5 Common SaaS Pricing Models and Which One Works Best for Your Business

The wrong pricing model can kill your SaaS business before it even starts.

You spend months building the perfect product and crafting compelling marketing messages. You drive traffic to your site. Prospects love your features. Then they hit your pricing page and… nothing. They bounce.

All that effort wasted because you picked the wrong way to charge for your software.

SaaS pricing inflation is now nearly 5 times higher than standard market inflation, making pricing decisions more critical than ever. Companies that get their pricing model right see massive growth. Those that don’t struggle to survive.

The good news? You don’t have to guess. Five proven SaaS pricing models dominate the market. Each works well for different types of businesses. This guide shows you which one fits yours.

Why Your SaaS Pricing Model Matters More Than You Think

Most SaaS founders treat pricing like an afterthought. The average SaaS business only spends 6 hours on their pricing strategy in the entire lifespan of their business. This is a massive mistake.

Your pricing model does three critical things:

1. It determines your revenue potential. Pick the wrong model and you leave money on the table. Pick the right one and you maximize what each customer pays.

2. It affects customer acquisition. Some models attract more customers but at lower values. Others target fewer customers but at premium prices.

3. It shapes customer behavior. Your pricing model influences how customers use your product and when they upgrade.

Companies that implement value-based pricing strategies see 78% higher retention rates and customer satisfaction scores compared to cost-plus pricing.

Smart pricing isn’t about charging more. It’s about charging in a way that makes sense for your customers and your business model.

The 5 Most Effective SaaS Pricing Models

1. Per-User Pricing (The Classic Choice)

Per-user pricing charges customers based on the number of people using your software. Also called “per-seat” pricing, it’s the most common model in SaaS.

How it works: You set a price per user per month. A team of 10 people pays 10 times more than a single user.

Examples:

• Slack charges per active user
• Salesforce uses per-user pricing for most plans
• Many project management tools follow this model

Why it works:

• Simple to understand. Customers instantly grasp the cost structure
• Scales with growth. Revenue grows as customers add team members
• Predictable revenue. Easy to forecast based on user growth

When to use per-user pricing:

• Your software gets more valuable with more users
• Teams collaborate within your platform
• You can track active users accurately
• Your product has strong network effects

Potential downsides:

• Can discourage adoption in large organizations
• Doesn’t work if multiple people share accounts
• Revenue growth depends entirely on adding users

Approximately 40% of software companies still utilize per-seat pricing but are considering shifts towards more flexible models as customer preferences evolve.

2. Tiered Pricing (The Upselling Machine)

Tiered pricing offers multiple pricing plans with different features and limits. Most SaaS companies use some version of this model.

How it works: Create 3-5 plans ranging from basic to premium. Each tier includes more features, higher limits, or better support.

Examples:

• MailChimp offers plans based on subscriber count and features
• Zoom has Basic, Pro, Business, and Enterprise tiers
• Most CRM platforms use tiered pricing

Why it works:

• Appeals to different budgets. Small companies start cheap, enterprises pay premium
• Natural upgrade path. Customers outgrow lower tiers and upgrade
• Higher conversions. Multiple options increase likelihood of finding a fit

The psychology behind tiered pricing: Most customers choose the middle option. This “Goldilocks effect” helps you guide customers to your preferred plan.

Best practices for tiered pricing:

• Limit tiers to 3-4 options to avoid choice paralysis
• Make the middle tier your target plan
• Clearly differentiate value between tiers
• Use features customers actually care about as differentiators

When to use tiered pricing:

• You serve different customer segments
• Your product has natural feature divisions
• You want to encourage upgrades over time
• You need to appeal to both small and large customers

Tiered pricing is still the go-to strategy for most SaaS companies. It’s all about giving customers a few different options to pick from, usually around three to four tiers.

3. Usage-Based Pricing (Pay for What You Use)

Usage-based pricing charges customers based on how much they actually use your software. This model is gaining popularity, especially for API-driven and infrastructure products.

How it works: Track specific usage metrics like API calls, data processed, or transactions handled. Customers pay based on their consumption.

Examples:

• AWS charges for server usage, storage, and bandwidth
• Stripe charges per transaction
• SendGrid charges per email sent
• OpenAI charges per token processed

Why usage-based pricing is growing: Companies using hybrid models (subscription + usage) report the highest median growth rate (21%), outperforming pure subscription and usage-based models.

