Subscription Pricing Models

Pricing Models

Freemium Model

  • Description: Attracts users with a free basic version, encouraging upgrades to paid plans for premium features.

  • Example: Evernote offers a free Basic plan, with Premium and Business paid plans.

  • Use Cases: Gain market share, test in new markets, products with viral potential.

Pay per Quantity Model

  • Description: Charges based on the number of units (e.g., seats, emails).

  • Example: Help Scout charges $20/user/month after the free plan for 2 users.

  • Use Cases: Predictable costs that scale with business, targeting large organizations.

Pay per Active User Model

  • Description: Charges only for users active during the billing period.

  • Example: Slack charges based on active users, with a fair billing policy.

  • Use Cases: Persuade large enterprises, fair billing.

Flat-fee Model

  • Description: Charges a flat recurring fee for a single plan or product.

  • Example: Hubspot has different tiers with fixed monthly fees.

  • Use Cases: Generate consistent revenue, cater to risk-averse customers.

Pay-as-you-go (Usage-based) Model

  • Description: Charges based on usage with Tiered, Volume, and Stair-step variations.

  • Example: Postmark charges $10 for up to 10,000 emails, up to $400 for 300,000-700,000 emails.

  • Use Cases: Value-based pricing, flexible according to demand.

Tiered Model

  • Description: Different price points for different usage tiers.

  • Example: ManageWiz charges based on the tier of units purchased.

  • Use Cases: Structured pricing for varying quantities.

Volume Model

  • Description: Price per unit decreases with quantity.

  • Example: Jira offer price per unit decrease base on size of your company

  • Use Cases: Economies of scale, incentivize larger purchases.

Stair-step Model

  • Description: Fixed price points for usage ranges.

  • Example: Trello categorizes pricing by usage ranges with fixed prices.

  • Use Cases: Certainty in pricing, easy to understand.

'Name Your Price' or Custom Pricing

  • Description: Custom prices for each customer, often via sales negotiation.

  • Example: Jira offers custom deals for enterprise plans.

  • Use Cases: High-touch sales processes, tailored pricing for large clients.

Hybrid Model

  • Description: Combines multiple pricing models.

  • Example: DocuSign uses both user number and document limits for pricing.

  • Use Cases: Multi-dimensional value extraction, upgrade opportunities.

À la carte Model

  • Description: Customers choose and pay for specific features/services.

  • Example: Shopify allows merchants to choose and pay for specific features, like advanced reporting or additional staff accounts

  • Use Cases: Products with many use cases, flexible feature selection.

References

https://www.chargebee.com/resources/guides/subscription-pricing-trial-strategy/find-the-right-pricing-model/

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