Set a $25 SaaS entry tier that supports your salary

Anchor the entry tier at the market median

You are setting the first paid tier, and the number has to cover your salary, survive AI costs, and keep cash predictable. In the 800-tool 2026 analysis, the typical lowest paid monthly entry price was $25 per seat. Enterprise software spending is projected to rise 15.2% in 2026. A survey of chief information officers at the end of 2024 found that they expected an average 8.9% increase in IT product and service costs.

A modest entry price gives you room to grow without forcing customers to justify a premium before they trust you. Slower growth is a deliberate choice; the entry tier keeps cash predictable. Start with the salary you need to keep the company alive, then work backward to the seats you would need to sell at the entry price. A large sales month makes the plan too thin; the plan should survive a normal month, not a rescue month. Your cost sheet sets the minimum, the market sets the entry point, and the salary determines the plan size.

Done looks like a public plan with a clear per-seat price, enough seats or add-ons to make your salary math work, and an upgrade path a customer can choose from the pricing page. The next tier should be a step, not a leap. The entry tier should be easy to buy without a sales call. A demo requirement belongs in a higher tier. For small teams, keep the plan simple; for larger teams, make the entry plan a trial for the bigger plan.

Fold AI into the base plan unless it changes unit cost

In the 2026 analysis, 67% of SaaS companies that offered AI features did not charge separately for them. The typical AI tool in that analysis started at $20, less than the $25 starting point for the full software sample. Leave AI inside the subscription while the margin stays stable. A heavy user who can burn your cash belongs on a metered add-on.

Before you bundle AI, write down what a heavy user can do. Count the calls, the third-party costs, and the support burden. Test the worst case. Bundle it while it stays inside your margin; meter it once it can damage the month. Most customers do not want to think about AI as a separate line item; they want the job done. A bundled AI feature needs a fair-use limit that protects you from abuse without making normal use feel punished.

The trap is charging for every AI call because it feels fair. It turns a predictable subscription into a variable invoice. The target is a base plan that includes AI, with a limit or add-on only where cost can exceed revenue.

Meter only the usage that breaks cash predictability

Usage-based pricing is common, but pure usage pricing is rare. In the 800-tool 2026 analysis, 455 tools, or 57%, had a usage or credit element layered onto a subscription. In the same analysis, only 11% of tools relied entirely on usage-based pricing. Keep the subscription flat for normal use. Add a meter for actions that can consume disproportionate cost, such as heavy AI generation.

A meter is a cash protection device. Use it where the customer's action maps to a cost you can see. If you cannot see the cost, you cannot defend the meter. Keep the meter simple. A customer should understand what they are paying for before they exceed the limit. Put the limit in the plan name or the pricing page. Do not hide it in the invoice.

The finished invoice should be predictable, with overage only where a customer can create a cost you cannot absorb. Overage as your main revenue means the base plan is too small. Rare overage means the meter is doing its job. You should be able to read the bank balance and know what next month will look like.