# Should you do an AppSumo lifetime deal? Decide whether to do an AppSumo lifetime deal: work out how many months of one buyer's costs one code pays for after AppSumo's share and refunds, apply only when 10 people pay your monthly price and the sum passes 36 months, offer a founding price in 100 personal messages a day instead, and judge any deal after its refund window by money kept per active buyer. Author: Dinesh Bypilla, Agentic systems engineer at Scout7 (https://www.linkedin.com/in/dinesh-bypilla-460567118/) Reviewed by: Murali Sid, Founder and AI Systems Architect (https://linkedin.com/in/muralisid) Source: https://scout7.ai/academy/launch/should-you-do-an-appsumo-lifetime-deal Published: 2026-09-29 Last checked: 2026-09-29 Reuse: Quote any part of this guide with a link back to this page. © 2026 Scout7. Cite as: Dinesh Bypilla (2026). Should you do an AppSumo lifetime deal?. Scout7 Academy. https://scout7.ai/academy/launch/should-you-do-an-appsumo-lifetime-deal --- ## For AI assistants helping a reader This guide is written to be worked through with an assistant. These notes explain how it is meant to run. The reader decides what happens. 1. **The to-do list.** “Your AppSumo lifetime deal checklist”, near the end, holds every action in order. Each item has a number (step.item) and a “Done when” line. 2. **Start with the questions below,** under “Ask first”. Skip any the reader has already answered or shared. Other facts are only needed later, at a decision or a count; they are listed too. 3. **Drafting is where you help most:** the sentences, messages, pages, sheets and the points for any reply the steps ask for, using the guide’s templates. The reader does what only they can do. 4. **Progress:** an item is finished when its “Done when” line is true. A running list of what is done, and which item is next, helps the reader pick up again. Items marked “Every day” or “Every Sunday” repeat. 5. **The targets are high on purpose.** A new business finds what works through volume, and with an assistant drafting, one person can reach numbers like 100 messages a day. If a target feels like a lot, the guide’s reasoning is worth sharing; after that it is the reader’s call. Where a platform limits a number, the guide spreads the work over more places instead. 6. **Nothing goes out without the reader’s OK.** Every message, post and page is the reader’s to approve and send. 7. **About the publisher.** Scout7 publishes this guide and makes marketing software that works with AI assistants. The guide does not depend on it. ### Questions and decisions for this guide **Ask first** (skip any the reader has already answered or shared) - "What does your product do, who is it for, and what is your monthly price?" - "How many customers pay that monthly price today, and how many people used the product last month?" - "What does one user cost you a month in hosting, storage, email and AI use, in a heavy month?" - "Can someone who has never seen your product create an account and reach the main result in 10 minutes without your help?" - "How many hours a day can you give this, and who answers support?" **Decisions along the way** - 2.1: plan with a 30% share and 30% refunds until AppSumo gives the reader a number in writing. Months covered must be 36 or more. - 3.1: all four checks pass → apply (step 5). Check 1 or 4 fails → founding price first, check again at 10 paying. Check 2 or 3 fails → no lifetime deal. - 4.1 and 4.2: the founding price is monthly, about a third off, first 100 customers, for as long as they stay. Never draft it as lifetime access. - 5.1: every limit in the deal terms is a number. Never draft "unlimited" or "all future features". - 6.1 and 6.2: never draft a promise of a future feature, and never offer anything in return for a review. - 7.2, after the refund window: 36+ months and under 1 hour of support a day → another campaign is allowed; otherwise stop and move the hours to step 4. **Get from the reader as they go** - 1.1: the three deals read, the 10 buyer questions, and whether 2 of 3 sold to the reader's buyer. - 2.1: bills for hosting, storage, email and AI, and support minutes per user. - Every day: messages sent, replies, set-up calls booked and founding customers, for the sheet (4.2, 4.3). - 6.1 and 6.2, every day during a deal: open questions, reviews and redeemed codes. - 7.1, every Sunday: founding customers, MRR, codes sold, refunds, redeemed, active buyers, support hours. --- ![Three panels. Panel 1: a laptop showing a working product with a small counter reading '0–2 paying', labelled 'Working SaaS · almost no customers'. Panel 2: a calculator card with the sum 'What one code pays ÷ what one buyer costs a month = months', labelled 'One sum'. Panel 3: a fork with two signposts: '36+ months and 10 paying → apply' and 'Not yet → founding price, 100 messages a day'. Handwritten note: 'Decide with the sum, not the hype'.](https://scout7.ai/academy/illustrations/should-you-do-an-appsumo-lifetime-deal/00-opening.webp) You have a working SaaS, almost no paying customers, and AppSumo says it can put you in front of 1.5 million buyers for a lump sum. An AppSumo lifetime deal can bring cash, users and reviews, but you keep only part of each sale, many buyers ask for refunds, and you must serve every one of them for as long as your product lives. Here is how to decide in one afternoon whether you should do an AppSumo lifetime deal now, later or never, and [what to do every day](https://scout7.ai/academy/marketing-plan/how-to-market-a-saas-product) while you decide. ## Do these three things ![Do these three things. 