Plans
Create and manage pricing plans that automatically generate subscriptions when assigned to customers
Plans
Plans are pre-configured billing packages that combine pricing, features, and billing intervals. When you assign a Plan to a Customer, a Subscription is automatically created, making plan-based subscriptions the foundation of Commet's billing model.
The Platform section is designed for go-to-market, finance, and operations teams. If you need implementation details, go to the Developer Library.
Quick start example
Here's how a typical SaaS company uses Plans:
- Create Plans: Define your pricing tiers (Starter, Pro, Enterprise) with prices and features
- Assign Plan to Customer: Select a customer and assign a plan—the subscription is created automatically
- Automatic billing: Once active, Commet automatically generates recurring invoices each billing period
- Manage updates: Change customer plans or update plan configurations as needed
The billing engine handles the entire cycle: Plan creation → Plan assignment → Subscription creation → Checkout → Activation → Recurring billing.
Why plans matter
- Consistency: Standardize pricing across all customers using the same plan
- Automatic subscriptions: Assigning a plan to a customer automatically creates their subscription
- Easy updates: Modify plan features or pricing and all future subscriptions use the updated plan
- Public or private: Control which plans appear on your pricing page vs. internal-only plans
- Scalability: Create once, assign to many customers without manual configuration
What are plans?
Plans are templates that define everything a customer gets when they subscribe:
| Component | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Name & Description | Display information for customers and your team | "Pro Plan" - "Best for growing teams" |
| Prices | Multiple pricing options by billing interval | $99/month, $990/year (save 17%) |
| Features | What's included in the plan | API calls, storage, seats, feature flags |
| Trial Days | Optional free trial period | 14 days free trial |
| Public Visibility | Whether plan appears on pricing page | Public or private |
Think of Plans as product packages. Once you create a Plan, you can assign it to multiple customers, and each assignment automatically creates a Subscription linked to that plan.
Learn more about how Features work within Plans in the Features documentation.
How to create a plan
Navigate to Plans
Go to Plans in the platform navigation and click Create Plan.
Configure plan details
Set up the basic plan information:
- Plan name: Choose a clear, customer-facing name (e.g., "Starter", "Pro", "Enterprise")
- Description: Add a brief description explaining the plan's value proposition
- Public or private:
- Public: Plan appears on your pricing page and can be selected by customers
- Private: Plan only visible internally (useful for custom enterprise deals)
Set pricing
Add prices for different billing intervals:
- Monthly: Recurring monthly billing
- Quarterly: Recurring every 3 months (often with discount)
- Yearly: Recurring annually (often with the best discount)
For each billing interval:
- Enter the price amount
- Set one as the default (shown first when customers view plans)
Pricing strategy: Many companies offer discounts for longer commitments. For example: $99/month, $270/quarter (save 9%), $990/year (save 17%). This encourages annual subscriptions while maintaining flexibility.
Add features
Configure what's included in the plan by adding features. Features define what customers can access:
- Boolean features: On/off capabilities (e.g., SSO enabled, custom branding)
- Metered features: Usage-based limits (e.g., 10,000 API calls included, then $0.01 per call)
- Seat features: Per-user licenses (e.g., 5 editor seats included, $10 per additional seat)
You can add multiple features of each type to a plan. For detailed information about configuring features, see the Features documentation.
Configure trial period (optional)
If you want to offer a free trial:
- Set the number of trial days (e.g., 14 days)
- Subscriptions created with this plan will start in "Trialing" status
- Customers won't be charged until the trial period ends
Save and publish
Once configured, save your plan. If it's marked as public, it will appear on your pricing page. If it's private, only your team can assign it to customers.
Plan structure
Basic information
| Field | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Display name for the plan | "Pro Plan" |
| Description | Brief explanation of plan value | "Best for growing teams" |
| Code | Internal identifier (auto-generated) | "pro" |
| Public | Whether plan appears on pricing page | Yes/No |
| Sort Order | Display order on pricing page | 1, 2, 3... |
Pricing
Each plan can have multiple prices for different billing intervals:
| Billing Interval | Description | Typical Use |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly | Recurring monthly billing | Default option, highest flexibility |
| Quarterly | Recurring every 3 months | Small discount, quarterly commitment |
| Yearly | Recurring annually | Best discount, annual commitment |
When a customer is assigned a plan, they select which billing interval they want. The subscription will use this interval for all future billing cycles.
Trial configuration
| Setting | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Trial Days | Number of free days before billing starts | 0 (no trial) to 365 |
| Trial Behavior | How trial affects subscription status | Subscription starts in "Trialing" status |
If a plan has trial days configured, all subscriptions created with that plan will automatically start in trial mode.
How plans connect to subscriptions
When you assign a Plan to a Customer:
- Subscription is created automatically — No manual subscription creation needed
- Plan configuration is copied — Subscription inherits all plan settings (pricing, features, trial)
- Billing interval is set — Customer selects monthly, quarterly, or yearly at assignment
- Status is determined — Subscription starts in the appropriate status:
- Trialing: If plan has trial days
- Pending payment: If payment is required
- Active: If no payment or trial needed
Once assigned, the subscription is independent—changes to the plan don't affect existing subscriptions, only new assignments.
For detailed information about managing subscriptions created from plans, see the Subscriptions documentation.
Related Resources
- Features - Understand how features work within plans
- Subscriptions - Learn how subscriptions are automatically created from plans
- Usage Metrics - Track consumption for metered features
- Seat Management - Manage seat-based features
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