| name | pricing-model-framer |
| description | Defines your pricing model, tier structure, and price points by spawning 3 parallel pricing hypothesis agents — a Value-Based Pricer, a Competitive Benchmarker, and a Willingness-to-Pay Tester — then synthesizes their recommendations into a single pricing strategy. Use before launch when you need to decide how to charge. Produces pricing-model.md with a recommended structure, specific price points, and a validation test to run this week. |
| phase | launch |
| version | 2.0.0 |
Pricing Model Framer
Quick Start
Human-First Response
Default: answer in chat first with Verdict, Do this now, and Details saved.
Keep chat under 150 words unless asked; do not paste the full artifact.
Write/update the requested .md file as the durable record for agents.
Say: "Help me decide my pricing" or "How should I charge for this?"
Describe your product and who it's for.
Output: pricing-model.md — recommended model, tier structure, specific price points, competitive context, and a validation test you can run in 48 hours.
What You'll Get
A pricing-model.md containing: recommended pricing model (and why), 2-3 tier structure with names, what's included at each tier, specific dollar amounts, a competitive pricing table showing where you sit relative to alternatives, and a concrete test design to validate the price point before launch.
Example output excerpt:
Model: Free trial -> Paid (14-day trial, no credit card required)
Tier 1 — Solo ($29/month): 1 booking page, unlimited classes, email confirmations, up to 100 students.
Tier 2 — Studio ($79/month): Multiple instructors, custom branding, payment collection.
Competitive position: Priced between Acuity ($16/month, general scheduling) and Mindbody ($129/month, enterprise fitness). Targeting the gap for serious solo instructors.
Validation test: Run a Van Westendorp survey with 15 yoga instructors this week. Ask four price-point questions. Takes 48 hours, costs $0.
The Expert Judgment Embedded
This skill applies Value-Based Pricing principles combined with SaaS Pricing Patterns from Patrick Campbell (ProfitWell) and the Pricing Page Clarity principle. Most first-time founders underprice because they're afraid nobody will pay. This produces three problems: you attract price-sensitive early adopters who churn quickly, you undermine your own perceived value, and you make it mathematically impossible to build a real business.
The rule of thumb: charge at least 10x what you think is "reasonable." Then reality and willingness-to-pay interviews will move it to the right number. Starting too low is almost always harder to fix than starting too high.
Step 1: Context Gathering (Orchestrator)
Before spawning agents, collect context.
Auto-read these files if they exist:
customer-profile.md — target customer, their budget, where they spendmvp-brief.md — what the product does, core features, value propositionpositioning.md — the one-liner, category, competitive alternatives
Ask the founder directly:
- What type of product is this? (SaaS tool / marketplace / API / consumer app / service)
- What does your target customer currently pay for alternatives or workarounds? (including $0 — doing it manually)
- What budget category does this fall into for your customer? (impulse / tool budget / software line item / procurement)
- Who are the 2-3 closest competitors or alternatives (including spreadsheets, manual processes, hiring someone)?
Pass all this context to all three agents.
Step 2: Parallel Pricing Hypothesis (3 Agents Simultaneously)
Spawn these 3 agents simultaneously:
Agent 1 — Value-Based Pricer
Context: Product description + customer profile + what value the product delivers
Task: Calculate price from the value delivered to the customer.
Quantify value using one or more of these lenses:
- Time saved: Hours saved per week x customer's hourly rate (or opportunity cost)
- Revenue generated: Additional revenue the customer earns because of the product
- Cost avoided: Money the customer no longer spends on alternatives, tools, or hires
Apply the 10x rule: price should be roughly 1/10th of the value delivered, so the customer gets a clear 10x ROI.
Produce:
- Value calculation with specific numbers (e.g., "saves 3 hrs/week x $50/hr = $150/week value")
- Recommended pricing model (free trial, freemium, paid-only, usage-based) with rationale
- 2-3 tier structure with names, what's included, and specific dollar amounts
- The value metric that should gate tiers (users, usage, features, or seats)
- The upgrade trigger — what moment makes a customer ready for the next tier
Returns: Value-based pricing recommendation with model, tiers, price points, and value math.