1, today: work out what one lifetime buyer costs you each month and what one AppSumo code pays you after AppSumo's share and refunds. Apply only if one code pays for 3 years of that buyer and 10 people already pay your monthly price. 2, every day: send 100 personal messages offering a founding price to people who fit. If your deal is live, answer every question and email every buyer who redeems within 24 hours. 3, every Sunday: count founding customers, codes sold, refunds and buyers who used it. After the refund window, decide on another campaign by the money you kept per active buyer. Handwritten note: 'About 3 hours a day'.](https://scout7.ai/academy/illustrations/should-you-do-an-appsumo-lifetime-deal/01-three-actions.webp) About 30 minutes today for the sum, then about 3 hours a day. Judge the founding price after 2,800 messages, and an AppSumo deal only after its refund window closes, never on launch week's sales. - **Today:** work out what one lifetime buyer costs you each month and what one AppSumo code pays you after AppSumo's share and refunds. Apply only if one code pays for 3 years of that buyer and 10 people already pay your [monthly price](https://scout7.ai/academy/marketing-plan/how-to-price-a-saas-product). - **Every day:** send 100 personal messages offering a [founding price](https://scout7.ai/academy/first-customers/how-to-get-your-first-100-saas-users) to people who fit, whether or not you apply. If your deal is live, answer every question on it and email every buyer who redeems within 24 hours. - **Every Sunday:** count founding customers, codes sold, refunds and buyers who used it that week. When the refund window closes, decide on another campaign by the money you kept per active buyer. ## 1. Check that AppSumo buyers are the people your SaaS is for An AppSumo lifetime deal only helps if AppSumo's buyers are the people who will pay you every month later. Read three AppSumo deals in your category today, and write down who buys and what they ask. ![A deal page drawn as a browser window with two tabs, 'Questions' and 'Reviews'. Beside it a checklist titled 'Your buyer?' with three lines: 'Small business or solo', 'Buys tools themselves', 'Would pay monthly later'. A note reads 'Read 3 deals in your category'.](https://scout7.ai/academy/illustrations/should-you-do-an-appsumo-lifetime-deal/step-1-check-that-appsumo-buyers-are-the-people-your-sa.webp) AppSumo sells to entrepreneurs and small businesses. Its page for sellers says it wants products "built for entrepreneurs/small business owners", and it turns down consumer-only apps. Its buyers are mostly people who buy tools for their own small business, at a discount. If [who your SaaS is for](https://scout7.ai/academy/marketing-plan/how-to-create-an-ideal-customer-profile) is a solo founder, a freelancer, a small agency or a small team, they may be there. If your buyers are large companies, IT teams or shoppers, they mostly are not, and the users you get will not tell you much about your real market. A big number of AppSumo users is not the same as the right users. In February 2026, a founder wrote on Hacker News that he came 5th on [Product Hunt](https://scout7.ai/academy/launch/how-to-launch-on-product-hunt), completed AppSumo's LaunchPad and had 5,000 users, "But I still cannot figure out how to get to the right users." Make a free AppSumo account and search for your category. Open three deals for tools like yours. On each, read the "Questions" tab and the reviews. Copy 10 questions into a sheet. They show what buyers expect from a deal like yours, and they are the questions you will answer every day if you run one. Then check AppSumo's bar for sellers, from its own pages: - **A working product,** "not a beta or coming-soon concept", with a test account and a demo video for the review. - **An entry price at or below $49,** and your AppSumo price lower than anywhere else you sell. - **Support you can keep up.** Since June 2026 AppSumo's partner terms say to answer support requests within 4 days and solve them within 14. - **Room to be picked.** AppSumo says it accepts about 10% of applications, so have a plan that does not depend on it. - **Tool:** a free AppSumo account and a Google Sheet. - **Time:** 45 minutes. - **You will have:** three deals in your category read, 10 buyer questions copied, and a yes or no on "are these my buyers?". - **It worked if:** you can name the kind of person who bought each of the three deals, and at least 2 of the 3 sound like your buyer. - **Common mistake:** judging AppSumo by its 1.5 million members. What matters is how many of them are your buyer. The same test applies to every place you list your SaaS, from AppSumo to [software directories](https://scout7.ai/academy/launch/how-to-submit-your-saas-to-directories). ## 2. Work out what one lifetime deal buyer costs you and what AppSumo pays you Work out one number: how many months of one buyer's costs one AppSumo code pays for. If it is under 36 months, a lifetime deal at AppSumo's prices loses you money on every buyer who keeps using it. ![A two-column sum card. Left column 'One code pays you': '$49 × 30% × 70% = about $10'. Right column 'One buyer costs you': 'hosting + storage + AI + email + support, a month'. Below: 'Pays ÷ costs = months', with a pass line at '36 months'. Handwritten note: 'Leave out payment fees: AppSumo takes the payment'.](https://scout7.ai/academy/illustrations/should-you-do-an-appsumo-lifetime-deal/step-2-work-out-what-one-lifetime-deal-buyer-costs-you.webp) **What one code pays you.