Is €1 Too Expensive for People in Developing Countries?
This is a question I have been thinking about a lot lately.
Every week I receive messages from people, especially from African countries, saying:
“Kemetic App isn’t free. We need this knowledge. Why do we have to pay?”
And to be honest, I understand their point of view.
I personally believe that knowledge should be free.
I believe food should be free.
Humanity advances when we share discoveries, inventions, research, wisdom, and experience with one another. Every breakthrough that improves our lives came because somebody shared knowledge.
So why does Kemetic App charge €1 per month?
The answer is simple: because we are all trapped inside a system where almost everything has a cost.
The Reality of Modern Platforms
Let’s look at what is happening around us.
Most major platforms today charge far more than €1 per month.
Take Amazon as an example.
I started with a Prime membership and thought that would give me access to everything. Then I discovered certain content required additional subscriptions.
I subscribed to another package.
Then I wanted to watch a movie and discovered I needed yet another subscription.
After that, some movies still had to be rented or purchased separately.
What started as a small monthly payment slowly grew into a much larger expense.
When everything is added together, I spend around €50 per month.
Netflix is similar. Depending on the package and household situation, people can easily spend €15–€20 per month or more.
Yet Kemetic App costs:
- €1 per month
- €10 per year
- €33 lifetime (one-time payment)
And that includes:
- Courses
- Videos
- Articles
- Digital products
- Book library
- Messenger
- Shop
- Livestreams
- Future features that are still being built
There are no hidden subscriptions.
No premium tiers.
No “pay extra to unlock the next section.”
One membership gives access to everything.
But Is €1 Expensive in Africa?
The honest answer is:
Yes, for some people it is.
Many people reading this live in countries where €1 is not a significant amount of money.
But there are places where €1 can equal hundreds or even thousands of local currency units.
There are people surviving on very small monthly incomes.
For someone living comfortably in Europe or North America, €1 might feel almost free.
For someone struggling financially in a developing nation, it can feel like a real sacrifice.
I understand that completely.
Why Not Make It Free?
I tried.
I explored making Kemetic App free for certain countries.
I explored making memberships €0.25.
I explored many different options.
The problem is that every user creates costs.
To give you an idea:
For each member, our direct operating costs are approximately €0.75.
Then there are indirect costs of roughly another €0.75.
On top of that, payment gateways often take between 40% and 60% of small transactions through fees, taxes, processing costs, app stores, and other charges.
That means if I charge less than €1, the platform starts losing money on every membership.
At €1 per month, we are not making significant profits.
We are mostly covering costs.
The Hidden Reality Behind Kemetic App
Many people see a platform and assume it appeared overnight.
The reality is very different.
Kemetic App has taken:
- More than 14 years of work
- More than €150,000 in investment
- Thousands of hours of development
- Continuous maintenance
- Servers
- Security
- Content management
- Customer support
Even if membership growth continues, it will likely take years before the original investment is recovered.
And that’s assuming everything goes according to plan.
Education vs Poverty
This is where things become difficult.
While I understand that €1 can be expensive for some people, I also believe something else:
Education is one of the most powerful tools for escaping poverty.
Knowledge changes the way you think.
The way you solve problems.
The way you see opportunities.
The way you build businesses.
The way you help your family.
The way you help your community.
One piece of knowledge can completely change the direction of someone’s life.
That is why I believe investing in education even a small amount is often one of the best investments a person can make.
So What Would You Do?
Imagine you spent 14 years building a platform.
Imagine you invested over €150,000.
Imagine every member costs money to serve.
Imagine that charging less than €1 means losing money.
Would you make it free?
Would you increase the price?
Would you keep it at €1?
I genuinely want to hear your thoughts.
Leave a comment and let me know:
Is €1 too expensive, or is it a fair price for unlimited access to knowledge?
👉🏾 What would you do?