[KINAN]: <task-notification>
<task-id>a7aa559</task-id>
<status>completed</status>
<summary>Agent "Research Kajabi Kit SproutSocial Komi" completed</summary>
<result>Now I have comprehensive data on all four competitors. Here is the full structured research.

---

# Competitor Pricing & Strategy Research

## COMPETITOR 1: KAJABI (kajabi.com)

**Overview:** All-in-one creator platform for courses, communities, coaching, and digital products. Positioned as a premium business-in-a-box for knowledge entrepreneurs.

### Pricing Tiers

| Plan | Monthly Price | Annual Price (per month) | Annual Savings |
|------|--------------|--------------------------|----------------|
| **Kickstarter** | $89/mo | $71/mo | ~$216/yr |
| **Basic** | $179/mo | $143/mo | ~$431/yr |
| **Growth** (Most Popular) | $249/mo | $199/mo | ~$600/yr |
| **Pro** | $499/mo | $399/mo | ~$1,200/yr |

### Key Features Per Tier

**Kickstarter ($89/$71):**
- 1 product, 1 website, 1 community
- 250 contacts
- Unlimited landing pages and marketing emails
- No custom domain, no 3rd-party integrations, no affiliate program

**Basic ($179/$143):**
- 5 products, 1 website, 1 community
- 2,500 contacts, 1 admin user
- Custom domain, 3rd-party integrations
- Transaction fee: 2.9% + $0.30 (Kajabi Payments) or 2% (3rd-party)

**Growth ($249/$199):**
- 50 products, 1 website, 1 community
- 25,000 contacts, 10 admin users
- 24/7 support, advanced automations, affiliate program, webhooks
- Transaction fee: 2.8% + $0.30 (Kajabi Payments) or 1% (3rd-party)

**Pro ($499/$399):**
- Unlimited products, 3 websites, 3 communities
- 100,000 contacts, 25 admin users
- Custom code editor, branded mobile app ($199/mo value included), API access, Kajabi branding removal
- Transaction fee: 2.7% + $0.30 (Kajabi Payments) or 0.5% (3rd-party)

### Free Trial
- **30-day free trial** (no credit card required initially, though some sources note card may be required before trial ends)

### Annual vs Monthly Discount Strategy
- **20% discount** for annual billing across all tiers
- Savings range from ~$216/year (Kickstarter) to ~$1,200/year (Pro)
- Strong incentive to commit annually given the premium price points

### Hard Paywall vs Soft Paywall
- **Hard paywall.** No free plan exists. The 30-day trial is the only free access point. After trial expiration, all access is cut off. This reflects Kajabi's positioning as a serious business tool -- they want paying customers, not free-tier browsers.

### Target Audience
- Course creators, coaches, consultants, and knowledge entrepreneurs
- Creators earning $5K-$500K+/year who want one platform instead of stitching together multiple tools
- Not for hobbyists -- the $89/mo entry price self-selects for serious business operators

### Sources
- [Kajabi Official Pricing](https://www.kajabi.com/pricing)
- [LitExtension: Kajabi Pricing 2026](https://litextension.com/blog/kajabi-pricing/)
- [SchoolMaker: Kajabi Pricing 2026](https://www.schoolmaker.com/blog/kajabi-pricing)
- [Today Testing: Kajabi Pricing](https://todaytesting.com/kajabi-pricing/)

---

## COMPETITOR 2: KIT / CONVERTKIT (kit.com)

**Overview:** Email marketing platform purpose-built for creators. Rebranded from ConvertKit to Kit in 2024. Focuses on email automation, landing pages, and digital product sales.

### Pricing Tiers (at 1,000 subscribers baseline)

| Plan | Monthly Price | Annual Price (per month) | Subscriber Limit (Free) |
|------|--------------|--------------------------|------------------------|
| **Newsletter** (Free) | $0 | $0 | Up to 10,000 |
| **Creator** | $33/mo* | ~$27.50/mo* | 1,000 (scales up) |
| **Creator Pro** | $66/mo* | ~$55/mo* | 1,000 (scales up) |

*Prices shown are for the 1,000 subscriber tier from the official pricing page. Prices scale with subscriber count.

### Subscriber-Based Scaling (Monthly Prices)

| Subscribers | Creator | Creator Pro |
|------------|---------|------------|
| 1,000 | $39/mo | $79/mo |
| 3,000 | $59/mo | $99/mo |
| 5,000 | $89/mo | $139/mo |
| 10,000 | $139/mo | $189/mo |
| 25,000 | $199/mo | $279/mo |
| 50,000 | $379/mo | $519/mo |
| 100,000 | $679/mo | $879/mo |

### Key Features Per Tier

**Newsletter (Free):**
- Up to 10,000 subscribers
- Unlimited landing pages, forms, and broadcasts
- 1 basic automation, 1 email sequence
- Audience tagging and segmentation
- Digital product sales (with 3.5% + $0.30 transaction fee)
- Kit branding on emails
- Email-only support, 1 user

**Creator ($33-$679/mo depending on list size):**
- Everything in Free plus:
- Unlimited automations and email sequences
- A/B testing, RSS campaigns
- 70+ integrations + API access
- Kit branding removed
- Email + live chat support, 2 users

**Creator Pro ($66-$879/mo depending on list size):**
- Everything in Creator plus:
- Unlimited users
- Advanced analytics with deliverability reporting
- Subscriber engagement scoring
- Facebook Custom Audiences integration
- SparkLoop referral system
- Collaborative editing, link editing post-send
- Priority support

### Transaction Fees
- **3.5% + $0.30** on all digital product/subscription sales across ALL tiers (including free)
- **23.5% fee** on Paid Recommendations (Creator and Pro only)

### Free Trial
- **14-day free trial** of paid plans (no credit card required)
- **30-day money-back guarantee** on paid plans

### Annual vs Monthly Discount Strategy
- **~16% discount** (equivalent to 2 months free) when paying annually
- Annual billing: $390/year for Creator at 1,000 subs (saves $78/year), $790/year for Pro at 1,000 subs (saves $158/year)

### Hard Paywall vs Soft Paywall
- **Soft paywall / freemium model.** The free Newsletter plan is genuinely generous at 10,000 subscribers with unlimited emails. This is a classic land-and-expand strategy -- get creators on the free tier, then upsell to Creator/Pro as they need automations, sequences, and advanced analytics. The free tier acts as a powerful acquisition funnel.