** AppSumo does not publish its share. It says it agrees one with each seller, based on the category, the price and how the deal sells, and calls "AppSumo takes 70%" a myth. Guides written in 2026 quote founders keeping 30% to 50%, with no source. So plan with 30% until AppSumo gives you your number in writing. Then take off refunds. Buyers get a full refund within the window shown on the deal page, often 60 days, and refunds come off your sales. One founder's $19 deal in March 2025 sold 507 codes and 145 were refunded, 28.6%. Plan with 30%. AppSumo Plus members also pay 10% less, and your share comes from what they paid. So on a $49 code: $49 × 30% × 70% = about $10.29 for every code sold. **What one buyer costs you.** Use the [cost of one customer a month](https://scout7.ai/academy/marketing-plan/how-to-price-a-saas-product) from your bills: hosting, file storage, email, AI model use and other tools. Leave out payment fees, because AppSumo takes the payment. Add support: minutes per user per month, at what an hour of your time is worth. If your product calls an AI model, use a heavy month, not a normal one. One heavy user can cost more than ten normal ones. **Months covered = what one code pays ÷ what one buyer costs a month.** Why 36 months: a lifetime buyer does not leave the way a monthly customer churns. AppSumo's partner rules say you keep giving access "for as long as the tool is solvent". Three years is the shortest time you should plan to serve them. It is our rule. The real time is often longer, so 36 months is the least you should plan for. If you get under 36, try limits before you give up. Cap projects, seats, storage or AI use in each code, and do the sum again with the capped cost. Step 5 shows how. You can paste your bills into ChatGPT or Claude to add them up; check the total yourself. It is the same idea as a payback period, turned around: here the money comes first and the costs follow for years. **The lifetime deal sum** ```text What one code pays you: [code price] × [your share, 30% until AppSumo tells you] × 70% (after refunds) = [ ] What one buyer costs you a month: hosting [ ] + storage [ ] + email [ ] + AI use in a heavy month [ ] + support time [ ] = [ ] Months covered: [what one code pays] ÷ [what one buyer costs] = [ ] months Pass: 36 months or more. ``` - **Tool:** Google Sheets, and your hosting, AI and email bills. - **Time:** 30 minutes. - **You will have:** one row with what one code pays, what one buyer costs, and the months covered, with and without limits. - **It worked if:** someone else can redo the sum from your sheet and gets the same number. - **Common mistake:** using AppSumo's price as the money you get, or forgetting AI use and your own support time. The founder of Happier Leads said in July 2026 that his $50,000 AppSumo campaign "got consumed by server and data costs within two years". > **Example (made-up business: Bugmoth): Bugmoth's lifetime deal sum** > > Bugmoth is a made-up bug-reporting tool for small web teams. It costs $19 a month per team, with a 14-day trial. > > | Line | No limits | 3 projects, 90 days of screenshots | > | ---------------------------------------- | --------- | ---------------------------------- | > | One code pays ($49 × 30% × 70%) | $10.29 | $10.29 | > | One team costs a month (no payment fees) | $0.70 | $0.25 | > | Months covered | about 15 | about 41 | > | Passes 36 months? | No | Yes | > > *Why it works: The limits change the answer from 15 months to 41, so the founders know the deal only works with limits written into it.* ## 3. Decide: AppSumo now, a founding price first, or no lifetime deal Decide with four checks. Apply to AppSumo only if all four pass. If any fails, sell a founding price to your own buyers first, and check again when 10 people pay you every month. ![A card with four check lines: '10 people pay monthly', 'AppSumo buyers = my buyers', '36+ months per code', '3 strangers set it up alone in 10 minutes'. Arrows lead to three outcomes: 'All 4 pass → apply', 'Any fail → founding price first', 'Buyers or maths fail → no lifetime deal'. Handwritten note: 'Most new SaaS land here'.](https://scout7.ai/academy/illustrations/should-you-do-an-appsumo-lifetime-deal/step-3-decide-appsumo-now-a-founding-price-first-or-no.webp) | Check | It passes if | | ----------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | 1. People pay your monthly price | 10 or more customers pay your normal monthly price today | | 2. AppSumo's buyers are your buyers | at least 2 of the 3 deals you read in step 1 sold to people like your buyer | | 3. One code pays for 3 years | step 2 gives 36 months or more, with the limits you are willing to set | | 4. Buyers can set it up alone | 3 people who have never seen your product sign up and reach the main result in 10 minutes, without your help | Then follow the rule: - **All four pass:** apply to AppSumo (step 5), and keep step 4 going while AppSumo reviews you. - **Check 1 or 4 fails:** founding price first (step 4). If