Launching4 min read
Free mint or paid? Choosing a price
Price shapes who shows up to a mint. The trade-offs of free and paid mints, how phases and rising price change the picture, how price interacts with your Vault, and a worked example on KURV.
KURV teamAlso in Español, Português (Brasil)
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Price is one of the few launch settings that can’t change once a KURV collection launches. It shapes who shows up, how fast the collection mints and how much ends up in your pocket and in the collection’s Vault. There’s no right answer, but there are good questions to ask before you sign.
What a free mint does
A free mint removes the main reason people hesitate. It’s good for:
- A first collection, when nobody knows your work.
- Building an audience fast.
- Community-first projects, where the goal is people, not income.
The trade-off: you earn nothing from the mint itself, and nothing from the mint flows into the Vault either, so the Vault starts empty. Later resales and royalties become more important. Even a free mint can carry a small service fee per piece; the mint page shows what a collector pays before they mint.
What a paid mint does
- Funds the work at launch, through your mint share.
- Builds the Vault with whatever part of each mint your mint share leaves for it.
- Filters toward people who really want a piece.
Too high, and few people mint. A collection that stalls half-minted can look worse than a smaller one that sells out.
Using phases and sale methods
You don’t have to pick one price for everyone. On KURV:
- Phases each have their own price, per-wallet limit and optional allowlist. A cheaper or free phase for early supporters, then a public phase, is a common setup.
- Rising price makes each piece cost a bit more than the last, so early minters pay less.
- Mystery mint uses one price, with the art sealed until the reveal.
Fixed, mystery or rising: sale methods explained covers each one.
Price and the Vault
Every collection launched on KURV has its own Vault. A paid mint, with a mint share that leaves part of each mint for the Vault, gives holders somewhere to sell back to from day one. A free mint relies on royalties: 25% of every royalty goes to the Vault, so the Vault fills as pieces resell. Neither guarantees anything; it just changes how the Vault starts.
Questions to ask, step by step
- What’s the goal? Reach, income or both?
- Who’s your audience, and what would they happily pay?
- How big is the supply? A big supply at a high price is a hard sell.
- Does a phase for early supporters fit?
- Should the price rise as the collection mints?
- What do you want the Vault to look like at launch?
- Are you sure? Prices can’t change after you launch.
A worked example
Ana’s frog collection has a small, loyal following. She considers free, but she wants the Vault to have something in it from the start, so holders aren’t stuck waiting for buyers. She chooses a low fixed price in USDC, an allowlist phase for her regular commenters at that price, and then a public phase at a slightly higher one. She keeps a moderate mint share so part of every mint goes to the Vault. It mints out over a few days, and the Vault has backing from the first mint.
Leo has no audience and just wants people to see his cats. He goes free, with a per-wallet limit so one person can’t take everything. More people mint, the Vault starts at $0, and he accepts that it’ll fill only from royalties as pieces resell.
Price is not a promise
Whatever price you choose, say nothing about what pieces will be worth later. “Every price, return and buyer is up to the market.”
How collectors read a price
Collectors don’t see your plan; they see a number. A free mint reads as “low risk, give it a try”. A paid one reads as “the creator believes in this”. A rising price reads as “show up early”. Think about which message matches your collection, and make the rest of your launch post consistent with it.
Common mistakes
- Pricing by hope instead of by audience.
- Going free without a per-wallet limit.
- Forgetting the Vault when choosing price and mint share.
- Promising future value to justify a price.
- Planning to adjust later. You can’t once it launches.
FAQ
Can I start free and raise the price later? Not after launch. Use phases or rising price to plan that in advance.
Does a free mint have a Vault? Yes. Every collection launched on KURV has one; it just starts empty and fills from royalties.
What coin do I price in? USDC by default, or another coin on Base (on Solana: SOL, or another Solana coin).
Does KURV take a share of mint money? How creators earn on KURV shows the full split.