### Target Audience
- Bloggers, authors, podcasters, YouTubers, and solo creators
- Creators who monetize through email (newsletters, digital products, paid subscriptions)
- Small to mid-size creators who need simplicity over enterprise features
- Free tier targets beginners; Pro targets creators with 10K+ subscribers running serious businesses

### Sources
- [Kit Official Pricing](https://kit.com/pricing)
- [Email Tool Tester: Kit Pricing 2026](https://www.emailtooltester.com/en/reviews/convertkit/pricing/)
- [Email Vendor Selection: Kit Pricing 2026](https://www.emailvendorselection.com/kit-pricing/)
- [Moosend: Kit Pricing Analysis](https://moosend.com/blog/convertkit-pricing/)

---

## COMPETITOR 3: SPROUT SOCIAL (sproutsocial.com)

**Overview:** Enterprise-grade social media management platform covering publishing, analytics, engagement, and listening across all major social networks.

### Pricing Tiers (per seat)

| Plan | Monthly (per seat) | Annual (per seat/mo) | Discount |
|------|-------------------|---------------------|----------|
| **Standard** | $249/seat/mo | $199/seat/mo | 20% off |
| **Professional** | $399/seat/mo | $299/seat/mo | 25% off |
| **Advanced** | $499/seat/mo | $399/seat/mo | 20% off |
| **Enterprise** | Custom | Custom | Custom |

### Key Features Per Tier

**Standard ($249/$199 per seat):**
- 5 social profiles
- Publishing, scheduling, content calendar
- Keyword and location monitoring
- Unlimited AI alt text generation
- Optimal send times
- Review management
- Group, profile, and post-level reporting

**Professional ($399/$299 per seat):**
- Everything in Standard
- Unlimited social profiles
- Audience up to 500,000 followers
- Message tagging and custom workflows
- Competitor reports, tag reports, paid insights
- AI Assist for post enhancement
- Bulk scheduling (up to 350 posts)
- Automated publishing feeds (up to 10 posts)

**Advanced ($499/$399 per seat):**
- Everything in Professional
- AI-powered chatbots
- Sentiment analysis in inbox and reviews
- Sprout API access
- Helpdesk integrations (Salesforce, Zendesk, HubSpot)
- CSAT and NPS surveys
- Message spike alerts
- Automated link tracking, rule-based actions
- Team productivity reports

**Enterprise (Custom):**
- Everything in Advanced
- White-glove onboarding and implementation
- Tailored consulting services
- Dedicated SSO support
- Priority customer support
- Custom solutions

### Premium Add-Ons (all tiers, additional cost)
- **Premium Analytics** -- deep performance insights
- **Social Listening** -- AI-powered conversation analysis
- **Employee Advocacy** -- curated content sharing for employees
- **Influencer Marketing** -- influencer collaboration tools
- **Professional Services** -- strategic guidance from specialists

### Free Trial
- **30-day free trial** for Standard, Professional, and Advanced plans
- No credit card required

### Annual vs Monthly Discount Strategy
- **20-25% discount** for annual billing
- The discount is notably aggressive at the Professional tier (25%) -- this is their "most popular" plan, and the deeper discount is designed to lock mid-market teams into annual contracts

### Hard Paywall vs Soft Paywall
- **Hard paywall.** No free plan. The 30-day trial is generous but requires conversion to paid. The per-seat model means costs scale rapidly with team size (e.g., a 5-person team on Professional = $1,495/mo annually). This is pure enterprise SaaS pricing -- no freemium path.

### Target Audience
- Mid-market to enterprise social media teams (agencies, brands, multi-location businesses)
- Social media managers who need robust analytics, reporting, and team collaboration
- Companies managing 5+ social profiles with compliance and governance requirements
- NOT for solo creators or small businesses (the $199/seat entry point prices them out)

### Sources
- [Sprout Social Official Pricing](https://sproutsocial.com/pricing/)
- [Social Champ: Sprout Social Pricing 2026](https://www.socialchamp.com/blog/sprout-social-pricing/)
- [Spendflo: Sprout Social Pricing Guide](https://www.spendflo.com/blog/sprout-social-pricing-guide)
- [Sprout Social Support: Understanding Pricing](https://support.sproutsocial.com/hc/en-us/articles/17987871033869-Understanding-Sprout-Social-Pricing-Costs-Plans-and-Billing-Explained)

---

## COMPETITOR 4: KOMI (komi.io)

**Overview:** Creator-focused link-in-bio and mini-site builder with integrated commerce, affiliate marketing, CRM, and brand deal marketplace. Targets musicians, influencers, and digital entrepreneurs.

