Set Up a Usage-Based Business Model

A usage-based business model charges app users monthly based on additional fees you set in your app. For example, $0.50 per SMS message sent or 1% per transaction processed.

You must set usage-based charges for this model. You can also add a flat monthly base fee.

In this article you will:

Availability: This feature isn't yet available to all users. Your app can have only 1 usage-based plan and no other plans. To add a usage-based plan to your app, submit a request to add a usage-based plan.

Step 1 | Add a usage-based pricing plan

At the end of this step, your app dashboard includes a usage-based plan with your pricing structure.

To add a usage-based pricing plan:

  1. Go to the Pricing page in your app's dashboard.
  2. Select either the Freemium or Premium business model.
  3. Click Add Plan.
  4. Select Usage-based, and fill in the plan details.
  5. Choose whether to include a monthly base fee:
    • With base fee: Users pay a fixed monthly base fee on top of any of your app's additional charges. Set the base fee to $0 for your app to be displayed as "Free to install".
    • Additional charges only: Users pay only for your app's additional charges, with no monthly base fee.
    Additional charges are required to be set for both options and are billed at the end of each monthly cycle.
  6. Add a short description of how usage-based charges are calculated. Be clear about the unit and trigger. For example:
    • $0.50 per SMS message sent.
    • 0.75% of additional revenue generated by the app.
    • $0.05 per extra order above initial 500 orders.
    • 1.0% transaction fee.
    • Additional charges may apply.

Note:

  • If you add a price, place it inside {}. For example, if you charge based on SMS usage, enter {0.5} per SMS so it appears as "$0.5 per SMS" in the app listing. Placing the amount inside {} allows it to be automatically converted to other currencies.
  • The default currency is USD.
  • Consider your pricing carefully. Usage-based pricing works best for apps where value directly correlates with usage, like communication tools or transaction processing services.
  1. Click Add Plan.
  2. Click Save.
  3. To check how it looks, click Preview Listing.

Step 2 | Add the Custom Charges service plugin

This step adds the Custom Charges service plugin.

At the end of this step, your app can communicate usage charges to Wix and handle billing events.

To add the Custom Charges service plugin, on the Extensions tab of your app's dashboard, add Custom Charges service plugin.

Adding this plugin lets you:

  • Add your app's charges to the invoice that Wix sends to users.
  • Receive notifications about charges, created invoices, or when Wix users increase their charge limit.
  • Keep your Wix users informed about their current app charges.

Step 3 | Set up an external pricing page

This step sets up an external pricing page for your usage-based plan.

A pricing page showcases the key features of each pricing plan you are offering. The Wix Pricing Page isn't available for usage-based plans, so your pricing page needs to be external.

At the end of this step, your app has a functioning external pricing page.

To set up an external pricing page:

  1. Implement the Get URL method with the billing cycle set to MONTHLY.
  2. Return the URL of your external pricing page.

Note: If you need help testing your integration, contact the support team.

How it works

  1. A user chooses to upgrade to one of your usage-based plans. Wix calls the Get Charge Limit endpoint to retrieve the initial charge limit for a paid instance of your app. This happens every time a customer is upgrading to a paid version of your app.
  2. The user accepts the terms and checks out. If there is a base fee, the user is billed for it during checkout.
  3. The user can increase the charge limit amount at any time. If the user increases the limit, the Charge Limit Updated endpoint is triggered. A user can do this in their Premium Subscriptions > More Options > Manage Charge Limit.
  4. The user can view the current charges at any time. Wix calls the List Charges endpoint to retrieve the charges for that particular billing period.
  5. At the end of the billing cycle, Wix requests the usage-based charges using the List Charges Service Plugin and verifies that the charges are within the limit. If not, Wix calls the Charges Rejected Event.
  6. After a successful charge, Wix calls the Invoice Created endpoint.

Limitations

  • The Wix Pricing Page and downgrades aren't supported for usage-based plans.
  • Mixed billing models aren't supported. An app can't have both a recurring plan and a usage-based plan.

See also

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