Your free tier is not charity and it is not a trap. It is a product with a job: let the right users reach value fast and hit a natural ceiling. The ceiling is the whole art. Too low and nobody experiences value. Too high and nobody upgrades. The best free limits are based on the unit that grows with success. Emails sent, projects created, seats added. That way, hitting the limit means we are growing and need to pay. The worst limits are time based: thirty day trials just create a cliff where most users never return. Design the ceiling where growth hurts pleasantly. The upgrade moment should feel like hiring your first employee: a sign you are succeeding, not a punishment.