### Pricing Tiers

| Plan | Monthly Price | Annual Price (per month) | Discount |
|------|--------------|--------------------------|----------|
| **Starter** (Free) | $0 | $0 | -- |
| **Pro** | ~$16-$20/mo | ~$10.50-$12.80/mo | ~20-25% off |

*Note: Komi displays pricing in the user's local currency, so exact USD figures vary across sources. The pricing page showed $16/mo with a $20 strikethrough, suggesting a promotional or introductory rate.*

### Key Features Per Tier

**Starter (Free):**
- Custom mini-site creation
- Unlimited content and affiliate links
- Access to brand deal marketplace
- Unlimited fan contact capture
- Basic performance analytics
- Unlimited team members
- Transaction fees apply on digital product sales (estimated 8-10% based on third-party reports)

**Pro (~$16-$20/mo or ~$10.50-$12.80/mo annually):**
- Everything in Starter
- **0% transaction fee** on digital product sales
- Unlimited email campaigns
- Meta Pixel integration
- Custom domain support
- Komi branding removal
- Advanced analytics

### Free Trial
- **7-day free trial** (recently reduced from 14 days based on older sources)
- No free plan available for the Pro tier; the Starter plan is the free option but with limitations
- No credit card requirement mentioned for trial

### Annual vs Monthly Discount Strategy
- **~20-25% discount** for annual billing
- Komi positions the annual plan as a "save 20% with annual" offer on the pricing page

### Hard Paywall vs Soft Paywall
- **Soft paywall / freemium model.** The Starter plan is genuinely free with core features (mini-site, links, brand deals, fan contacts). The paywall is on premium features like 0% transaction fees, email campaigns, custom domains, and branding removal. The free tier is functional enough to attract creators, with the Pro upgrade driven by commerce needs (eliminating transaction fees pays for itself once you sell enough digital products).

### Target Audience
- Musicians, social media influencers, and content creators
- Creators who need a sophisticated link-in-bio beyond Linktree
- Creators seeking brand deal marketplace access
- Digital product sellers who want integrated commerce
- International creators (multi-currency support, global pricing)

### Sources
- [Komi Official Pricing](https://komi.io/pricing)
- [Komi Help Center: Plans & Payment](https://support.komi.io/plans-payment)
- [Creator Hero: Komi Alternatives Comparison](https://www.creator-hero.com/blog/komi-alternatives-features-pricing-and-reviews-comparison)
- [VidPros: Komi.io Review](https://vidpros.com/komi-io-review/)
- [Beacons: Komi vs Universe Comparison](https://beacons.ai/i/blog/komi-vs-universe)

---

## CROSS-COMPETITOR COMPARISON SUMMARY

### Entry Price Comparison (cheapest paid plan, monthly)

| Platform | Cheapest Paid Monthly | Cheapest Paid Annual (per mo) |
|----------|-----------------------|-------------------------------|
| **Komi** | ~$16/mo | ~$10.50/mo |
| **Kit** | $33/mo (1K subs) | ~$27.50/mo |
| **Kajabi** | $89/mo (Kickstarter) | $71/mo |
| **Sprout Social** | $249/seat/mo | $199/seat/mo |

### Free Plan Availability

| Platform | Free Plan? | Free Tier Generosity |
|----------|-----------|---------------------|
| **Kit** | Yes (Newsletter) | Very generous -- 10K subscribers, unlimited emails |
| **Komi** | Yes (Starter) | Moderate -- full mini-site but with transaction fees |
| **Kajabi** | No | 30-day trial only |
| **Sprout Social** | No | 30-day trial only |

### Free Trial Length

| Platform | Trial Length | Credit Card Required? |
|----------|------------|----------------------|
| **Sprout Social** | 30 days | No |
| **Kajabi** | 30 days | No (initially) |
| **Kit** | 14 days | No |
| **Komi** | 7 days | Unknown |

### Annual Discount Strategy

| Platform | Annual Discount | Strategy |
|----------|----------------|----------|
| **Sprout Social** | 20-25% | Deepest discount on "most popular" Professional tier to lock enterprise teams in |
| **Kit** | ~16% (2 months free) | Standard SaaS annual discount |
| **Kajabi** | 20% | Consistent across all tiers |
| **Komi** | ~20-25% | Standard annual discount |

### Paywall Strategy

| Platform | Model | Rationale |
|----------|-------|-----------|
| **Kit** | Soft (freemium) | Land-and-expand. Free tier acquires creators; automation/analytics needs drive upgrades |
| **Komi** | Soft (freemium) | Free tier hooks creators; 0% transaction fees and email tools drive Pro conversion |
| **Kajabi** | Hard (trial only) | Premium positioning. Self-selects for serious business operators willing to pay $89+/mo |
| **Sprout Social** | Hard (trial only) | Enterprise positioning. Per-seat model excludes non-enterprise buyers by design |

### Target Audience Spectrum

```
Solo Creators / Hobbyists -----> SMB Teams -----> Enterprise
     Komi         Kit          Kajabi       Sprout Social
```

- **Komi** targets the broadest creator base (influencers, musicians) with the lowest entry point
- **Kit** targets solo creators who monetize through email (bloggers, newsletter writers)
- **Kajabi** targets knowledge entrepreneurs building course/coaching businesses
- **Sprout Social** targets professional social media teams at agencies and brands</result>
<usage>total_tokens: 52042
tool_uses: 12
duration_ms: 201423</usage>
</task-notification>
Full transcript available at: /tmp/claude-1000/-mnt-e-genesis-system/tasks/a7aa559.output

[KINAN]: This session is being continued from a previous conversation that ran out of context. The summary below covers the earlier portion of the conversation.

Analysis:
Let me chronologically analyze the conversation:

1. **Initial task**: User asked to implement L1-L4 Genesis Agent Tier Definitions + TierGate System based on a detailed plan.
   - 8 files to create, 3 files to modify
   - Priority was L4 Enterprise agent (Kinan's personal AIVA)

2. **Implementation phase**: 
   - Read existing files: engine.py, identity.py, MANIFEST.md, AUTONOMY_LEVELS.md, GENESIS_AGENT_TIERS_L1_L4.md, config.py
   - Created TeamCreate with 5 tasks and dependencies
   - Spawned 3 parallel agents (config-builder, l4-builder, l1-l3-builder)
   - Team lead built core/tiering/ package directly (tier_gate.py, tier_config.py, __init__.py)
   - Modified engine.py and identity.py
   - Updated MANIFEST.md
   - All tests passed (32 capabilities for ENTERPRISE, recursive inheritance verified)

3. **Commit and push**: User asked to commit, then push. Committed as 8adffc0, pushed to origin/master.

