【V+共創專欄】PLG 的雙刃劍：免費用戶要轉換，但付費用戶更要管理

The English translation of the article can be found after the Chinese version.

產品定價，看似簡單的數字遊戲，實則藏著無數商業策略的抉擇。一個錯誤的定價模式，可能讓你的產品如鯨魚般燃燒資源；一個精準的調整，卻能讓你站上成長的浪頭，有效提升公司收入。今天要分享的故事，是關於一家SaaS服務公司如何在投資人協助下，透過幾個關鍵決策，扭轉其商業模式的困境，實現收入質量的顯著提升。

我們與這家科技公司開始合作時，他們擁有穩定的用戶群，卻面臨著一個典型的產品主導成長（PLG）策略的難題：如何將免費用戶轉為付費，並確保定價模式真正反映產品的價值，提高每用戶平均收入？

問題的核心在於他們的商業模式設計有著缺陷。他們提供了基本版和進階版的區分，但卻沒有對關鍵使用量設置上限。這導致了一個嚴重的後果：企業客戶購買便宜的基本版，卻獲得了無限制的使用權限。

在SaaS產品定價中，用量定價常常被忽略，但它是確保價值與成本對齊的關鍵要素。當客戶的使用量增加時，他們從產品中獲得的價值也隨之增加，相應地，他們應該支付更多費用。忽視用量上限等於忽視了產品的實際成本結構和價值交付機制。

「這些客戶不但沒賺錢還是倒賠啊！」我們在一次戰略會議中直言不諱。

團隊起初對改變持猶豫態度，擔心調整定價或限制使用量會導致客戶流失。這是多數創業團隊面臨的共同恐懼：害怕改變現狀會失去已有的成長動能，即使當前的成長可能不健康。

但數據不會說謊。我們深入分析了客戶使用模式和產品成本結構，將這些發現具體化：「目前的產品價值與定價結構不成比例，長期來看可能不利於公司的健康發展。」事實上，他們的ARPU水平遠低於產業標準，無法支撐長期健康發展。

用量定價不僅僅是設定上限，更是設計一個讓客戶隨著其業務成長而自然升級的階梯。當客戶從產品中獲取更多價值時，產品也應從客戶那裡獲取相應的回報，這是一種健康的價值交換。

經過半年的反覆討論和小心翼翼的嘗試，公司終於決定實施幾項關鍵變革：

1. 調整價格：先小幅上調產品訂閱價格，並逐步鼓勵客戶選擇年約以提高留存率，提高了用戶生命週期價值

2. 設置使用量上限：最關鍵的一步，為基本版設置合理的上限，有效推動高用量用戶升級至更高的進階版

   
   

這是一場微妙的平衡藝術。太嚴格的限制可能使用戶流失；太寬鬆則無法實現商業目標。他們選擇從那些使用量最大的付費用戶開始轉變，同時保留「尾部」的低用量付費用戶，確保ARPU提升的同時不大幅損失用戶基數。

用量定價模式能創造透明度與可預測性之間的平衡。混合模式讓客戶能夠預測基本費用，同時讓公司能根據實際資源消耗獲得合理收入。這種設計不僅能更準確地反映成本結構，還能將客戶分層自動化，讓不同規模的客戶自然流向適合其需求的方案。

這個策解決了兩個問題：一方面，它矯正了定價與價值之間的不平衡，提高了每用戶貢獻；另一方面，它為公司創造了更健康的收入結構。更重要的是，它幫助公司從單純依賴訂閱收入的模式，轉變為具有多元收入來源的商業模式，實現了收入結構性的提升。

後記： 商業模式的調整往往不是一蹴而就的。它需要數據支持、勇氣、耐心，以及願意打破常規思維的開放態度。這個真實的故事告訴我們，有時候，真正的成長瓶頸不在於產品功能或市場拓展，而在於商業模式本身的設計。當你勇於重新審視並調整它時，你可能會發現一片全新的藍海。雖然吸引免費用戶轉化為付費是重要的，但對已付費用戶的積極管理更是商業模式成功的關鍵。通過科學設置使用上限和分層機制，不僅能優化收入結構，也是對客戶價值的一種尊重和引導，確保每位客戶都處於最適合其需求和價值的服務層級。

如果喜歡我們的分享，也歡迎追蹤我們 LinkedIn/FB，上面會有更多我們的分享：

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關於VENTURE⁺

熟悉SaaS領域，並從產業本質出發，除了提供必要的資金協助之外，更帶給新創公司最缺乏的企業夥伴與產業資源合作、實務的成長策略經驗，以及資本市場的專業規劃建議。希望以最佳共同創業夥伴（Best Co-founding Partner）的心態，在SaaS新創、創投與產業企業三者間，建立起長期新創資源整合的合作橋樑。

