Add free editions

After you create a product, you might want to edit the first edition or create more editions of the same product. This page describes the steps required to add and edit a free version of a product.

Free editions have no cost. They are configurable like any other edition but they have no pricing structure. They are the only edition type that can be configured to have an expiration date, at which point the user must switch to another edition or lose access to the application.

Free trial options include Free edition length and Free trial grace period.

To add a free edition of a product

1. If you are not already on the product dashboard page, click Manage > Billing and Distribution > Products > productName | Edit. The Product Dashboard page for the selected product opens.

2. Click Editions. The Editions menu expands.

3. Complete one of the following:

   • Click the name of the edition that you want to edit. The Manage Edition Pricing page opens.
   • Click Add New Edition to create a new edition. The Add Edition page opens.

4. Enter the following information in the Edition Information fields.

   1. Name—The name for this edition. Select a name that differentiates this edition from others, such as size, expense, audience, or other criteria relevant to your business. For example, you could use names such as: Free, Standard, Pro Bronze, Silver, Gold, Home, Business.
   2. Edition code—Any string of characters to identify this edition in the XML that you, the Developer, exchange with marketplaces. You can use this code to associate this edition in AppDirect with the editions in your systems. If not applicable for you, enter any value.
      When you create an edition for a Microsoft perpetual software and software subscription product, add <product_id>:<sku> for example DG7GMGF0FKZV:0003.
      When you create an edition for a physical good that you want a fulfillment service to manage and ship, the edition code must include the following:
      • The shipping connector UUID for the fulfillment company—This identifies which fulfillment service is used in a specific zone to fulfill the product edition. The shipping connector translates fulfillment information between AppDirect and the fulfillment service.
      • The fulfillment service's SKU that identifies the product edition—this SKU is mapped to the marketplace's product edition.
   3. Target audience—The marketplace Pricing and Editions tab for this product displays this text as Ideal for {targetAudience}. For example: consumer, small business, enterprise. It helps users identify which edition best meets their needs.
   4. Position—Assign this edition a value relative to other editions of this product, to display them in a defined order. When you assign an edition a position, the position for other editions automatically adjusts, if required.
   5. Edition rank—Assign this edition a rank relative to other editions of this product, to define which ones represent upgrades versus downgrades. The lower the number, the higher the rank. For example, going from edition 4 (Silver plan) to 3 (Gold plan) is considered an upgrade. For more information on how this value is used, see Subscription upgrades and downgrades.
   6. ​Show as primary pricing plan (Optional)—When you select this option, this edition is highlighted as a best seller and is selected by default when the user clicks the Buy Now button on the product profile.
   7. Purchase options (Optional)—Select one of the following for this edition.

      • This edition is selected when a customer chooses a one-click free trial—When the product has multiple editions that are free or have free trials and you select this setting, customers receive this edition when they choose a one-click free trial. We recommend that you use this setting for the lowest-priced edition that includes a free trial, if you offer one for this product.

      • This edition can only be bought as part of a bundle—Creates an edition of the product that can be used as part of a bundle, but is not visible when buying the product separately. It does not appear on the editions and pricing page for any user.

      • This edition is hidden from marketplace customers—Restricts marketplace visibility after the edition is published. Only marketplace employees, Marketplace Managers, Sales Support Representatives (SSRs), and Resellers can see it. Although it is hidden from marketplace customers, it can be purchased on behalf of customers. After it is purchased on behalf of a customer, the customer can manage the edition.

        📝 Note: If your storefront theme was created with the Storefront Builder or Storefront Toolkit (see Customize the storefront), it is not possible to view a hidden edition's profile page directly. Users with the Developer or Marketplace Manager role can however view a preview of the profile page.

      • Enable lead generation—Customers cannot purchase this edition without assistance from marketplace SSRs, when you select this option. You can only select this option if there is at least one other edition that is not set to Enable Lead Generation (and is, therefore, available for the customer to purchase independently).

   When you select this setting, instead of a Buy Now button, customers see a Contact Us button on the marketplace for this edition, through which they can submit their contact information. Marketplace SSRs receive notification of the lead and contact the potential customer to facilitate the purchase. When Marketplace Managers publish a product to a marketplace and configure Marketplace Settings for it, they can set the product, not just an edition, to collect leads instead of, or in addition to, offering customers the option to purchase.
   8. Restrictions—Restrict users from making subscription changes. For detailed information about these settings and how they function with related restrictions, see Edition, unit, and contract restrictions.

   Edition-level settings

   Setting name	Applies to and appears for	Default	Configuration options and impact
   This edition can be upgraded	Any edition, with or without contract	Checked	Checked: Subscription upgrades are allowedUnchecked: Restriction enabled—Subscription upgrades are not allowed
   This edition can be downgraded	Any edition, with or without contract	Checked	Checked: Subscription downgrades are allowedUnchecked: Restriction enabled—Subscription downgrades are not allowed
   This edition can be canceled	Any edition, with or without contract	Checked	Checked: Subscription cancellations are allowedUnchecked: Restriction enabled—Subscription cancellations are not allowed

5. In the Payment Plans section, enter information for the following fields.

   • Free trial period—To offer a free trial period for this edition, choose whether the trial period is in days or months, then enter the duration.
   • Expired free trial grace period—The grace period represents the number of days after the free trial ends before the customers' service is canceled. During that time they do not have access to their account and the application tile on their MyApps page appears in a suspended state.
     If you configure a free trial period and leave this field blank, after the free trial period, the subscription and order statuses change to Expired until the subscription is manually canceled.
     If you configure a free trial period and enter zero in this field, it means the product has no grace period. After the free trial period, the order and subscription statuses change to Canceled the day after the free trial ends; this is not recommended because when a subscription is canceled, users cannot recover the same account even if they purchase a paid subscription.
   • Revenue model—Select the Free revenue model for this edition.

6. Describe this edition's features and benefits. Explain to your customer what this edition offers, perhaps that other editions do not.

   • Text—A short description of the feature aimed at generating interest in your product and this edition.
   • Tooltip information—Additional information about the benefit that is only visible when a user hovers over the feature.
   • Add another feature—Click to add more features.

7. Do one of the following:

   • Click Save.
   • Click Save and Preview. A preview of your marketplace product profile appears. To edit a profile element, you can link directly from the preview to the configuration page for the element. For more information, see Preview product profiles.