High — days Early Traction

My free tier is cannibalising paid — kill it, gate it, or cap it?

Free users love the product. Paid conversions are anaemic. You're subsidising usage that generates zero revenue. But your free users are your biggest marketing channel.

£1,000–£5,000 MRR 1–3 people SaaS High — days

The Pattern

Based on 325 decisions

72%

Positive outcome

7.0

Avg score

325

Decisions

63 positive 24 negative 238 pending

10 scale 304 optimise 11 experiment

What founders did

high confidence

Monetisation Case Studies

Curated library

Unnamed Founder: Offer lifetime deals for their product (2026)

A startup founder made the decision to sell lifetime access to their product, generating $50,000 in revenue. While this provided an immediate cash injection, the founder retrospectively identified it as …

Negative outcome Long-term profitability - (negative impact)

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

7.4

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

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

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 Startup: Sold lifetime deals, now regrets it (2026)

This early-stage SaaS founder, eager for quick capital and user acquisition, implemented a pricing strategy offering lifetime access to their product for a one-time fee. While initially providing a cash …

Negative outcome MRR stagnation/decline

SaaS £0–5k/month Experiment — Promising but unvalidated

5.8

Unspecified SaaS Startup: Offer lifetime deals (LTDs) for cash infusion (2026)

A SaaS startup made the strategic decision to offer lifetime deals (LTDs) to customers, generating $50,000 in immediate revenue. This choice was likely driven by a need for quick cash …

Negative outcome Negative impact on long-term revenue and operational efficiency

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

6.9

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

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

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