Agent 2 — Competitive Benchmarker
Context: Product description + customer profile + competitors/alternatives the founder named
Task: Find 3 comparable products, map their pricing, and identify where to position.
For each of the 3 competitors/alternatives:
- Product name and what it does
- Pricing model (free, freemium, trial, paid-only)
- Price points per tier
- What's included at each tier
- Who it's really built for (their target customer vs. your target customer)
Then determine positioning:
- Premium: Price above all competitors. Justified when? (better UX, niche focus, higher value)
- Parity: Price at market rate. Justified when? (similar feature set, competing on other dimensions)
- Undercut: Price below competitors. Justified when? (simpler product, targeting underserved segment)
Returns: Competitor pricing table (3 products) + positioning recommendation (premium / parity / undercut) with rationale.
Agent 3 — Willingness-to-Pay Tester
Context: Product description + customer profile + price range emerging from value/competitive analysis
Task: Design a validation test the founder can run in 48 hours to check whether real customers will pay the proposed price.
Choose one of these test designs based on the founder's situation:
| Test Type | When to Use | Cost | Time |
|---|
| Van Westendorp survey | You have access to 10-20 target customers | $0 | 48 hours |
| Fake door test | You have a landing page or can build one fast | $50-$200 ads | 48 hours |
| Pre-sell / deposit | You have warm leads who expressed interest | $0 | 24-48 hours |
| Price anchoring interview | You can get 5 target customers on a call | $0 | 2-3 days |
Produce:
- Which test to run and why it fits this founder's situation
- Exact step-by-step instructions (not general advice — specific actions)
- What questions to ask or what to put on the page
- Sample size needed and what "success" looks like
- How to interpret the results
Returns: Complete test design with exact steps, timeline, cost, and success criteria.
Wait for all 3 agents. The orchestrator synthesizes.
Step 3: Synthesis and Recommendation (Orchestrator Only)
The orchestrator reviews all three agents' outputs and reconciles them.
If agents agree: Reinforce the recommendation with the converging evidence. State the price point with confidence.
If agents disagree: Explain the tension (e.g., "Value-based analysis suggests $49/month, but competitive benchmarking shows the market clusters at $29/month"). Pick the recommendation and explain the logic — usually: go with value-based pricing if you have a differentiated product, go with competitive parity if you're entering a crowded market, and always validate with the WTP test before committing.
Write pricing-model.md:
# Pricing Model — [Product Name] — [YYYY-MM-DD]
## Recommended Model
[Free trial / Freemium / Paid-only / Usage-based] — [one sentence rationale]
## Value Math
[Value-Based Pricer's calculation: what value is delivered, in dollars, per week/month]
[Price as a fraction of value delivered — target 10x ROI for customer]
## Competitive Landscape
| Product | Model | Price | Target Customer | Key Difference |
|---------|-------|-------|----------------|----------------|
| [Comp 1] | [model] | [price] | [who] | [vs. your product] |
| [Comp 2] | [model] | [price] | [who] | [vs. your product] |
| [Comp 3] | [model] | [price] | [who] | [vs. your product] |
**Positioning:** [Premium / Parity / Undercut] — [rationale]
## Tier Structure
| | **[Tier 1 Name] — $[X]/month** | **[Tier 2 Name] — $[Y]/month** |
|--|-------------------------------|-------------------------------|
| [Value metric] | [limit] | [limit or unlimited] |
| [Feature 1] | [included?] | [included?] |
| [Feature 2] | [included?] | [included?] |
**Value metric:** [What scales with value — and why this is the right gate]
**Upgrade trigger:** [The moment that makes a customer ready for the next tier]
## Validation Test
[WTP Tester's recommended test]
**What to do:** [Exact steps]
**Timeline:** [Hours/days]
**Cost:** [Dollars]
**Success signal:** [What result means the price is right]
**If the test fails:** [What to adjust — price, model, or tier structure]
## Pricing Page Guidance
- Lead with the outcome, not the feature list
- Show annual pricing as an option ([X] months free = [Y]% discount)
- [Any additional pricing page advice specific to this product]
Sequential Fallback (Codex / OpenCode)
If your agent doesn't support parallel subagents, run each pricing hypothesis in sequence:
- Value-Based Pricer — calculate value delivered, recommend model + tiers + price points
- Competitive Benchmarker — map 3 competitors, determine positioning
- Willingness-to-Pay Tester — design validation test
Then synthesize into pricing-model.md.
