App Showcase: CoinIn

What it does

CoinIn is a mobile app designed for coin enthusiasts and collectors. Its primary function is to identify coins from a photo taken with the phone's camera or uploaded from a gallery. Beyond identification, the app serves as a digital collection manager, allowing users to organize their coins, and a price guide, providing valuation estimates from public sources and its own marketplace.

Where it shines

The app's core strength is its streamlined identification-to-collection workflow. A user can go from having an unknown coin to having it identified, valued, and saved in a custom-named collection in under a minute. The coin identification process itself (01:45) is clear, with a progress tracker that informs the user what the AI is doing. The coin detail screen (01:55) is rich with information, providing not just a price range but also a detailed price table broken down by year and listings from eBay.

UX highlights

• Direct Onboarding: The app gets straight to the point. After a welcome screen (00:05), it immediately presents its subscription offer (00:08), filtering for committed users.
• Dual Pricing Model: The app cleverly displays two price points: a conservative estimate from public sources and a much higher potential "Market price" (01:59). This frames the coin's value in an exciting way and funnels users to the marketplace.
• Simple Collection Management: Creating and managing collections is straightforward. Users can create a new collection (01:00) and add coins to it with just a few taps, making digital organization feel effortless.
• Clear Identification Flow: The camera interface provides helpful tips (01:37) and a simple process for uploading obverse and reverse images, leading to a clear results screen.
• Comprehensive Coin Data: Once a coin is identified, the app offers extensive data, including a price table by year (02:15) and external listings, which adds significant utility.

Monetization & growth

CoinIn employs a hard paywall strategy, requiring a subscription to access any of its features. The onboarding flow funnels users directly to a paywall screen at 00:08 that offers a 3-day free trial for a weekly plan, alongside two lifetime purchase options. One lifetime plan is presented with a large "-75%" discount to create urgency and perceived value. A notable trust-building feature is the "Remind me before the trial ends" toggle (00:12), which likely helps convert hesitant users. The app also features an integrated marketplace, suggesting a potential secondary revenue stream or a key feature to retain subscribed users.

Who it’s for

The app is clearly targeted at coin collectors, from beginners who need help identifying coins to experienced numismatists who want a tool for digital collection management and quick valuation. It's also useful for individuals who have inherited a collection or found an old coin and are curious about its worth. The simple interface makes it accessible to a broad audience, while the detailed data appeals to more serious collectors.

Notes & opportunities

The app experience is smooth, but the identification history is notably empty at 01:33, even though the user just identified a coin by searching. This seems like a missed opportunity to auto-populate the history. Linking the search-based identification to the history would create a more cohesive experience and provide a persistent record of the user's discoveries, regardless of how they were made.