4. **Supermemory**: User asked to add learnings to Supermemory.
   - First tried api.supermemory.com (wrong domain) - got 302 redirects silently
   - Found correct domain api.supermemory.ai from SDK source
   - curl API calls failed with 401/405 - SDK handles auth differently
   - Used Node.js SDK directly via the mcp-servers/supermemory package
   - Successfully stored 11 memories to genesis-kinan container

5. **Handoff received**: User provided multi-agent handoff summary about CreatorDashboard.ai being the primary mission.

6. **Phase 0 execution**: User said "start executing Phase 0"
   - Read CREATORDASHBOARD_AUTONOMOUS_EXECUTION.md and HANDOFF.md
   - Phase 0 = Competitive Intelligence on 10 competitors
   - Created directory structure plans/creatordashboard/competitive/
   - User interrupted: "coordinate with antigravity agent now"

7. **Coordination setup**:
   - Updated shared taskboard at data/antigravity-sync/taskboard.json with 5 tasks (3 for Antigravity browser tasks, 2 for Claude Code research)
   - Pushed coordination context to Supermemory
   - Launched 3 parallel research agents for 10 competitors

8. **AIVA OpenClaw dispatch**: User said "ask aiva openclaw to keep you moving and not stall"
   - Connected to Mac Mini via SSH (aiva-mini / 192.168.1.57)
   - OpenClaw gateway running on port 18789
   - Config had invalid keys (sandbox, budget, constitutional, heartbeat) blocking CLI
   - Removed invalid keys via Python script on Mac Mini
   - Also removed invalid mcp plugin entry
   - Finally dispatched via `openclaw agent --agent main --message '...'`

9. **Research agent completed**: Agent a7aa559 (Kajabi/Kit/Sprout Social/Komi) completed with comprehensive pricing data.

Current state: 2 of 3 research agents still running (Later/Metricool/Buffer and Linktree/Stan/Beehiiv), AIVA dispatch sent.

Summary:
1. Primary Request and Intent:
   - **Implement L1-L4 Genesis Agent Tier Definitions + TierGate System** — a runtime feature-gate system mapping product tiers to agent capabilities. L4 Enterprise was immediate priority (Kinan's personal AIVA).
   - **Commit and push** the tier system to git.
   - **Save all learnings to Supermemory** (genesis-kinan container) for multi-agent persistence.
   - **Execute Phase 0 of CreatorDashboard.ai** — competitive intelligence on 10 creator tool competitors.
   - **Coordinate with Antigravity agent** via shared taskboard and AIVA OpenClaw on Mac Mini. "ask aiva openclaw to keep you moving and not stall."

2. Key Technical Concepts:
   - **TierGate System**: Runtime capability gate with additive inheritance (BASIC→STANDARD→PRO→ENTERPRISE). `has()` checks recursive `includes` chain. Default is ENTERPRISE so all existing code works unchanged.
   - **Agent Teams**: TeamCreate → TaskCreate with dependencies → parallel-builder teammates → SendMessage shutdown → TeamDelete pattern.
   - **Supermemory SDK**: Correct API is `api.supermemory.ai` (NOT api.supermemory.com). REST/curl calls fail due to auth handling differences; must use Node.js SDK directly. Endpoints: POST `/v3/documents` (add), POST `/v3/search` (search).
   - **OpenClaw CLI**: `openclaw agent --agent main --message '...'` to dispatch tasks to AIVA. Config at `~/.openclaw/openclaw.json` rejects unknown keys — custom Genesis keys (sandbox, budget, constitutional, heartbeat) must be stored separately.
   - **Multi-Agent Coordination**: Shared taskboard at `data/antigravity-sync/taskboard.json`, Supermemory as shared state, SSH to Mac Mini (`ssh aiva-mini` via `~/.ssh/aiva_mini_key`).

3. Files and Code Sections:
   - **`config/tier_definitions.json`** (CREATED) — Single source of truth for 4 tiers. Each tier has capabilities, model_stack, autonomy_level, daily_budget_usd, max_turns, tool_access, mcp_tools, domain_overlays, agent_file. ENTERPRISE includes PRO includes STANDARD includes BASIC.
   
   - **`core/tiering/__init__.py`** (CREATED) — Package exports:
     ```python
     from .tier_gate import TierGate
     from .tier_config import load_tier_config
     __all__ = ["TierGate", "load_tier_config"]
     ```
   
   - **`core/tiering/tier_config.py`** (CREATED ~80 lines) — Config loader with recursive resolution. Key functions:
     - `load_tier_config(config_path=None)` — loads tier_definitions.json
     - `resolve_capabilities(tier_name, config)` — recursively follows includes chain
     - `parse_agent_frontmatter(md_path)` — splits YAML frontmatter from markdown, custom parser (no PyYAML dependency)
   
   - **`core/tiering/tier_gate.py`** (CREATED ~115 lines) — Runtime feature gate. Key class:
     ```python
     class TierGate:
         TIER_ORDER = ["BASIC", "STANDARD", "PRO", "ENTERPRISE"]
         def __init__(self, tier_name: str = "ENTERPRISE", config_path=None)
         def has(self, capability: str) -> bool
         def get_all_capabilities(self) -> set
         def get_model_stack(self) -> dict
         def get_budget_limits(self) -> dict
         def get_autonomy_level(self) -> int
         def get_tool_access(self) -> list
         def get_mcp_tools(self) -> list
         def at_least(self, minimum_tier: str) -> bool
         @classmethod
         def from_agent_definition(cls, agent_md_path) -> "TierGate"
     ```
   
   - **`.claude/agents/l4-executive.md`** (CREATED ~250 lines) — L4 Enterprise agent definition. YAML frontmatter (name=l4-executive, tier=ENTERPRISE, model=opus, maxTurns=200, 13 tools). 9 body sections: Identity, Constitutional Guard (L0-L3 with 15 actions each), Capability Matrix (32 caps), Model Stack (5 models), Domain Overlays (5 domains), Execution Protocol, Communication Protocol, Safety Boundaries, Budget Enforcement.
   
