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Creating Monthly vs Annual Plans

Set up flexible pricing with multiple billing cycles to maximize revenue

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Written by Majid Al-anazie

Creating Monthly vs Annual Plans

Most SaaS products offer monthly and annual options. Annual plans increase LTV while monthly plans reduce barrier to entry.

Why Offer Both?

  • Monthly: Lower commitment, easier to try, smaller upfront cost

  • Annual: Higher commitment, better unit economics, locks in customer

Pricing Strategy

Rule of thumb: Discount annual by 15-25% vs monthly

  • Monthly: $99/month = $1,188/year

  • Annual: $999/year (2-month savings)

  • Incentive: Customer saves $189 annually

Creating Both Plans

  1. In Product Catalog, select your product

  2. Click + Add Plan

  3. Create first plan:

    • Name: "Monthly"

    • Price: $99

    • Billing Cycle: Monthly

  4. Click + Add Plan again

  5. Create second plan:

    • Name: "Annual"

    • Price: $999

    • Billing Cycle: Annual

Customer Choice

When creating a subscription, customer selects which plan:

  • Choose product → Choose plan (Monthly or Annual)

  • Different pricing, same features

  • Can upgrade/downgrade between plans anytime

Annual Plan Best Practices

  • Charge upfront: Full year amount on day 1

  • Highlight savings: Show "Save 2 months!"

  • Include incentive: Extra features, priority support, etc.

  • Auto-renew: Simplify: charge same amount next year

Tips

  • Most customers choose monthly (easier commitment)

  • But annual customers have 3x longer LTV

  • Make annual "the better deal" — offer real savings

  • On pricing page: Show annual savings prominently

  • Allow switches: Customer can upgrade monthly→annual anytime

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