High — days Crisis / Stall

I'm giving too much away free but I'm scared to paywall it

Your free tier is generous — maybe too generous. Users get full value without paying. But every feature you paywall risks losing users, negative reviews, and the growth that free drives.

Up to £5,000 MRR 1–2 people SaaS High — days

The Pattern

Based on 322 decisions

72%

Positive outcome

7.0

Avg score

322

Decisions

63 positive 24 negative 235 pending

10 scale 304 optimise 8 experiment

What founders did

high confidence

Monetisation Case Studies

Curated library

Startup Founder: Offer lifetime deals for a SaaS product (2026)

A startup founder made the decision to sell lifetime access to their product, a one-time payment model instead of recurring subscriptions. As a founder, you face the choice between immediate …

Negative outcome Regret, unsustainable model, future revenue jeopardized

SaaS £0–5k/month Optimise — Working but needs refinement

7.9

Reddit Founder: Offer unlimited usage on entry-level SaaS plan (2026)

A SaaS company decided to include 'unlimited usage' as a key feature on its entry-level plan, priced at $29/month. This was likely intended to attract users with a perception of …

Negative outcome Server costs exceeded revenue for power users

SaaS £0–5k/month Optimise — Working but needs refinement

6.1

Startup A: Revise and fix lifetime pricing model (2026)

This founder decided to re-evaluate and change their existing lifetime pricing model after realizing it was a mistake. This involves understanding the financial impact, communicating with existing customers, and implementing …

SaaS £0–5k/month Optimise — Working but needs refinement

6.5

SaaS Company: Offer 'unlimited usage' on its entry-level plan (2024)

This SaaS company chose to offer an unlimited usage tier on its entry plan, likely to attract users with a perceived high value and simplify its pricing structure. This decision …

Negative outcome Server costs disproportionate to revenue; negative profitability impact

SaaS £0–5k/month Optimise — Working but needs refinement

6.2

Unnamed SaaS Company: Offer an 'unlimited usage' entry plan (2026)

An unnamed SaaS company made the strategic decision to offer an 'unlimited usage' model on its entry-level plan, likely to simplify pricing and attract users. This choice was made in …

Negative outcome Profitability -X%, Server costs / Revenue ratio unsustainable

SaaS £0–5k/month Optimise — Working but needs refinement

6.7

Unnamed SaaS Company: Offer unlimited usage on an entry-level plan (2026)

This SaaS company decided to structure its entry-level pricing plan with 'unlimited usage,' likely as a competitive differentiator or to simplify customer onboarding. The strategic choice was to prioritize perceived …

Negative outcome Server costs / revenue ratio unsustainable

SaaS £0–5k/month Optimise — Working but needs refinement

7.0

Unnamed SaaS: Offer Unlimited Usage on Entry Plan (2026)

An unnamed SaaS company decided to offer 'unlimited usage' as part of its entry-level pricing plan, aiming to attract a broad user base and simplify its initial offering. This choice …

Negative outcome Server costs / Profit margin (negative impact)

SaaS £0–5k/month Optimise — Working but needs refinement

6.5

SaaS Company: Offer unlimited usage on entry-level plan (2026)

A SaaS company decided to offer 'unlimited usage' on its entry-level plan, a common strategy to attract new users and simplify pricing. However, this choice inadvertently led to significant resource …

Negative outcome Unprofitable customers, 60% server costs by 4 users, …

SaaS £0–5k/month Optimise — Working but needs refinement

6.1

As founders contribute their monetisation decisions, you'll see what people at your exact stage are doing too.