I asked this question previously with no takers.  I've upped the price
to be paid and am hoping someone out there can help.  I am looking for
statistics on shareware sales.  Specifically I would
like to know:
1) On average how many people who download trial versions of software
(either crippleware, nagware or time limited versions) actually end up
paying to get the full or restriction free version.
2) What is the average price range typically charged for full or
restriction free versions of shareware.  For example, 15% of shareware
is under $10, 32% is $10 - $20, 27% is $20 to $30 and so on.
I would like the statistics to be as recent as possible (ie ideally
from 2004 or 2003).

The statistics can be drawn from actual sales figures in the industry
or from a survey of shareware providers, as long as the survey is of
sufficient sample size to be statistically valid and represent a
reasonable cross section of the industry.

Hi chiaso-ga,

Your question may not have a well-defined answer.  Here's what the
Association of Shareware Professionals has to say about the issue:

"How much money should I  expect to make as a shareware author? How
many people will register my software? How many  people register
shareware overall?

There are no real statistics on registrations - just guesses. There's
really no way of  even knowing total download counts and there's
absolutely no way of knowing how many  people who download a program
use it past a preliminary evaluation.

Additionally, registration rates probably vary wildly by category of
program. Business  applications are probably pretty high as a
percentage because people who rely on software  to make money are more
likely to feel the need for support of and from the author. Businesses
also tend to be more concerned about proper licensing of their
software. Small  games and utilities are everywhere and are easily
replaceable, so a smaller percentage of the people who use the
software generally register these programs. You may make up for the
lower registration rate by having a larger audience of total users,
however.

So what's the percentage? It might be as low as 2% for some programs
and  higher than 50% for others. But that's just a guess."

http://www.asp-shareware.org/resources/developer-faq.asp


          -welte-ga