A field guide for makers
Make subscription economics work
Begin with a defined customer group and a useful time horizon. Unfinished trials, cancellation requests and heavy usage answer different questions. Choose the worked guide that matches the billing or pricing decision, and keep cash receipts separate from recurring revenue.
Which decision are you facing?
App and SaaS makers · AI pricing and usage
Can your $20 AI plan afford its heavy users?
Use this before offering unlimited AI usage. Calculate a typical user, a heavy user and the free-user subsidy separately, then test an affordable cap against customer value.
SaaS makers · Subscription retention
Someone clicked cancel. Which month actually lost the customer?
Use this when cancel clicks and reported churn disagree. Reconcile request dates, reversals and the last paid period on each account.
App makers · Trial conversion
350 users, seven free trials, zero revenue. What should you check first?
Use this before changing a paywall because revenue is zero. Account for trial maturity, offer exposure and payment state first.