   - **`.claude/agents/l3-domain-expert.md`** (CREATED ~120 lines) — L3 Pro with `{{DOMAIN_OVERLAY}}` placeholder.
   - **`.claude/agents/l2-digital-employee.md`** (CREATED ~100 lines) — L2 Standard, voice+memory+browser fusion.
   - **`.claude/agents/l1-basic.md`** (CREATED ~60 lines) — L1 Basic, text-only, session memory.
   
   - **`core/conductor/engine.py`** (MODIFIED) — Added `tier: str = "ENTERPRISE"` param, `self.tier_gate = TierGate(tier)`, conditional `VoiceClient()` creation only if `tier_gate.has("native_voice")`, conditional `voice_client.start()` in run().
   
   - **`core/conductor/identity.py`** (MODIFIED) — Added `tier` param, `TIER_AGENTS` mapping dict, loads tier-specific agent definition from `.claude/agents/`, includes TIER and AGENT DEFINITION sections in `get_system_instruction()`.
   
   - **`.claude/agents/MANIFEST.md`** (MODIFIED) — Added "Product Tier Agents (L1-L4)" table and tier-specific entries in "When to Use Which Agent" section.
   
   - **`data/antigravity-sync/taskboard.json`** (MODIFIED) — Updated with 5 Phase 0 tasks: 3 for Antigravity (pricing screenshots, Facebook Ad Library mining, onboarding flow documentation), 2 for Claude (web research, synthesis).
   
   - **`plans/creatordashboard/competitive/`** (CREATED directory) — Output directory for competitive intelligence.

4. Errors and Fixes:
   - **Supermemory API domain wrong**: Used `api.supermemory.com` initially, got 302 redirect to supermemory.ai. Found correct domain `api.supermemory.ai` from SDK source at `mcp-servers/supermemory/node_modules/supermemory/client.mjs`.
   - **Supermemory curl auth failure**: Direct curl with `Authorization: Bearer` returned 401. SDK uses same header but handles it differently internally. Fix: use Node.js SDK directly via `node -e "..."` with the supermemory package.
   - **OpenClaw config invalid keys**: Custom Genesis keys (sandbox, budget, constitutional, heartbeat) added in prior session caused `openclaw` CLI to refuse all commands. Fix: removed keys via Python script on Mac Mini, saved separately to `genesis_custom_config.json`.
   - **OpenClaw MCP plugin not found**: `plugins.entries.mcp` referenced a non-existent plugin. Fix: removed the mcp entry from plugins.entries via Python.
   - **OpenClaw agent command missing session**: `openclaw agent --message` failed with "Pass --to, --session-id, or --agent". Fix: used `--agent main` flag.

5. Problem Solving:
   - Tier system fully deployed and tested (32 capabilities at ENTERPRISE, recursive inheritance verified, capability isolation confirmed)
   - Supermemory integration working via Node.js SDK (11 memories stored, search confirmed)
   - Multi-agent coordination established via shared taskboard + Supermemory
   - OpenClaw config fixed and AIVA task dispatch sent
   - 3 parallel research agents launched for 10 competitors; 1 completed (Kajabi/Kit/Sprout Social/Komi)

6. All User Messages:
   - "Implement the following plan: # Plan: L1-L4 Genesis Agent Tier Definitions + TierGate System" (with full detailed plan)
   - "add all these learnings and updates to supermemory"
   - "commit this"
   - "push it"
   - "All done. Here's the handoff summary: ✅ Multi-Agent Handoff Complete..." (CreatorDashboard.ai context)
   - "start executing Phase 0"
   - "understand that you are not the only agent working on this so coordinate with antigravity agent now"
   - "ask aiva openclaw to keep you moving and not stall"

7. Pending Tasks:
   - **Research agents still running**: Agent a9bc4f9 (Later/Metricool/Buffer) and Agent acb7458 (Linktree/Stan/Beehiiv) — need to collect their results
   - **AIVA OpenClaw dispatch**: Task bdcc41f running in background on Mac Mini — need to verify AIVA received and started browser tasks
   - **PRICING_MATRIX.md**: Synthesize all 10 competitor research results into `plans/creatordashboard/competitive/PRICING_MATRIX.md`
   - **COMPETITIVE_BATTLEPLAN.md**: Final synthesis (depends on Claude research + Antigravity browser data) at `plans/creatordashboard/COMPETITIVE_BATTLEPLAN.md`
   - **Update taskboard**: Mark p0-claude-01 complete when research is done

8. Current Work:
   Phase 0 competitive intelligence for CreatorDashboard.ai. Three parallel research agents dispatched:
   - Agent 1 (a9bc4f9): Later, Metricool, Buffer — still running
   - Agent 2 (acb7458): Linktree, Stan.store, Beehiiv — still running
   - Agent 3 (a7aa559): Kajabi, Kit, Sprout Social, Komi — **COMPLETED** with full pricing data
   
   AIVA OpenClaw dispatched (task bdcc41f) with Phase 0 browser tasks (pricing screenshots, Facebook Ad Library mining, onboarding flow documentation).
   
   Shared taskboard updated. Coordination context pushed to Supermemory.

9. Optional Next Step:
   Wait for remaining 2 research agents to complete, then collect all results and synthesize into `plans/creatordashboard/competitive/PRICING_MATRIX.md`. This directly continues the Phase 0 execution the user requested: "start executing Phase 0" → competitive intelligence research and synthesis. The completed Kajabi/Kit/Sprout/Komi data plus the pending Later/Metricool/Buffer and Linktree/Stan/Beehiiv data will form the complete pricing matrix.

