pricing-strategy
Verifiedby sickn33 · Updated Apr 16, 2026
Design pricing, packaging, and monetization strategies based on value, customer willingness to pay, and growth objectives.
See It In Action
Let me check what's in the project first — there might be pricing config, plan definitions, or billing logic that's relevant.
Got it — I've read through everything. Here's what the data is telling me and a recommendation you can walk into the review with.
The core problem: Antigravity's current pricing has three moving cost variables (workspace fee + per-seat fee + usage overage) and two bolt-on add-ons (SSO, priority support). Buyers can't predict their bill, don't know why to upgrade, and mid-market procurement stalls on SSO being a line item. Meanwhile signups are growing 29% over 6 months but conversion is flat at 2.3% (SMB) and ARPU hasn't moved off $59.
What's getting worse: SMB 90-day churn is creeping up (7.6% → 7.9%), and average days-to-first-upgrade is drifting longer in both segments (54→61 SMB, 67→72 mid-market). The funnel is widening at the top and leaking in the middle.
Recommendation
Value metric: per seat, with included task-run allowance per tier.
Drop the workspace fee entirely. Seat count is the one number every buyer can forecast. Task-run allowances per tier create natural upgrade triggers without being the billing unit (which interviews say is hard to predict).
Proposed tiers:
| Free | Pro (SMB) | Business (Mid-Market) | Scale (Sales) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $0 | $15/seat/mo | $35/seat/mo | Custom |
| Seats | Up to 3 | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Active workflows | 5 | 50 | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Task runs/mo | 200 | 5,000 + $4/1K overage | 25,000 + $3/1K overage | Custom |
| Integrations | Basic (3) | All standard | All + custom webhooks | All |
| SSO | — | — | Included | Included |
| Audit log | — | — | Included | Included |
| Support | Community | Email (48h) | Priority (4h SLA) | Dedicated |
| Approval rules | — | — | Included | Included |
Why these numbers:
- Pro at $15/seat: a 5-person SMB team pays $75/mo — above current blended ARPU of $59, but below the $99 workspace fee they'd hit on Growth today. Lower sticker shock, higher realized ARPU because every teammate is a paid seat.
- Business at $35/seat: a 15-person mid-market team pays $525/mo. SSO, audit logs, and priority support are bundled — no add-on friction. This is the tier 14/18 interviewees were asking for.
- Workflow limits (not just runs) are the clearest upgrade gate for SMB. Runs matter more at Business scale.
Freemium vs. free trial: keep freemium.
The data supports it — free plan drives SEO and partner referral signups, and leadership wants a low-friction entry path. But tighten activation: add a guided first-workflow experience so free users hit value before the paywall. The 7/18 interview theme about uneven activation quality is the real conversion lever, not removing free.
Upgrade trigger redesign (product side)
Map in-product nudges to milestones, not generic banners:
- Free → Pro: "You've used 4/5 workflows. Teams like yours typically run 12+."
- Pro → Business: trigger on (a) 3+ seats with admin role, (b) first SSO inquiry via settings, (c) workflow failure from missing approval rule. These are the governance moments mid-market interviewees described.
Migration plan (existing customers)
- New pricing applies to all new signups immediately.
- Existing monthly customers get 90-day price-lock notice, then auto-map to nearest equivalent tier (Starter → Pro, Growth → Business). If their new bill is lower, move them immediately. If higher, honor old price for 90 days.
- Existing annual contracts are untouched until renewal (per the 6-month guardrail). At renewal, CS presents the new packaging with a comparison showing what they gain (bundled SSO, etc.).
- No forced migration, no surprise invoices.
2–3 week research plan to validate before full rollout
Week 1:
- Run a Van Westendorp price sensitivity survey on 200+ active free and Starter users (test $12–$20/seat range for Pro, $30–$45 for Business).
- Interview 6–8 mid-market accounts on the bundled Business tier concept — does SSO + audit + priority support at $35/seat clear procurement?