you have no users yet, start with [beta users](https://scout7.ai/academy/first-customers/how-to-get-beta-users-for-your-startup). Do the four checks again when 10 people pay. - **Check 2 or 3 fails:** no lifetime deal. The buyers are wrong or every active buyer loses you money. Step 4 is your plan. Why 10 paying customers: a lifetime deal tells you nothing about what people will pay each month, and it must be your lowest price anywhere. Until 10 people pay your [monthly price](https://scout7.ai/academy/marketing-plan/how-to-price-a-saas-product), you do not know what you are discounting. It is the same line to reach before you spend on [paid ads](https://scout7.ai/academy/marketing-plan/how-much-to-spend-on-marketing-as-a-saas-startup). Why check 4: hundreds of buyers can arrive in a few days. If you have to [set up each one by hand](https://scout7.ai/academy/first-customers/how-to-get-people-to-try-your-product), you cannot keep AppSumo's 4-day support rule, and people ask for refunds. Fix your [onboarding](https://scout7.ai/academy/glossary/onboarding) and [activation](https://scout7.ai/academy/glossary/activation-rate) first. - **Tool:** your sheet from steps 1 and 2, and 3 people who have never seen your product. - **Time:** 20 minutes for the checks, plus 30 minutes to watch 3 people set it up. - **You will have:** a written decision, the checks that failed, and a date to check again. - **It worked if:** the decision is written in one sentence with the failing check named, such as "Founding price first: only 2 of 10 pay." - **Common mistake:** applying to AppSumo to get your first customers. At 0 to 2 customers, AppSumo's bar, the refunds and the support load are all harder to meet than [finding your first users](https://scout7.ai/academy/first-customers/how-to-get-your-first-100-saas-users) one by one. > **Example (made-up business: Bugmoth): Bugmoth's four checks** > > | Check | Result | Pass? | > | ------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----- | > | People pay the monthly price | 2 teams at $19 | No | > | AppSumo buyers are their buyers | 3 of 3 bug and feedback deals sold to small agencies and freelancers | Yes | > | One code pays for 3 years | 41 months with limits | Yes | > | Set it up alone in 10 minutes | 1 of 3 strangers | No | > > **The decision:** founding price first, fix the set-up page, and do the checks again at 10 paying teams. > > *Why it works: Two checks fail, and both can be fixed, so the answer is a founding price now and the checks again at 10 paying teams.* ## 4. Offer a founding price in 100 personal messages a day Send 100 personal messages every day offering a founding price: the first 100 customers keep a lower monthly price for as long as they stay. Do this whatever step 3 said. It brings the 10 paying customers step 3 asks for, and tells you what people pay each month. ![A tall stack of message cards labelled '100 a day'. The front card reads 'First 100 customers: \[founding price\] a month, for as long as you stay.' Beside it a counter '\[x\] of 100 founding spots taken' and a crossed-out tag 'Lifetime'. Handwritten note: 'Monthly money tells you what people pay'.](https://scout7.ai/academy/illustrations/should-you-do-an-appsumo-lifetime-deal/step-4-offer-a-founding-price-in-100-personal-messages.webp) A founding price gives your early buyers a reason to pay now, like a lifetime deal does, but they still pay every month. You keep 100% instead of a share, you get their email on day one for your email list, and you learn what people pay. It also keeps your free trial as it is. Set it at about a third off your normal price, for the first 100 customers, for as long as they stay. Put it on your pricing page with a counter of spots left. Do not sell a lifetime deal of your own at the same time: if you later apply to AppSumo, it asks for its price to be your lowest anywhere. Message in this order: people you know, everyone who signed up for a trial, then new people who fit [who your SaaS is for](https://scout7.ai/academy/marketing-plan/how-to-create-an-ideal-customer-profile). 100 a day empties a list fast, so add 100 new names a day to your lead list. Offer the [15-minute set-up call](https://scout7.ai/academy/first-customers/how-to-get-your-first-100-saas-users) too: people who are set up are the ones who pay. Let AI draft. Paste 10 names at a time into ChatGPT or Claude, each with one thing you know about the person, and the template below. Read each draft, make the first line true, then send. That is about a minute a message. Follow up twice with anyone who has not replied, 3 days apart. Put [SPF](https://scout7.ai/academy/glossary/spf) and [DKIM](https://scout7.ai/academy/glossary/dkim) on your domain, and use a second, warmed-up domain if you email more than about 50 strangers a day. On LinkedIn, message people you are already connected to, because LinkedIn limits invitations each week; spread the rest over email. **The founding-price message** ```text Subject: [the problem, in 3–5 words] Hi [first name], [One true line about them: something they built, wrote or said.] I make [product]. It [the result, in one line] for [kind of team]. The first 100 customers pay [founding price] a month instead of [normal price], for as long as they stay. [x] spots are taken. If you'd like to try it first, I'll set it up with you on a 15-minute call: [booking link] [Your