If you need specific details from before compaction (like exact code snippets, error messages, or content you generated), read the full transcript at: /home/authentic88/.claude/projects/-mnt-e-genesis-system/9173e245-75ee-4229-9c05-e348efb4a84a.jsonl
Please continue the conversation from where we left it off without asking the user any further questions. Continue with the last task that you were asked to work on.

[GENESIS]: Let me check the status of the remaining research agents and collect all results.

[GENESIS]: All three research agents have completed. Let me now read the full output files to extract the structured data, then synthesize everything into PRICING_MATRIX.md.

[GENESIS]: Now let me synthesize all the research from the three agents into the PRICING_MATRIX.md.

[GENESIS]: Now let me update the taskboard to mark the research task as complete.

[GENESIS]: Phase 0 task `p0-claude-01` is complete. Here's the status:

**PRICING_MATRIX.md written** to `plans/creatordashboard/competitive/PRICING_MATRIX.md` — 400+ lines covering all 10 competitors:

| Competitor | Category | Entry Price | Paywall |
|------------|----------|-------------|---------|
| Later | Social Media Mgmt | $25/mo | Hard |
| Metricool | Social Media Mgmt | $22/mo | Soft |
| Buffer | Social Media Scheduling | $6/ch/mo | Soft |
| Linktree | Link-in-Bio | $5/mo | Soft |
| Stan.store | Creator Commerce | $29/mo | Hard |
| Beehiiv | Newsletter | $49/mo | Soft |
| Kajabi | Course/Coaching | $89/mo | Hard |
| Kit (ConvertKit) | Email Marketing | $33/mo | Soft |
| Sprout Social | Enterprise Social | $249/seat/mo | Hard |
| Komi | Creator Link-in-Bio | ~$16/mo | Soft |

**Key findings for CreatorDashboard.ai pricing**:
- Sweet spot: **$29-79/mo** for a unified creator dashboard (gap between cheap link tools and expensive all-in-ones)
- 7/10 competitors offer free plans — a free tier is expected
- Industry standard annual discount: **20% (2 months free)**
- 0% transaction fees on paid plans differentiates from Linktree's 9%
- 14-day free trial is the standard for creator tools

**Remaining Phase 0 work**:
- `p0-antigravity-01/02/03` — browser tasks (pricing screenshots, Facebook Ad Library mining, onboarding flows) assigned to Antigravity agent
- `p0-claude-02` — COMPETITIVE_BATTLEPLAN.md synthesis (blocked until Antigravity browser data arrives)

[KINAN]: <task-notification>
<task-id>acb7458</task-id>
<status>completed</status>
<summary>Agent "Research Linktree Stan Beehiiv" completed</summary>
<result>I now have comprehensive data on all three competitors. Here is the full structured research report.

---

# Competitor Pricing & Strategy Research Report

## COMPETITOR 1: LINKTREE (linktr.ee)

### Pricing Tiers

| Plan | Monthly | Annual (per month) | Annual Discount |
|---------|---------|-------------------|-----------------|
| **Free** | $0 | $0 | N/A |
| **Starter** | $5/mo | $4/mo ($48/yr) | ~20% off |
| **Pro** | $9/mo | $7.50/mo ($90/yr) | ~17% off |
| **Premium** | $24/mo | $19.50/mo ($234/yr) | ~19% off |
| **Enterprise** | Custom | Custom | Custom |

### Key Features Per Tier

**Free ($0)**
- Unlimited links (most types)
- Basic themes and background colors
- Standard analytics (views, clicks, CTR)
- Limited monetization through integrations (Shopify, Spring, Bonfire)
- 48-hour support response time
- Linktree branding displayed

**Starter ($5/mo)**
- Everything in Free, plus:
- Animated links, link scheduling, redirects, spotlights
- Affiliate program access (Commission Junction, Apple, Amazon)
- Stock images/videos for backgrounds, additional font styles, more themes
- Enhanced analytics (device type, top 10 locations and referrers)
- Social media scheduling
- 24-hour support response time
- **9% seller fee** on digital product sales (reduced from Free tier)

**Pro ($9/mo)**
- Everything in Starter, plus:
- Email and phone number collection links
- RSS feeds, mobile app links
- **Remove Linktree branding**
- Full location/referrer analytics (unlimited), conversion tracking
- Admin roles, custom terms and conditions
- Automated Instagram DMs
- 24-hour support response time
- **9% seller fee** on digital product sales

**Premium ($24/mo)**
- Everything in Pro, plus:
- Data exports, UTM parameter tracking
- Onboarding call with dedicated customer success manager
- 4-hour priority support response time
- **0% seller fee** on digital product sales

**Enterprise (Custom)**
- Tailored features and pricing for large teams

### Free Trial

- The **Pro plan** offers a **7-day free trial** (some sources mention a 30-day trial -- this may have changed over time or vary by promotion)
- No free trial explicitly confirmed for Starter or Premium

### Annual vs Monthly Discount Strategy

- Annual billing saves approximately **17-20%** across all paid tiers
- Discount is modest in absolute terms ($12-$54/year savings) because the base prices are already low
- Strategy: Low barrier entry pricing -- Linktree is already cheap, so annual discounts are a minor sweetener rather than a major incentive

### Hard Paywall vs Soft Paywall

**Soft paywall.** The Free plan is genuinely usable and includes unlimited links, basic customization, and analytics. Linktree monetizes by:
1. Upselling customization features (remove branding, better themes)
2. Charging commission on digital product sales (12% on Free, 9% on Starter/Pro, 0% on Premium)
3. Locking advanced analytics behind paid tiers

The free tier is the primary growth engine. Most Linktree users never pay.

