Bare Witness was free for well over a year. In that time, there have been nearly 13,000 downloads, of which only about 65 chose to pay anything for the game. While the project is still in development, we felt it was no longer fair to continue to offer it for free as there have been thousands of hours put into the game's development. However, we are offering it at a discount, which we believed was appropriate for an early-access game. If you choose to wait until chapter 5 (the final chapter) is released, you'll be paying a few dollars more. But that is, of course, your call.
As far as beta testing goes, we already have an editor and half a dozen beta testers. Our patrons on Patreon also get access prior to the public, and while sometimes things slip past our testers, they've yet to slip past our patrons. While we appreciate your offer to help with beta testing, we've got it covered.
If you feel that you can't justify paying for a game that isn't yet complete, we understand. Hopefully you'll give Bare Witness a go once it's complete.