Benefits of usage-based pricing:

• Perfect alignment. Customers pay for value received
• No waste. Light users don’t overpay, heavy users don’t underutilize
• Scales automatically. Revenue grows with customer success
• Reduces barriers. Low or no minimums encourage trial

Challenges with usage-based pricing:

• Unpredictable costs can scare away budget-conscious customers
• Complex billing requires sophisticated systems
• Revenue forecasting becomes much harder

Making usage-based pricing work:

• Provide usage dashboards and alerts
• Offer spending caps or predictable minimums
• Use clear, simple metrics customers understand
• Consider hybrid models combining base fees with usage charges

When to use usage-based pricing:

• Usage directly correlates with customer value
• You can measure usage accurately
• Customers have variable usage patterns
• Your costs scale with customer usage

4. Flat-Rate Pricing (Keep It Simple)

Flat-rate pricing charges all customers the same price regardless of usage or team size. While less common today, it still works for specific situations.

How it works: One product, one price. Everyone pays the same amount for full access to your software.

Examples:

• Buffer previously used flat-rate pricing (now uses tiered)
• Some specialized tools still use this model
• Many mobile apps use flat-rate pricing

Why flat-rate pricing works:

• Maximum simplicity. No decisions for customers to make
• Easy to communicate. Perfect for marketing and sales
• Predictable revenue. Every customer pays the same amount

When flat-rate pricing makes sense:

• Your customer base has similar needs and budgets
• Your product delivers consistent value regardless of usage
• You want to minimize sales complexity
• Your market research shows uniform willingness to pay

Downsides of flat-rate pricing:

• Leaves money on the table from customers who would pay more
• Prices out customers who need lighter usage
• No natural upgrade path to increase revenue per customer

While simple and predictable, flat rate pricing is less common in mainstream SaaS offerings due to its lack of flexibility. It typically appeals to niche markets where customer needs are uniform.

5. Feature-Based Pricing (Value-Driven Approach)

Feature-based pricing charges customers based on which features they can access. This model focuses on value delivery rather than usage or user count.

How it works: Create pricing tiers based on feature access. Basic plans get core features, premium plans unlock advanced capabilities.

Examples:

• Adobe Creative Suite charges more for additional applications
• Many analytics tools gate advanced features behind higher plans
• CRM platforms often use feature-based differentiation

Benefits of feature-based pricing:

• Value alignment. Customers pay based on value received
• Clear differentiation. Easy to understand what each plan includes
• Upgrade motivation. Customers naturally want more features over time

Feature-based pricing strategies:

• Gate your most valuable features in higher tiers
• Ensure lower tiers still provide meaningful value
• Use features that customers can’t easily replicate elsewhere
• Make the feature value obvious and measurable

When to use feature-based pricing:

• Your product has clear feature distinctions
• Different features serve different customer types
• Advanced features provide significantly more value
• You can demonstrate ROI for premium features

Hybrid Models: The Best of Both Worlds

Smart SaaS companies increasingly combine multiple pricing models. Companies using hybrid models (subscription + usage) report the highest median growth rate (21%).

Common hybrid combinations:

• Base fee + usage charges: Monthly minimum plus overage fees
• Per-user + feature tiers: Different feature sets at different per-user prices
• Tiered usage: Different usage allowances at different price points

Why hybrid models work:

• Provide predictable minimums for revenue forecasting
• Allow customers to scale usage without penalty
• Create multiple expansion opportunities
• Better match diverse customer needs

For marketing analytics platforms like SegMetrics, hybrid models work particularly well. You might charge a base fee for the platform plus usage-based fees for data processing or advanced attribution features.

How to Choose the Right Pricing Model for Your Business

Picking your pricing model requires understanding your product, customers, and market. Here’s how to make the right choice:

Step 1: Analyze Your Value Delivery

Ask yourself:

• What drives value for customers using your product?
• Does value scale with users, usage, or features?
• Can you measure value delivery objectively?

If value scales with team size, consider per-user pricing or if it scales with usage volume, usage-based makes sense. If it’s feature-driven, go feature-based.

Step 2: Understand Your Customers

Research your market:

• How do customers currently solve this problem?
• What’s their budget range for solutions?
• How price-sensitive are they?
• Do they prefer predictable or variable costs?

Tools like SegMetrics help you understand customer behavior and preferences through detailed analytics.

Step 3: Consider Your Business Model

Think about:

• Your customer acquisition costs
• Desired customer lifetime value
• How quickly you need to grow
• Your competitive landscape

High-touch enterprise sales often work better with higher-priced tiers or custom pricing. Self-service products need simpler, more transparent pricing.

Step 4: Test and Iterate

Don’t set pricing once and forget it. A/B testing different pricing structures can reveal which combinations of plans, features, and messaging drive the best conversion rates.

🔬 Testing Reality Check: Don’t A/B test pricing on existing customers—they’ll notice and get upset. Instead, test new pricing on new customer segments or through surveys asking about willingness to pay.

Testing approaches:

• Survey existing customers about willingness to pay
• Test different models with new customer segments
• Analyze usage patterns to identify natural pricing boundaries
• Monitor churn rates and upgrade patterns

Common Pricing Mistakes to Avoid

Mistake 1: Copying Competitors Without Understanding Context

Just because a competitor uses tiered pricing doesn’t mean it’s right for you. Cost-plus pricing treats all buyer personas the same instead of optimizing for what each segment wants and how much they’re willing to pay.