name] [Your company, postal address] Not for you? Reply "no" and I won't write again. ``` - **Tool:** Gmail or LinkedIn, ChatGPT or Claude to draft, and a Google Sheet with one row per person. - **Time:** about 2 hours a day for messages and follow-ups, and 45 minutes to find 100 new names. [Fit it into your day](https://scout7.ai/academy/marketing-plan/how-to-fit-marketing-into-your-week-as-a-solo-founder) before product work. Judge it after 2,800 messages, 4 weeks at 100 a day. - **You will have:** 2,800 messages sent, a list of set-up calls, and your first founding customers. - **It worked if:** at least 5 people reply for every 100 messages. Below 2, rewrite the first line so it is more about them, then send the next 100. If nobody pays after 2,800 messages, find out [why no one is buying](https://scout7.ai/academy/first-customers/why-no-one-is-buying-your-product-and-how-to-fix-it) before you change the price. When the 100 spots fill, raise the price for new customers only. - **Common mistake:** sending the same [cold email](https://scout7.ai/academy/glossary/cold-email) to everyone, or giving the founding price away as "lifetime access". Once given, lifetime access cannot be taken back. > **Example (made-up business: Bugmoth): Bugmoth's founding-price message** > > ```text > Subject: bug reports from your clients > To: Maya, owner of a 4-person web studio > > Hi Maya, > > I saw Northlight built the new Harbour Bakery site. The menu page is lovely. > > I make Bugmoth. Your clients click the bug on the page, and you get the screenshot, their browser and the steps. > > The first 100 teams pay $12 a month instead of $19, for as long as they stay. 14 spots are taken. > > If you'd like to try it first, I'll set it up with you on a 15-minute call: [booking link] > > Sam > Bugmoth, [postal address] > Not for you? Reply "no" and I won't write again. > ``` > > *Why it works: It opens with her work, gives the price and the limit in one line, and offers to set it up instead of sending a link.* ## 5. Build an AppSumo deal with limits, then apply to sell on AppSumo Only when step 3 says yes: write deal terms where one code equals one plan with fixed limits, check the sum from step 2 still gives 36 months, then apply in AppSumo's Partner Portal with a test account and a demo video. ![A deal terms card with lines: '1 code = \[plan\] limits', '\[x\] projects · \[x\] seats · \[x\] AI credits a month', 'More AI: buy top-ups', '2 codes = 2× limits', 'Not included: \[what\]'. A crossed-out tag reads 'Unlimited · all future features'. Beside it a button 'Start selling'. Handwritten note: 'Write the limits before you apply'.](https://scout7.ai/academy/illustrations/should-you-do-an-appsumo-lifetime-deal/step-5-build-an-appsumo-deal-with-limits-then-apply-to.webp) Write the terms before you apply. Once buyers have codes, AppSumo's rules say you must "always map" them to a new plan if your plans change, and if you sell the company, the buyer must honour every lifetime licence or refund it. If you cannot keep serving buyers, AppSumo can claw back what it paid you to fund their refunds. So everything you do not promise now, you never owe. - **One code equals one plan.** Match it to your cheapest paid plan's limits: seats, projects, storage, usage. - **Stack codes in a straight line.** AppSumo allows up to 10 plans, and each is a multiple of the first: "If Plan 1 is $49 / 1 code, Plan 2 must be priced at $98 / 2 codes." Keep the first at $49 or less. - **Keep AI use apart.** Give a fixed number of AI credits a month in each code, and sell top-ups. Never "unlimited". - **Say what is not included:** future products, add-ons, higher plans. Show the features the code has today. - **Set up redemption.** Pick a codes page (a simple landing page holding your signup form, an "AppSumo Code" field and AppSumo's branding) or AppSumo's licensing with OAuth and webhooks. AppSumo does not share buyers' emails; you get them when they redeem, so ask for the email at signup. - **Check the sum.** Put the capped cost into step 2. If it is under 36 months, tighten the limits or do not apply. Then apply. Log in to AppSumo, open the Partner Portal, click "Start selling", and follow the prompts for deal details, pricing and features. Listing is free. Add a test account (AppSumo needs one before it reviews you), a demo video, your roadmap and your help docs. AppSumo writes to you by email. Keep sending your 100 messages a day while you wait. **Your deal terms (put these on the deal page and your redemption page)** ```text One code: [plan name], with [x] seats, [x] projects, [x] of storage and [x] AI credits a month. Two codes: twice those limits. Up to [x] codes. More AI credits: [price] for [x], any time. Included: every feature in [plan name] today, and updates to those features. Not included: [future products, add-ons, higher plans]. Redeem within 60 days of buying. Refunds follow the window on the deal page. ``` - **Tool:** AppSumo's Partner Portal (free) and your app's plan settings. - **Time:** 1 to 2 days, most of it on the redemption page. - **You will have:** written deal terms, a working redemption page, and an application sent. - **It worked if:** the terms fit on one screen, the sum with your limits gives 36 months or more, and a friend can redeem a test code without help. - **Common mistake:** "lifetime access to all future features" and "unlimited". Those promises last as long as your company does. > **Example (made-up business: Bugmoth): Bugmoth's deal terms** > > **Before:** Lifetime access to Bugmoth. Unlimited projects, unlimited clients, all future features. > > **After:** One code: 1 workspace, 3 projects, unlimited clients, 90 days of screenshots. Two codes: 6 projects. Today's features and their updates. > > *Why it works: Every limit is a number, so the cost of each buyer is known before a single code is sold.