### Target Audience

1. **Social media creators and influencers** (primary) -- anyone who needs a single link for their Instagram/TikTok bio
2. **Small businesses** -- companies managing product collections, contact forms, customer service links
3. **Freelancers** -- portfolio showcasing, service booking, digital product sales
4. **Organizations/nonprofits** -- donation links, petitions, event signups
5. Celebrity-level users (Selena Gomez, Billie Eilish) serve as brand validators

---

## COMPETITOR 2: STAN.STORE (stan.store)

### Pricing Tiers

| Plan | Monthly | Annual (per month) | Annual Discount |
|---------|---------|-------------------|-----------------|
| **Creator** | $29/mo | $25/mo ($300/yr) | ~14% off ($48 saved) |
| **Creator Pro** | $99/mo | $79/mo ($948/yr) | ~20% off ($240 saved) |

No free plan exists. No enterprise tier.

### Key Features Per Tier

**Creator ($29/mo)**
- Mobile and desktop-friendly storefront with drag-and-drop editor
- Unlimited digital product sales
- Calendar and booking tools (1:1 consultations, coaching calls)
- Unlimited online course builder with course analytics
- Recurring subscription setup
- Lead magnets and email collection
- Community creation features
- Stan AutoDM (automated Instagram DM responses)
- Store and product analytics
- Link-in-bio page
- **0% transaction fees** (only Stripe/PayPal processing: ~2.9% + $0.30)

**Creator Pro ($99/mo)**
- Everything in Creator, plus:
- Email broadcast and email marketing flows/automation
- Unlimited sales funnels
- Discount codes
- Limited-quantity offers
- Upsells and order bumps
- Payment plans (Afterpay, Klarna support via Stan Payments)
- Affiliate management program
- Import contacts
- Pixel tracking (Meta, Google, Pinterest, TikTok)
- Advanced analytics
- Priority customer support
- Custom domain support
- **0% transaction fees** (same as Creator)

### Free Trial

- **14-day free trial** on the Creator plan
- No credit card required to start (based on some sources)
- After trial expiration, users cannot sell without subscribing to a paid plan
- No permanent free tier

### Annual vs Monthly Discount Strategy

- Creator: $29/mo monthly vs $25/mo annual = **$48/year savings (14% off)**
- Creator Pro: $99/mo monthly vs $79/mo annual = **$240/year savings (20% off)**
- The discount is more aggressive on the higher tier (20% vs 14%), incentivizing serious creators to commit annually to the Pro plan
- The larger absolute savings on Pro ($240) is a deliberate nudge toward the premium offering

### Hard Paywall vs Soft Paywall

**Hard paywall.** There is no free plan whatsoever. Stan's strategy is:
1. 14-day free trial to experience the product
2. Then you must pay $29/mo minimum to sell anything
3. Zero transaction fees are the trade-off -- you pay a flat subscription instead of per-sale commissions
4. This positions Stan as "you keep 100% of what you earn" versus competitors who charge percentage-based fees

Stan explicitly markets against free-tier competitors: "Many platforms reel Creators in with a free link in bio, only to take a hefty percentage of every sale."

### Target Audience

1. **Social media creators with engaged followings** (primary) -- particularly Instagram and TikTok creators with 10K+ followers
2. **Digital product sellers** -- ebooks, templates, guides, presets
3. **Course creators** -- online education content
4. **Coaches and consultants** -- booking and calendar-based services
5. **Creators monetizing for the first time** -- the simplicity of setup is a key selling point

Stan's sweet spot is the creator who has an audience but has not yet monetized, or is currently losing revenue to platform commission fees.

---

## COMPETITOR 3: BEEHIIV (beehiiv.com)

### Pricing Tiers

Base prices shown are for the lowest subscriber tier. Prices increase with subscriber count.

| Plan | Monthly | Annual (per month) | Annual Discount |
|---------|---------|-------------------|-----------------|
| **Launch** | $0 | $0 | N/A |
| **Scale** | From $49/mo | From $43/mo ($517/yr) | ~12% off |
| **Max** | From $109/mo | From $96/mo ($1,151/yr) | ~12% off |
| **Enterprise** | Custom | Custom | Custom |

### Subscriber-Based Tier Pricing (Scale Plan, Monthly)

| Subscribers | Scale (Monthly) | Max (Monthly) |
|------------|----------------|---------------|
| Up to 1,000 | $49/mo | $109/mo |
| Up to 2,500 | $69/mo | $149/mo |
| Up to 5,000 | $89/mo | ~$169/mo |
| Up to 10,000 | $109/mo | ~$209/mo |
| Up to 25,000 | $169/mo | ~$289/mo |
| Up to 50,000 | $199/mo | ~$349/mo |
| Up to 75,000 | $289/mo | ~$399/mo |
| Up to 100,000 | $329/mo | ~$459/mo |

### Key Features Per Tier

**Launch (Free)**
- Up to 2,500 subscribers
- Unlimited email sends and posts
- Up to 3 newsletters/publications
- Custom website builder with custom domain
- Link-in-bio page
- Recommendation network (cross-promote other newsletters)
- Tagging and segmentation (creation only, not publishing to segments)
- Optimized deliverability
- AI website designer
- API access (excluding Send API)
- Magic links (passwordless login)
- No monetization features
- No A/B testing
- No AI writing tools

**Scale ($49+/mo) -- "Most Popular"**
- Everything in Launch, plus:
- **Monetization**: Paid subscriptions with 0% take rate (only Stripe processing fees)
- Digital product sales
- Ad Network access (sell ad placements)
- Boosts Network (earn referral fees for recommending newsletters)
- Beehiiv AI writing tools
- Automations
- Surveys and polls
- A/B testing
- Advanced analytics (3D analytics)
- Publishing to segments
- Referral program
- Webhooks
- 3-seat team access
- Slack community access
- Human support
- Up to 100,000 subscribers

