widen it, you will see a blue button next to it. If it says 'Get', then it is free. If it has a price, then it isn't. Some apps have In-App Purchases, but you can usually use the free apps without paying for anything, though you will have fewer options than you would if you paid for said thing. If you do click an app that requires you to pay for it, but you don't want to pay, then you can just click off the bill tab. No harm done. Good luck.!
This is the best explanation for the way to tell if an app is free or costs money.