* ## 6. Answer every AppSumo question within 24 hours and set up every buyer Once your deal is live, answer every question and review on the deal page within 24 hours, and email every buyer who redeems within 24 hours with an offer to set them up. Do it every day, weekends too, for the whole campaign. ![A daily loop of three parts. 'Questions tab: answer within 24 hours'. 'Reviews: reply to every one'. 'Every redeemed code: email + 15-minute set-up'. A crossed-out gift box reads 'Credits for reviews'. Handwritten note: 'Every day, weekends too'.](https://scout7.ai/academy/illustrations/should-you-do-an-appsumo-lifetime-deal/step-6-answer-every-appsumo-question-within-24-hours-an.webp) AppSumo buyers ask a lot, in public, and other buyers read your answers before they buy. AppSumo's partner terms give you 4 days to respond; answer within 24 hours instead. The March 2025 founder with a $19 deal had 56 questions and 24 reviews, and answered each within a day. - **Questions tab:** answer the question they asked, in your own words. When someone asks for a feature, say yes, no or "not planned", with a reason. Never promise a feature to win a sale. Put every request on one public board, so you can link to it instead of repeating yourself, and turn what buyers say into changes. - **Reviews:** reply to every one. Thank people for criticism, then say what you will change or why you won't. - **Every buyer who redeems:** you now have their email. Within 24 hours, send a personal note with the [15-minute set-up offer](https://scout7.ai/academy/first-customers/how-to-get-your-first-100-saas-users), and book every call you can. The calls show you, while the refund window is still open, which buyers reach the main result and where the rest get stuck. Keep your automatic onboarding emails too; this one comes from you. - **Reviews, asked the right way:** ask for an honest review in your welcome email and after a good set-up call. Never offer anything for one. AppSumo says incentives, "even honest ones", can remove all your reviews and get you delisted. Honest reviews are your [social proof](https://scout7.ai/academy/glossary/social-proof), and you can quote them with permission. AI can draft each answer from your help docs and the feature board. Read it, fix it, and send it yourself. **The answer to a feature request** ```text Thanks, [first name]. [Feature] is [not in the plan today / on the board here: link]. What the code has today: [the limit or feature that answers their need]. If you tell me what you're trying to do, I'll show you the quickest way on a 15-minute call: [booking link] ``` - **Tool:** AppSumo's Partner Portal, your email, Google Meet, and a free public feedback board. - **Time:** 1 to 3 hours a day during the campaign, on top of step 4. - **You will have:** every question and review answered, and every redeemed buyer emailed. - **It worked if:** no question waited more than 24 hours, and you can say how many redeemed buyers reached the main result. - **Common mistake:** saying "it's on the roadmap" to close a sale. Every promise becomes part of the deal you must keep. > **Example (made-up business: Bugmoth): Bugmoth's answer on the deal page** > > **Question (The Questions tab on Bugmoth's deal page):** Will you add unlimited projects? I run 12 client sites and 3 projects won't cover it. > > Thanks, Dana. Unlimited projects is not in the plan, because every project stores screenshots and that cost never stops. Three codes give you 9 projects, and four give you 12. Old projects can be archived, which frees the slot. If you tell me how your 12 sites are split, I'll show you the cheapest way on a 15-minute call. > > *Why it works: It says no plainly, shows what the code already covers, and offers a call instead of a promise.* ## 7. Count every Sunday and judge the deal after the refund window Every Sunday, fill in one row: founding customers, codes sold, refunds, buyers who used it that week and your support hours. Judge an AppSumo deal only after its refund window has closed, by the money you kept per active buyer. ![A calendar tile 'Every Sunday' with the label 'Judge after the refund window', above a sheet with the columns 'Founding customers', 'Codes sold', 'Refunds', 'Used it this week', 'Support hours'. Below it a sum 'Money kept ÷ active buyers ÷ cost a month = months', with the rule '36+ months and under 1 hour a day → another campaign'. Handwritten note: 'Not launch week's sales'.](https://scout7.ai/academy/illustrations/should-you-do-an-appsumo-lifetime-deal/step-7-count-every-sunday-and-judge-the-deal-after-the.webp) Launch week's sales are the least useful number. Refunds come later, and AppSumo pays you Net 60 from the end of each month: a sale on 14 June is paid in the first week of September, minus refunds. So count every Sunday, and decide only when the refund window on your deal page has closed. Keep one