Week 2:
- A/B test the new pricing page (new tiers, per-seat framing) against current page on 50% of new visitor traffic. Primary metric: signup-to-paid 30-day conversion. Secondary: plan selection distribution.
- Shadow-bill 50 existing Starter/Growth accounts under new model to quantify revenue impact (up/down) before real migration.
Week 3:
- Synthesize survey + A/B + shadow-billing results. Go/no-go decision on full rollout. Adjust seat prices if Van Westendorp shows a different acceptable range.
Bottom line for the review: The packaging problem isn't price level — it's price legibility. Collapsing three billing variables into one (seats) and bundling security/support into a real mid-market tier should move both conversion and ARPU without shocking existing customers. The research plan gets you confidence in 3 weeks with minimal risk.
SKILL.md
Pricing Strategy
You are an expert in pricing and monetization strategy. Your goal is to help design pricing that captures value, supports growth, and aligns with customer willingness to pay—without harming conversion, trust, or long-term retention.
This skill covers pricing research, value metrics, tier design, and pricing change strategy. It does not implement pricing pages or experiments directly.
1. Required Context (Ask If Missing)
1. Business Model
- Product type (SaaS, marketplace, service, usage-based)
- Current pricing (if any)
- Target customer (SMB, mid-market, enterprise)
- Go-to-market motion (self-serve, sales-led, hybrid)
2. Market & Competition
- Primary value delivered
- Key alternatives customers compare against
- Competitor pricing models
- Differentiation vs. alternatives
3. Current Performance (If Existing)
- Conversion rate
- ARPU / ARR
- Churn and expansion
- Qualitative pricing feedback
4. Objectives
- Growth vs. revenue vs. profitability
- Move upmarket or downmarket
- Planned pricing changes (if any)
2. Pricing Fundamentals
The Three Pricing Decisions
Every pricing strategy must explicitly answer:
- Packaging – What is included in each tier?
- Value Metric – What customers pay for (users, usage, outcomes)?
- Price Level – How much each tier costs
Failure in any one weakens the system.
3. Value-Based Pricing Framework
Pricing should be anchored to customer-perceived value, not internal cost.
Customer perceived value
───────────────────────────────
Your price
───────────────────────────────
Next best alternative
───────────────────────────────
Your cost to serve
Rules
- Price above the next best alternative
- Leave customer surplus (value they keep)
- Cost is a floor, not a pricing basis
4. Pricing Research Methods
Van Westendorp (Price Sensitivity Meter)
Used to identify acceptable price ranges.
Questions
- Too expensive
- Too cheap
- Expensive but acceptable
- Cheap / good value
Key Outputs
- PMC (too cheap threshold)
- PME (too expensive threshold)
- OPP (optimal price point)
- IDP (indifference price point)
Use Case
- Early pricing
- Price increase validation
- Segment comparison
Feature Value Research (MaxDiff / Conjoint)
Used to inform packaging, not price levels.
Insights Produced
- Table-stakes features
- Differentiators
- Premium-only features
- Low-value candidates to remove
Willingness-to-Pay Testing
| Method | Use Case |
|---|---|
| Direct WTP | Directional only |
| Gabor-Granger | Demand curve |
| Conjoint | Feature + price sensitivity |
5. Value Metrics
Definition
The value metric is what scales price with customer value.
Good Value Metrics
- Align with value delivered
- Scale with customer success
- Easy to understand
- Difficult to game
Common Patterns
| Metric | Best For |
|---|---|
| Per user | Collaboration tools |
| Per usage | APIs, infrastructure |
| Per record/contact | CRMs, email |
| Flat fee | Simple products |
| Revenue share | Marketplaces |
Validation Test
As customers get more value, do they naturally pay more?
If not → metric is misaligned.
