What buyers look for
A pricing page has one job: help a buyer decide which plan to pick, or whether to talk to you. Everything on the page should serve that.
When someone opens a pricing page, they are usually asking a few plain questions:
- How much will this cost me?
- Which plan is for someone like me?
- What do I get, and what do I not get?
- Can I try it first?
- What happens when I grow?
- Can I cancel?
Pages go wrong when they answer none of these clearly. Some hide the price behind a call. Some bury the difference between plans in a table of forty rows. Some use names that tell you nothing. A good page answers the questions in the order the buyer asks them, in words they use.
How many plans to show
There is no fixed number, but a few rules help.
- Three or four plans is a common and sensible range. Fewer than that and you may force different kinds of customers into one box. More than that and people stall.
- Each plan should be for a clearly different customer. A solo user, a small team, a growing company. If two plans are for the same person, merge them.
- One plan can be highlighted. Pick the one most customers should start with. Do not highlight two.
- A free plan or trial changes the page. If you offer one, make the next step obvious: what the user gets free, and what makes them pay.
- An enterprise option belongs at the end. "Contact us" is fine here, if you explain what is included in plain words.
If you are early and unsure about your prices, start with fewer plans. It is easier to add a plan than to take one away from customers who already use it.
Naming plans clearly
Plan names are labels, and labels should help a person choose. Compare these two sets.
| Names that tell you little | Names that help |
|---|---|
| Spark, Blaze, Inferno | Free, Team, Business |
| Basic, Plus, Pro, Pro Max | Solo, Team, Company |
Fun names make people stop and think about which is bigger. A name tied to who it is for ("Team") or to the order of size ("Starter, Growth, Scale") saves that effort.
Add one line under each name saying who the plan is for: "For individuals trying it out", "For teams up to 10 people". That sentence does more work than the name.
Keep the names the same across the site, in the product, in billing emails and on invoices. A customer who signs up for "Growth" and gets billed for "Plan B" will write to support.
Comparison table rules
A comparison table is useful once the buyer has narrowed down to two plans. Before that, it is noise. Put short plan cards at the top, and the full table below.
Rules we use:
- Group the rows. Put features under headings like "Usage", "Team", "Security" and "Support". Forty unsorted rows are unreadable.
- Show only what differs. If every plan has it, mention it once above the table instead of repeating a row of ticks.
- Use numbers, not adjectives. "10 projects" beats "Plenty of projects".
- Be consistent. If one plan says "Unlimited" and another says a number, make sure everyone knows what "unlimited" means, including any fair-use limit.
- Explain jargon in a line. If a row says "SSO", add a short hint for buyers who do not know the term.
- Keep the plan header sticky. On a long table, users should not forget which column is which.
- Make it work on a phone. A wide table is a common failure. Stack plans, or let the user pick two to compare.
- Do not use color alone to mean yes or no. Use ticks and dashes with text, so it works for people with color blindness and for screen readers.
Billing toggle and currency
A monthly and yearly toggle is common, and it needs a few cares.
- Show the saving as a plain statement. "Save two months", or the actual amount, is clearer than a vague percentage badge. Only say it if it is true for your prices.
- Show what the user will be charged. If the price is shown per month but billed once a year, say so near the price: "billed yearly".
- Per-seat prices need an example. "$12 per user per month" is easy to misread. Add a line like "A team of 5 pays $60 a month" so the buyer can picture it.
- Handle currency honestly. If you sell worldwide, say which currency the prices are in. If tax or VAT is added at checkout, say that too. Surprise costs at the last step lose trust.
- Remember the default. Decide whether the page opens on monthly or yearly, and make the current choice obvious.
FAQ and a sales contact
The FAQ on a pricing page is where you remove the last doubts. Write the questions buyers actually ask:
- Can I change plans later?
- What happens if I go over my limit?
- Do you offer refunds?
- How does the free trial work, and is a card needed?
- Do you offer discounts for nonprofits or students?
- How does billing work for teams?
Answer each in a few lines. If you do not have a policy yet, decide on one before you publish, because the page will make a promise whether you intend it to or not.
Add a clear way to reach a person. A line like "Not sure which plan fits? Talk to us" with a link or an email, works well. Many buyers, especially for larger purchases, want to ask a question before they commit. Tell them what happens next and how fast you reply.
Our own pricing page shows our prices openly, and ends with a way to ask us questions.
What to leave out
A pricing page gets better when you cut. Things we often remove:
- Long feature lists copied from the product page.
- Logos of customers who are not related to the plan.
- Several competing calls to action.
- Crossed-out "fake" prices that were never charged.
- Countdown timers, unless there is a real deadline.
Testing changes
Pricing pages are tempting to test, but be careful.
- Change one thing at a time. If you change plan names, layout and prices together, you will not know which one mattered.
- Look at the right numbers. Clicks on a plan button are not revenue. Follow the user to sign-up, to paying and to staying.
- Be honest about traffic. Small sites often do not have enough visitors for a fair A/B test. A few days of data can mislead. In that case, make changes you believe in, compare before and after with care, and talk to customers.
- Talk to buyers. Ask five recent customers how they chose their plan. You will learn something no chart can show.
- Treat price changes as product changes. Existing customers need to be told early and kindly.
If your pricing page is part of a wider marketing site rebuild, we cover that in our marketing website work. For SaaS teams more broadly, see our SaaS design agency page. If you want a second opinion on your own pricing page, send us the link for a free design review.
