“We didn't paywall any of the current functionality — you could come in and do everything you did before, in fact we upgraded the free functionality as well — and then we built new stuff and paywalled additional functionality.”

Don't paywall existing features — build new premium functionality on top of a free core

When Rapchat introduced subscriptions after years of being free, Seth Miller was careful not to degrade the existing experience for the 400K MAUs already on the platform. Instead, the free tier stayed intact and improved slightly, and the paid tier unlocked new features — vocal effects, algorithmic song enhancement. This approach protected the viral loop while converting engaged users who wanted the next level.