[V+ Value-Creation Column] The Double-Edged Sword of PLG: Turning Free Users Into Paid Ones Is Important—But Managing Paying Customers Matters Even More

Product pricing may seem like a simple numbers game, but it actually involves countless strategic business decisions. A flawed pricing model can burn through resources like a whale devouring krill, while a well-calibrated adjustment can ride the wave of growth and significantly boost company revenue. Today’s story is about how a SaaS company, with support from its investors, overcame its business model struggles through a few key decisions—and achieved a major improvement in revenue quality.

When we first partnered with this tech company, they had a stable user base but were grappling with a classic Product-Led Growth (PLG) challenge: how to convert free users into paying ones, and how to ensure the pricing model truly reflected the value of the product in order to increase Average Revenue Per User (ARPU).

The root of the problem lay in their business model. They had both a basic and a premium version of their product, but failed to impose limits on critical usage metrics. This led to a serious issue: enterprise customers were purchasing the cheaper basic plan while enjoying virtually unlimited access.

In SaaS pricing, usage-based pricing is often overlooked—but it is crucial to aligning value with cost. As customers increase their usage, the value they derive from the product grows—and accordingly, so should the fees they pay. Ignoring usage limits is essentially ignoring the product’s real cost structure and value delivery mechanism.

“These customers aren’t making us money—they’re costing us!” we bluntly pointed out during one strategic meeting.

Initially, the team hesitated to make changes. They feared that adjusting pricing or setting usage limits might lead to customer churn. This is a common fear among startups: a reluctance to disrupt the status quo for fear of losing growth momentum—even if that growth isn’t sustainable.

But data doesn’t lie. We thoroughly analyzed customer usage patterns and the product’s cost structure, and laid out our findings: “The current pricing structure doesn’t reflect the product’s value. In the long run, it could harm the company’s viability.” In fact, their ARPU was far below industry benchmarks and unsustainable for long-term growth.

Usage-based pricing is more than just setting limits—it’s about designing a natural upgrade path as customers grow. When users gain more value from the product, the product should receive more value from them in return. That’s the foundation of a healthy value exchange.

After six months of careful discussions and experimentation, the company finally decided to implement several key changes:

1. Adjusted pricing: They modestly increased subscription prices and gradually encouraged customers to switch to annual plans, boosting retention and customer lifetime value.

2. Introduced usage caps: This was the most critical move—placing reasonable usage limits on the basic plan to effectively push high-usage customers toward premium tiers.

   
   

It was a delicate balancing act. Overly strict limits risked customer churn; overly generous policies failed to meet business goals. So, they began by targeting the highest-usage paying customers for conversion, while retaining low-usage “tail” users to protect the overall user base. This strategy raised ARPU without drastically shrinking the customer count.

Usage-based pricing brings a balance between transparency and predictability. A hybrid model lets customers anticipate baseline costs while enabling the company to earn revenue proportional to actual resource consumption. This design not only better reflects the cost structure, but also automates customer segmentation—guiding different-sized customers toward plans that match their needs.

This solution addressed two critical issues: first, it corrected the imbalance between pricing and product value, increasing per-user contribution; second, it created a healthier revenue structure for the company. More importantly, it enabled a shift from a pure subscription model to one with diversified revenue streams—resulting in a structural upgrade to the company’s business model.

Postscript: Business model transformation is rarely instantaneous. It takes data, courage, patience, and a willingness to challenge conventional thinking. This real-world case illustrates that sometimes, the real growth bottleneck isn’t in your product features or go-to-market strategy—it lies in the business model design itself. By daring to re-examine and revise it, you might uncover an entirely new blue ocean. While converting free users into paying ones is important, actively managing existing paying customers is the real key to business model success. Thoughtful usage caps and tiered structures not only optimize revenue—they also demonstrate respect for customer value, ensuring each client is matched with the service level that best fits their needs.

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About VENTURE⁺We specialize in the SaaS sector, approaching from an industry-first perspective. In addition to providing essential funding, we connect startups with the corporate partners and industry resources they need the most. We also share hands-on strategies for sustainable growth and offer professional advice on capital market planning.VENTURE⁺ aims to be the Best Co-founding Partner for SaaS startups—building a long-term, integrated bridge between startups, venture capital, and industry leaders.

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