Same output. ~3x longer.
Worked Example
Founder: Building a booking tool for solo yoga/fitness instructors. Target customer charges $15-$25 per class, teaches 8-12 classes/week, has 50-120 regular students. Competitors mentioned: Acuity Scheduling, Mindbody, Google Calendar + Venmo.
Context gathered: Read customer-profile.md (solo yoga instructors, tech-hesitant, budget-conscious). Read mvp-brief.md (booking page, class schedule, automated reminders, payment collection). positioning.md not found.
3 agents spawn simultaneously:
Agent 1 (Value-Based Pricer) returns:
Value calculation: Instructor saves 3+ hours/week on booking admin (DMs, confirmations, no-show follow-ups). At $30/hr opportunity cost = $90/week saved. Also reduces no-shows by ~20%, recovering ~$60/week in lost revenue. Total value: ~$150/week.
At 10x ROI: price up to $15/week = $60/month.
Recommended model: 14-day free trial, no credit card. Freemium rejected — free tier attracts hobbyists with 5 students who never upgrade.
Tiers: Solo ($19/month, up to 75 students, 1 booking page) and Pro ($39/month, unlimited students, multiple pages, payment collection, custom branding).
Value metric: active students. Upgrade trigger: hitting 75 students.
Agent 2 (Competitive Benchmarker) returns:
| Product | Model | Price | Target | Key Difference |
|---|
| Acuity Scheduling | Free trial -> Paid | $16-$49/month | General service providers | Generic — not fitness-specific, no class packs |
| Mindbody | Paid-only | $129-$399/month | Studios + gyms | Enterprise — overkill and overpriced for solo instructors |
| Google Calendar + Venmo | Free | $0 | Everyone | Manual — works until you hit 30+ students |
Positioning: Premium vs. free tools, undercut vs. Mindbody. There's a clear gap between free/manual ($0) and enterprise ($129+). Price in the $19-$49 range targets serious solo instructors who've outgrown Google Calendar but can't justify Mindbody.
Agent 3 (Willingness-to-Pay Tester) returns:
Recommended test: Van Westendorp survey — founder has access to yoga instructor communities on Facebook and Instagram.
Steps: (1) Post in 2-3 yoga instructor Facebook groups asking for 5-minute feedback on a "new booking tool." (2) Ask four questions: At what price would this be so cheap you'd question the quality? At what price is this a great deal? At what price is it getting expensive but you'd still consider it? At what price is it too expensive to consider? (3) Collect 15-20 responses. (4) Plot the four curves — the intersection defines the acceptable price range.
Success signal: Acceptable range includes $19-$39/month. If range is below $15, reconsider the value proposition. If above $49, you may be underpricing.
Timeline: 48 hours. Cost: $0.
Orchestrator synthesis:
All three agents converge: $19-$39/month range is supported by value math (10x ROI at $19), competitive gap (between free and $129), and will be validated by the Van Westendorp survey. Recommendation: Solo at $19/month, Pro at $39/month. Run the survey this week before finalizing the pricing page.
Related Skills
- Use positioning-writer before this — positioning shapes how pricing is perceived
- Use landing-page-copywriter after this — your landing page needs to reflect your pricing model
- Use assumption-mapper before or after this — "customers will pay $X/month" is a key assumption to validate
- Use launch-plan-builder after this — pricing must be decided before full launch