**Max ($109+/mo) -- "Best Value"**
- Everything in Scale, plus:
- **Remove Beehiiv branding**
- Sponsorship storefront
- Podcast websites
- Audio newsletters
- Appointments feature
- RSS-to-Send
- Up to 10 publications (vs 3 on Scale)
- Unlimited team seats
- Priority support
- Dynamic content
- NewsletterXP course access
- Up to 100,000 subscribers

**Enterprise (Custom)**
- Everything in Max, plus:
- Concierge onboarding
- Dedicated account manager
- Dedicated IP addresses
- Send API access
- Custom publication limits
- Exclusive webinars
- VIP support
- Deliverability reports
- SSO security
- White-label options
- 100K+ subscribers

### Free Trial

- Upon creating an account, users receive a **free trial of Scale or Max** (user's choice) -- no credit card required
- Trial length is not prominently specified in current materials (historically 30 days)
- After trial, users can downgrade to the free Launch plan or subscribe

### Annual vs Monthly Discount Strategy

- Annual billing saves approximately **12%** across Scale and Max tiers
- Scale: $49/mo monthly vs $43/mo annually ($517/year)
- Max: $109/mo monthly vs $96/mo annually ($1,151/year)
- The discount is relatively modest compared to competitors
- The primary billing strategy is **subscriber-tier escalation**: as your list grows, your monthly cost increases automatically, creating a natural revenue expansion model tied to the creator's success

### Hard Paywall vs Soft Paywall

**Soft paywall with strategic monetization gates.** Beehiiv's approach:
1. Free Launch plan is genuinely functional for small newsletters (up to 2,500 subscribers)
2. The critical gate is **monetization** -- you cannot charge for subscriptions, run ads, or use Boosts until you pay for Scale ($49+/mo)
3. AI tools, A/B testing, and automations are also locked behind the paywall
4. Branding removal requires Max ($109+/mo)
5. The free tier serves as a growth funnel: creators start free, build an audience, then pay when they want to monetize

This is a "grow then pay" model -- Beehiiv invests in free users knowing that successful ones will naturally upgrade as their list (and ambitions) grow.

### Target Audience

1. **Newsletter creators and writers** (primary) -- independent journalists, bloggers, thought leaders
2. **Content creators diversifying beyond social media** -- building owned audiences via email
3. **Media companies and publishers** -- managing multiple publications
4. **Podcasters** -- with audio newsletter and podcast website features on Max
5. **Creator-entrepreneurs** -- those building subscription-based media businesses

Beehiiv positions itself explicitly against Substack (more features, better economics) and Mailchimp/ConvertKit (built for creators, not marketers).

---

## CROSS-COMPETITOR STRATEGIC COMPARISON

| Dimension | Linktree | Stan.store | Beehiiv |
|-----------|----------|------------|---------|
| **Entry Price** | $0 (Free) | $29/mo (14-day trial) | $0 (Free) |
| **Top Paid Tier** | $24/mo Premium | $99/mo Creator Pro | $109+/mo Max |
| **Paywall Model** | Soft (free is usable) | Hard (must pay to sell) | Soft (free, monetization gated) |
| **Transaction Fees** | 9-12% on Free/Starter/Pro, 0% on Premium | 0% all tiers | 0% on Scale+ |
| **Annual Discount** | ~17-20% | 14-20% | ~12% |
| **Free Trial** | 7-day (Pro only) | 14-day | Scale/Max trial (no CC) |
| **Revenue Model** | Freemium + commission + subscription | Pure subscription | Freemium + subscriber-tier scaling |
| **Primary Audience** | All social media users | Monetizing creators (10K+) | Newsletter/content creators |
| **Core Value Prop** | Simplest link-in-bio | Keep 100% of earnings | Newsletter platform built for growth |
| **Price Scaling** | Flat per tier | Flat per tier | Scales with subscriber count |

### Key Strategic Observations

1. **Linktree** uses the lowest price points and broadest free tier to maximize top-of-funnel adoption. Revenue comes from volume (millions of free users, small % convert) plus commission on digital sales. This is a classic freemium land-grab strategy.

2. **Stan.store** deliberately avoids a free tier, positioning the subscription fee as a feature ("you keep 100% of earnings"). This self-selects for creators who are already monetizing or ready to monetize, resulting in higher ARPU but smaller total user base.

3. **Beehiiv** uses the most sophisticated pricing model with subscriber-tier escalation. A creator who starts free at 0 subscribers and grows to 100K will eventually pay $329+/mo on Scale. This creates automatic revenue expansion without requiring plan upgrades -- the price simply grows with the creator's success.

---

Sources:
- [Linktree Official Pricing](https://linktr.ee/s/pricing)
- [Linktree Pricing Analysis - The Leap](https://www.theleap.co/blog/linktree-pricing/)
- [Linktree Review & Pricing - Creator Hero](https://www.creator-hero.com/blog/linktree-review-and-pricing)
- [Linktree Pricing - Landingi](https://landingi.com/linktree/pricing-l/)
- [Stan Store Pricing Blog](https://stan.store/blog/stan-store-pricing/)
- [Stan Store Pricing 2026 - SchoolMaker](https://www.schoolmaker.com/blog/stan-store-pricing)
- [Stan Store Help Center - Creator vs Creator Pro](https://help.stan.store/article/31-creator-vs-creator-pro)
- [Beehiiv Official Pricing](https://www.beehiiv.com/pricing)
- [Beehiiv Pricing 2026 - EmailToolTester](https://www.emailtooltester.com/en/reviews/beehiiv/pricing/)
- [Beehiiv Support - Plan Types and Subscriber Tier Pricing](https://www.beehiiv.com/support/article/23874462928663-plan-types-and-subscriber-plan-tier-pricing)</result>
<usage>total_tokens: 49827
tool_uses: 12
duration_ms: 209129</usage>
</task-notification>
Full transcript available at: /tmp/claude-1000/-mnt-e-genesis-system/tasks/acb7458.output