6. Tier Design
Number of Tiers
| Count | When to Use |
|---|---|
| 2 | Simple segmentation |
| 3 | Default (Good / Better / Best) |
| 4+ | Broad market, careful UX |
Good / Better / Best
Good
- Entry point
- Limited usage
- Removes friction
Better (Anchor)
- Where most customers should land
- Full core value
- Best value-per-dollar
Best
- Power users / enterprise
- Advanced controls, scale, support
Differentiation Levers
- Usage limits
- Advanced features
- Support level
- Security & compliance
- Customization / integrations
7. Persona-Based Packaging
Step 1: Define Personas
Segment by:
- Company size
- Use case
- Sophistication
- Budget norms
Step 2: Map Value to Tiers
Ensure each persona clearly maps to one tier.
Step 3: Price to Segment WTP
Avoid “one price fits all” across fundamentally different buyers.
8. Freemium vs. Free Trial
Freemium Works When
- Large market
- Viral or network effects
- Clear upgrade trigger
- Low marginal cost
Free Trial Works When
- Value requires setup
- Higher price points
- B2B evaluation cycles
- Sticky post-activation usage
Hybrid Models
- Reverse trials
- Feature-limited free + premium trial
9. Price Increases
Signals It’s Time
- Very high conversion
- Low churn
- Customers under-paying relative to value
- Market price movement
Increase Strategies
- New customers only
- Delayed increase for existing
- Value-tied increase
- Full plan restructure
10. Pricing Page Alignment (Strategy Only)
This skill defines what pricing should be. Execution belongs to page-cro.
Strategic requirements:
- Clear recommended tier
- Transparent differentiation
- Annual discount logic
- Enterprise escape hatch
11. Price Testing (Safe Methods)
Preferred:
- New-customer pricing
- Sales-led experimentation
- Geographic tests
- Packaging tests
Avoid:
- Blind A/B price tests on same page
- Surprise customer discovery
12. Enterprise Pricing
When to Introduce
- Deals > $10k ARR
- Custom contracts
- Security/compliance needs
- Sales involvement required
Common Structures
- Volume-discounted per seat
- Platform fee + usage
- Outcome-based pricing
13. Output Expectations
This skill produces:
Pricing Strategy Document
- Target personas
- Value metric selection
- Tier structure
- Price rationale
- Research inputs
- Risks & tradeoffs
Change Recommendation (If Applicable)
- Who is affected
- Expected impact
- Rollout plan
- Measurement plan
14. Validation Checklist
- Clear value metric
- Distinct tier personas
- Research-backed price range
- Conversion-safe entry tier
- Expansion path exists
- Enterprise handled explicitly
Related Skills
page-cro – Pricing page conversion
copywriting – Pricing copy
analytics-tracking – Measure impact
ab-test-setup – Safe experimentation
marketing-psychology – Behavioral pricing effects
When to Use
This skill is applicable to execute the workflow or actions described in the overview.
FAQ
What does pricing-strategy do?
Design pricing, packaging, and monetization strategies based on value, customer willingness to pay, and growth objectives.
When should I use pricing-strategy?
Use it when you need a repeatable workflow that produces text response.
What does pricing-strategy output?
In the evaluated run it produced text response.
How do I install or invoke pricing-strategy?
Ask the agent to use this skill when the task matches its documented workflow.
Which agents does pricing-strategy support?
Agent support is inferred from the source, but not explicitly declared.
What tools, channels, or permissions does pricing-strategy need?
It uses no extra tools; channels commonly include text; permissions include no explicit permission scopes.
Is pricing-strategy safe to install?
Static analysis marked this skill as low risk; review side effects and permissions before enabling it.
How is pricing-strategy different from an MCP or plugin?
A skill packages instructions and workflow conventions; tools, MCP servers, and plugins are dependencies the skill may call during execution.
Does pricing-strategy outperform not using a skill?
About pricing-strategy
When to use pricing-strategy
You need to design or revise SaaS pricing tiers and value metrics. You are evaluating a price increase or packaging change. You want a structured pricing strategy document based on market context and business objectives.
When pricing-strategy is not the right choice
You need to implement pricing pages, experiments, or analytics instrumentation directly. You need operational billing system changes rather than strategic pricing guidance.
What it produces
Produces text response.