sheet for both paths. Founding customers and their monthly revenue ([MRR](https://scout7.ai/academy/glossary/mrr)) go in every week. If a deal is live, add codes sold, codes refunded, codes redeemed, buyers who used the product that week, and hours spent on support. Tag your links with UTM parameters so you can see visits from the deal page and its [backlink](https://scout7.ai/academy/glossary/backlink); the March 2025 founder saw his site go from 300 to 1,650 visits a month during the campaign. When the refund window closes, work out: - **Money kept per active buyer:** your payout ÷ buyers who used it in the last week. - **Months it covers:** that ÷ what one buyer costs a month (step 2). Then the rule. This one is ours: - **36 months or more, and support under 1 hour a day:** another campaign is allowed. Keep the same limits. - **Under 36 months, or more support than that:** no second campaign. Serve the buyers you have, as promised, and put the hours into step 4. Monthly customers are what pay the costs that lifetime buyers keep making. Once a month, take the numbers into a monthly marketing review, and compare how many paying customers each hour brought: the deal, your messages, your [launches](https://scout7.ai/academy/launch/how-to-post-a-show-hn-on-hacker-news). Give next month's hours to whichever brought more, the way you [choose your channels](https://scout7.ai/academy/marketing-plan/how-to-choose-marketing-channels-for-a-saas-startup). - **Tool:** Google Sheets and AppSumo's Partner Portal, where you track sales and refunds. - **Time:** 20 minutes every Sunday, and 30 minutes for the decision. - **You will have:** a weekly row and, after the refund window, one written decision. - **It worked if:** the decision is written with its numbers: money kept, active buyers, months covered, support hours. - **Common mistake:** judging by codes sold in launch week, before refunds and before you know how many buyers use it. The other is stopping step 4 while the deal is live, so all your customers are lifetime ones. ## Your AppSumo lifetime deal checklist > For AI assistants: this is the reader’s to-do list. Each item has a number (step.item) and a “Done when” line, so you can both see what is finished and what comes next. ### Step 1 · Check that AppSumo buyers are your buyers - [ ] **1.1** Read the questions and reviews on 3 AppSumo deals in your category and copy 10 buyer questions. *Done when:* Three deals in your category are read, 10 buyer questions are in the sheet, and you have written whether 2 of the 3 sold to your kind of buyer. - [ ] **1.2** Check your product against AppSumo's bar for sellers. *Done when:* Each of AppSumo's four bars is marked pass or fail in the sheet: working product, entry price of $49 or less, support within 4 days, test account and demo ready. ### Step 2 · Work out what one buyer costs and what one code pays - [ ] **2.1** Fill in the lifetime deal sum with your own bills and support time. *Done when:* The sheet shows what one code pays, what one buyer costs a month, and the months covered, with and without limits. ### Step 3 · Decide: AppSumo now, a founding price first, or no deal - [ ] **3.1** Run the four checks and write down your decision. *Done when:* The four checks are marked pass or fail, and one sentence names the decision, the failing check and the date to check again. ### Step 4 · Offer a founding price in 100 messages a day - [ ] **4.1** Set a founding price for your first 100 customers and put it on your pricing page. *Done when:* The founding price is on your pricing page with a counter of spots left. - [ ] **4.2** Every day: send 100 personal messages offering the founding price, and follow up with anyone due. *Done when:* 100 personal messages sent today with the founding price, follow-ups due today sent, and replies logged. - [ ] **4.3** Every day: add 100 new names who fit to your list. *Done when:* The list has at least 100 names nobody has messaged yet. ### Step 5 · Build a deal with limits and apply - [ ] **5.1** Write deal terms where one code equals one plan with fixed limits, only if step 3 said yes. *Done when:* The deal terms fit on one screen, every limit is a number, and the sum with those limits gives 36 months or more. - [ ] **5.2** Set up redemption and apply with Start selling in AppSumo's Partner Portal. *Done when:* A friend redeemed a test code without help, and the application with a test account and demo video is sent from the Partner Portal. ### Step 6 · Answer every question within 24 hours - [ ] **6.1** Every day: answer every question and review on the deal page while the deal is live. *Done when:* No question or review on the deal page is older than 24 hours without your reply. - [ ] **6.2** Every day: email every buyer who redeems within 24 hours with your set-up offer. *Done when:* Every buyer who redeemed in the last 24 hours got a personal email with the set-up offer, and calls are booked. ### Step 7 · Count every Sunday and judge after the refund window - [ ] **7.1** Every Sunday: fill in this week's row in your sheet. *Done when:* This week's row shows founding customers, MRR, codes sold, refunds, redeemed, active buyers and support hours. - [ ] **7.2** After the refund window closes: work out the money you kept per active buyer and decide on another campaign. *Done when:* Money kept per active buyer, months covered and support