The very first SaaSiest Community Session kicked off in style – and with Kyle Poyar in the spotlight, it was anything but a typical pricing chat. If you’ve ever wondered whether your SaaS pricing model is keeping up with the times… this one’s for you.
As the voice behind Growth Unhinged and one of the sharpest minds in SaaS, Kyle walked us through how pricing is shifting — fast — and why seat-based models just aren’t cutting it anymore.
Whether you’re building, scaling, selling, or supporting a SaaS product, here are 5 takeaways you don’t want to sleep on:
1. Hybrid Pricing Is the New Default
Forget “per seat” — it’s all about flexibility. The dominant model emerging in 2025? Hybrid pricing: a blend of subscriptions, usage-based charges, and sometimes even success fees. Companies like Clay are leading the way, combining feature-based tiers with tokenized usage. This model balances predictability for buyers with upside for vendors, making it a win-win.
“It’s not as sexy as pure usage-based pricing,” Kyle said, “but hybrid is where most of the smart money is going.”
2. Align Pricing With Value — Even If It’s Messy
The rise of AI, automation, and API-first products means value is no longer tied to human logins. Kyle pushed teams to brainstorm metrics that truly reflect value delivered — whether that’s successful AI resolutions (like Intercom), API calls, or even outcomes like revenue recouped (as Chargeflow does).
Takeaway? Pricing must evolve with the product. Start with how your customer defines value, not how you’ve always billed.
3. Outcome-Based Pricing Is Coming (Even If You’re Not Ready Yet)
Only 6% of SaaS companies have implemented success-based pricing today — but 25% say it’s their future. That’s a massive shift in just a few years. The key blocker? Attribution wars. If you can’t clearly measure the result you’re charging for, things get messy — fast.
Still, the trend is undeniable: customers increasingly expect vendors to share the risk. Can your pricing model handle that?
4. Internal Resistance Is the Real Roadblock
It’s not the customer pushing back on pricing innovation — it’s often your own team. Sales reps want consistency. Finance wants forecastability. Legacy systems weren’t built for hybrid or usage-based models.
Kyle’s advice? Form a pricing committee across Product, Sales, Finance, and Marketing. Review pricing quarterly. Test small, roll out smart, and evolve continuously.
5. GTM Teams Must Adapt or Be Left Behind
These new pricing models don’t just affect finance — they reshape how you sell, expand, and support customers. In hybrid or usage-driven models, CS becomes revenue-critical. Sales needs to think more like product marketers. Self-service motions must blend with targeted upsell plays.
The bottom line? Your GTM engine must evolve to match your monetization model — or risk missing the wave entirely.
📊 Be part of the movement
Kyle is still collecting data for his State of Monetization report — and you can help shape it.
👉 Contribute to the survey here
🧠 Next up: Join us again on May 15th for a Community Session with Chris Cunningham, where we’ll explore how to stand out on social — no AI needed 👉 Register here
