Plan pricing

The right pricing strategy can make a huge difference in your app’s success. Mantle makes it easy to configure and manage different pricing models - from simple monthly subscriptions to complex usage-based billing. This guide will walk you through each type of pricing and help you understand which models work best for different scenarios.

Recurring charges

Recurring pricing forms the foundation of most app pricing strategies. Whether you’re charging monthly or annually, this predictable revenue model is straightforward to set up and easy for customers to understand.

Configuring recurring pricing

Once you’re in the pricing section of your plan configuration, you’ll see options for:

• Base price
• Billing interval (monthly/annual)
• Trial settings
• Usage charge settings (optional - configure if charging for usage-based billing on top of subscription)

Billing intervals

Mantle supports both monthly and annual billing:

• Monthly: The standard approach - customers pay the same amount each month
• Annual: Offer a discount for yearly commitment - common practice is 15-20% off monthly price

For annual billing:

• Select Annually from the billing interval options
• Set your annual price
• The system automatically calculates and displays the monthly equivalent

Usage-based pricing

Usage pricing lets you align costs with value delivered. Perfect for apps where usage varies significantly between customers or where resource consumption drives your costs.

Choosing your pricing model

In the pricing section, you’ll find usage charge settings where you can choose your pricing model:

• Per unit: Flat rate per usage (e.g., $0.10 per order):

• Per unit with limits: Charge based on usage within defined thresholds (e.g., start charging after 10 events, stop at 100)

• Percentage based: Charge a percentage of a value (e.g., 1% of order total)

• Flex billing: Automatically move customers between plans based on their usage Learn more about Flex billing

You can also set usage-based feature entitlements on your plans to control access to specific features based on usage levels. Learn more about feature entitlements

Setting the capped amount

When configuring usage-based billing, you’ll need to set a capped monthly amount. This is the maximum amount a customer can be charged for usage in a billing period. Customers authorize this amount when they first subscribe, and their usage charges will never exceed this cap.

Setting usage limits

Within the usage settings, you can:

• Set usage caps to prevent unexpected charges
• Define overage rates for usage beyond included amounts
• Configure automatic plan upgrades when usage consistently exceeds limits

One-time charges

Perfect for setup fees, custom work, or additional services outside your regular subscription.

Creating one-time charges

To create a one-time charge:

1. Navigate to the Customers view
2. Select the customer you want to charge
3. Click the Actions dropdown
4. Select “Create one-time charge”
5. Configure the charge details:
   • Amount
   • Currency
   • Name (the name that will be displayed to the customer on the charge confirmation screen)
   • Return URL (the URL that will send the customer to after they accept the charge)

After creating the charge, you’ll receive a confirmation URL. Send this URL to your customer - they’ll need to approve the charge before it’s processed.

Best practices

• Clear Description: Help customers understand what they’re paying for
• Timing: Consider aligning with subscription billing dates
• Documentation: Use internal notes to track charge context

Combining pricing models

Many successful apps combine multiple pricing models. Here’s how to make them work together:

Example configurations

1. Subscription + usage

   • Base plan includes set features
   • Usage charges for additional consumption
   • Perfect for apps with variable resource needs

2. All three models

   • Base subscription for access
   • Usage charges for consumption
   • One-time fees for extras
   • Ideal for complex apps with various service offerings

Need help figuring out the right pricing strategy for your app? Our team is here to help you make sense of the options and set up a model that works for your business.

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