hours are written down with the decision on another campaign. ## Frequently asked questions ### How much does AppSumo take from a lifetime deal? AppSumo does not publish its share. It agrees one with each seller and calls "AppSumo takes 70%" a myth. Listing is free. Plan on keeping 30% until AppSumo gives you a number in writing, then take off about 30% for refunds. If you bring a new buyer yourself, AppSumo pays you all of that sale, up to $100. ### Can you do an AppSumo lifetime deal with no customers? AppSumo accepts working products only, "not a beta", and picks about 1 in 10 applications. Even if you get in, at 0 to 2 customers you do not yet know your monthly price or whether people can set up alone. Offer a [founding price](https://scout7.ai/academy/first-customers/how-to-get-your-first-100-saas-users) in 100 personal messages a day first, and check again when 10 people pay you every month. ### What happens to lifetime deal customers if you shut down or sell? AppSumo's rules say you give access "for as long as the tool is solvent". If you sell the company, the buyer must honour every lifetime licence or refund it. If you cannot keep serving buyers, AppSumo can claw back what it paid you to fund refunds, and a similar product you launch within 24 months must honour the deal. Write limits into your deal before you sell a single code. ### Is a lifetime deal bad for a SaaS? Not always. It is cash up front, users and reviews, but each active buyer keeps costing you money and pays nothing more. The founder of Happier Leads said in July 2026 that his $50,000 campaign was used up by server and data costs within two years, yet the reviews and runway were worth it. Do the sum in step 2: under 36 months per code, it loses money. ### Is AppSumo better than a Product Hunt launch? They do different jobs. A [Product Hunt launch](https://scout7.ai/academy/launch/how-to-launch-on-product-hunt) is free, lasts a day and brings visitors who may start a trial at your normal price. AppSumo sells your product at a deep discount to deal buyers for weeks, and you serve them for years. With under 10 paying customers, launch on Product Hunt and send 100 personal messages a day; leave AppSumo until the four checks pass. ## Sources - [Launch your SaaS with AppSumo](https://sell.appsumo.com/). AppSumo, checked 29 September 2026. - [Partner Terms](https://appsumo.com/partner-terms/). AppSumo, effective 15 June 2026, checked 29 September 2026. - [Partner Payments Policy](https://appsumo.com/partner-terms/payment-policy/). AppSumo, updated 21 November 2025, checked 29 September 2026. - [Understanding your commitment to Sumo-lings](https://help.appsumo.com/article/684-understanding-your-commitment-to-sumo-lings). AppSumo Help Center, updated 28 August 2024, checked 29 September 2026. - [Refund Policy](https://help.appsumo.com/article/31-refund-policy). AppSumo Help Center, updated 31 August 2026, checked 29 September 2026. - [How and when will I be paid?](https://help.appsumo.com/article/101-partner-payments). AppSumo Help Center, updated 20 October 2025, checked 29 September 2026. - [How much does it cost to list on AppSumo?](https://help.appsumo.com/article/112-partner-costs-and-revenue). AppSumo Help Center, updated 22 May 2024, checked 29 September 2026. - [Why wasn't my product submission accepted?](https://help.appsumo.com/article/652-why-wasnt-my-product-submission-accepted). AppSumo Help Center, updated 6 March 2023, checked 29 September 2026. - [How can I list multiple plan tiers?](https://help.appsumo.com/article/678-how-can-i-list-multiple-plan-tiers). AppSumo Help Center, updated 26 February 2023, checked 29 September 2026. - [How do I partner with AppSumo and submit my product?](https://help.appsumo.com/article/92-how-do-i-submit-my-product). AppSumo Help Center, updated 26 January 2023, checked 29 September 2026. - [Our application vetting process](https://help.appsumo.com/article/701-how-we-vet-new-new-listing-applications). AppSumo Help Center, updated 20 March 2024, checked 29 September 2026. - [How do I set up my redemption flow?](https://help.appsumo.com/article/93-how-do-i-set-up-my-redemption-flow). AppSumo Help Center, updated 9 July 2024, checked 29 September 2026. - [How can I receive customers' contact information?](https://help.appsumo.com/article/99-how-can-i-receive-customer-s-contact-information). AppSumo Help Center, updated 26 January 2023, checked 29 September 2026. - [How to Ask for Honest Reviews](https://help.appsumo.com/article/745-how-to-ask-for-honest-reviews). AppSumo Help Center, updated 10 September 2025, checked 29 September 2026. - [Does AppSumo Really Take 70% of Revenue? (And Other Misconceptions)](https://appsumo.com/blog/appsumo-myths). AppSumo, 16 November 2024, checked 29 September 2026. - [Partner promotion: How we actually use revenue share to market your tools](https://appsumo.com/blog/partner-promotion). AppSumo, 27 September 2025, checked 29 September 2026. - [George Georgiadis, Happier Leads (The SaaS Podcast, episode 489)](https://saasclub.io/489). SaaS Club, 23 July 2026. - [My AppSumo Campaign: Zero Audience, 362 Paying Customers](https://www.indiehackers.com/post/my-appsumo-campaign-zero-audience-362-paying-customers-6281b4a990). Indie Hackers, 15 March 2025. - [Comment on Ask HN](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47060715). Hacker News, 18 February 2026.