Instead: Research why competitors chose their model and whether your business is similar enough to justify copying.

Mistake 2: Underpricing to Win Customers

Many SaaS founders think low prices automatically mean more customers. This rarely works long-term.

The reality: Underpriced products often signal low quality. Customers who choose based only on price tend to churn quickly.

Better approach: Price based on value delivery, not cost minimization.

Mistake 3: Making Pricing Too Complex

Complex pricing confuses customers and slows decision-making. For one client, setting up a price took two months, requiring over 100 variables to account for scope and labor requirements. The result was poor customer experience and inefficiencies.

Keep it simple:

• Limit pricing variables
• Make costs predictable
• Provide clear examples and calculators
• Test pricing pages for clarity

Mistake 4: Never Raising Prices

Most companies get this part so wrong by never increasing prices as their product becomes more valuable over time. Price inflation for SaaS products is currently at 8.7% year-over-year, so standing still means falling behind.

Smart price increases:

• Communicate value improvements clearly
• Give existing customers advance notice
• Grandfather loyal customers when possible
• Focus increases on new customers first

Pricing Psychology That Actually Works

Understanding customer psychology helps optimize any pricing model:

The Decoy Effect

When using tiered pricing, include a “decoy” option that makes your target plan look more attractive. If you want customers to choose your $99 plan, add a $89 plan with significantly fewer features.

Anchoring

Start price discussions with higher numbers. If your premium plan costs $299, customers will see your $99 plan as a bargain.

Loss Aversion

Frame upgrades around what customers lose by not upgrading rather than what they gain. “Without advanced analytics, you’re missing revenue opportunities” works better than “Advanced analytics help you find opportunities.”

The Future of SaaS Pricing

Pricing models continue evolving. With AI reshaping how software’s value is perceived, companies are being compelled into usage- and outcome-based pricing.

Emerging trends:

• AI-driven pricing that adjusts based on customer behavior
• Outcome-based pricing where you pay based on results achieved
• Value metric alignment tying price directly to business impact
• Personalized pricing based on individual usage patterns

Nearly 8 out of 10 SaaS companies are planning to leverage usage data to enhance customer experience and pricing strategies.

For analytics platforms like SegMetrics, this means moving beyond simple seat-based pricing toward models that charge based on data processed, insights generated, or revenue attributed.

Implementation: Making Your Pricing Model Work

Getting Started

For new products:

1. Start with a simple model you can explain in one sentence
2. Test with early customers and gather feedback
3. Monitor usage patterns to identify natural pricing boundaries
4. Iterate based on data, not assumptions

For existing products:

1. Analyze current customer behavior and satisfaction
2. Identify pricing pain points and opportunities
3. Test new models with new customer segments first
4. Gradually migrate existing customers with proper communication

Tools and Systems

Effective pricing requires the right infrastructure:

Billing systems that handle your chosen model complexity Analytics tools to track pricing performance and customer behavior Customer communication systems for pricing changes Testing platforms for pricing experiments

SegMetrics’ analytics platform helps companies understand which pricing models drive the best long-term customer value by tracking the full customer journey.

Measuring Success

Track these metrics to evaluate pricing model effectiveness:

Revenue metrics:

• Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR) growth
• Average Revenue Per User (ARPU)
• Customer Lifetime Value (CLV)

Customer metrics:

• Conversion rates by pricing tier
• Churn rates by pricing model
• Upgrade/downgrade patterns
• Time to upgrade

Operational metrics:

• Sales cycle length
• Support burden by pricing tier
• Billing complexity costs

Your Next Steps

Choosing the right SaaS pricing model isn’t a one-time decision. It’s an ongoing optimization process that can make or break your business.

Start here:

1. Audit your current pricing (if you have one) against your value delivery
2. Survey customers about their pricing preferences and pain points
3. Analyze usage data to identify natural pricing boundaries
4. Choose a model that aligns with how customers get value
5. Test and iterate based on real data, not assumptions

Remember: Your pricing plan has to enable the company to become profitable at some point. The value of your business is the discounted sum of all its future profits.

The companies winning in SaaS don’t just build great products. They build great products with pricing models that capture the value they create.

SegMetrics helps you understand customer behavior so you can make data-driven pricing decisions. When you know exactly how customers use your product and what drives them to upgrade, choosing the right pricing model becomes much clearer.

Don’t leave money on the table. Get your pricing model right, and everything else becomes easier.

Want to see how your current pricing model performs? SegMetrics’ analytics platform tracks customer behavior across your entire funnel, helping you optimize pricing for maximum revenue and retention.