Rolling Out Usage-Based Pricing Without Breaking Things
Written by Harry Prabandham
Curated by Rubric Financial
Last updated
1 / 5
Pick the Right Value Metric
- The value metric is the unit customers pay for, such as seats, credits, or API calls.
- The best metric grows naturally as customers get more value from your product.
- It should be easy for buyers to understand and to predict on their own bill.
- A poorly chosen metric punishes engaged users and quietly caps your own growth.
Go deeper on this topic: SaaS Pricing Strategy: How to Price Your Product, When to Raise Prices, and What It Does to Your Unit Economics→
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About the author
Harry PrabandhamFounder & CEO
Founder and CEO of StartupCFO. MBA from Wharton, MS in Computer Science, and decades of experience building and advising venture-backed startups.
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