· 9 min read · Pricing
From free credits to first paid pack: Onboarding without dark patterns
From free credits to first paid pack: onboarding without dark patterns – sample real URLs, read found-only billing, buy an INR pack that matches found history.
The path from 25 free credits to a first paid INR pack should feel like sampling a tool – not a funnel that traps you in seats, hides empties, or invents urgency. Onboarding without dark patterns means: real URLs, honest empties, found-only billing in plain sight, then a pack sized to found history.
Invenitor is a people search and lookup API, not a sales cloud. Coverage varies; we do not publish hit-rate percentages. Commercial rail: INR Credit Packs, 25 to 1,000 Credits, Razorpay, UPI, Cards, Wallets, Hidden free traps: The Hidden Cost of Free-Plan Enrichment Tools. Expiry fairness: Prepaid Credits That Expire.
Dark patterns to refuse
| Pattern | Why it fails desks | Honest alternative |
|---|---|---|
| Fake found demos | Trains invent-on-empty | Coverage sample on real URLs |
| Seat upsell after free | Taxes idle logins | Prepaid packs on [/pricing](/pricing) |
| Hidden found-only billing | Surprises on invoice | Verbatim found-only billing near CTA |
| Countdown shame | Panic spend / invent | Clear expiry + FIFO messaging |
Seat contrast: Seat Subscriptions vs Pay-Per-Lookup Credits. No-seat rail: No Monthly Plan Contact Enrichment. Pay-as-you-go: Pay-as-You-Go Contact APIs. Definition: What Is Pay-Per-Lookup Pricing?.
A clean free → paid path
- Create account; note 25 free credits.
- Paste five real person URLs from this week's sheet – /docs.
- Record found vs empty. Leave empties empty – Empty Means Not Found.
- Read found-only billing and expiry on /pricing.
- Choose 25–1,000 from found history – 25 to 1,000 Credits.
- Pay via Razorpay/UPI/card/wallet – Razorpay, UPI, Cards, Wallets.
Honesty marketing: When We Have Them. Trust: Trust Checklist. Pillar: Credits, Empty Results, and Timeouts. Primer: What Are API Credits.
India desk specifics
Boutique and freelance desks should sample campus and lateral URLs – WhatsApp only after found contacts –
Agents on day one
If you wire MCP on day one, use the same found-only billing and empty rules – /mcp.md,
What should you do next?
Run the five free lookups on real URLs via /docs. Screenshot found vs empty for your PO. Buy the smallest pack that matches the next sprint on /pricing – without inventing fills to justify a larger pack.
Procurement one-liner
We onboard from five free lookups to a prepaid INR pack with found-only billing visible – empty completed finds are free; timeouts and errors do not spend; no seat dark patterns.
First-week checklist (print)
Day 1: five free real URLs. Day 2: reconcile found/empty. Day 3: read found-only billing + expiry. Day 4: buy pack. Day 5: key in env + rotate owner named. Found-only billing: 1 credit only when we return an email, a phone, or both. Empty completed finds are free. Timeouts and errors do not spend. Honesty: Empty Means Not Found. Pillar: Credits, Empty Results, and Timeouts. Primer: What Are API Credits. Definition: What Is Pay-Per-Lookup Pricing?. Trust: Trust Checklist. Marketing: When We Have Them. Expiry: Prepaid Credits That Expire. Packs: 25 to 1,000 Credits. Commercial: INR Credit Packs, Razorpay, UPI, Cards, Wallets. Seat contrast: Seat Subscriptions vs Pay-Per-Lookup Credits. Agents: /mcp.md, /docs · /pricing.
PO attachment
Attach found-only billing verbatim. Refuse demos that invent empties. Prefer prepaid packs over seats for burst India desks.
Questions
When does a credit spend?
1 credit only when we return an email, a phone, or both. Empty completed finds are free. Timeouts and errors do not spend.
What are the 25 free credits for?
Sampling real profile URLs so you see coverage empties and founds before buying a pack.
What counts as a dark pattern here?
Fake found demos, forced seat upsells, hidden found-only billing, and shame countdowns that push invent-on-empty.
How do I size the first paid pack?
Count found outcomes from the free sample and near-term shortlist; pick 25–1,000 on /pricing.
Do free lookups invent contacts?
They must not. Empty means not found – Coverage varies.
Can I pay with UPI?
India buyers typically use Razorpay rails including UPI/cards/wallets – see payment reality post.
Where do agents fit in onboarding?
Same found-only billing and empty rules via /mcp.md – do not give copilots invent privileges.
