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In Subotiz, a product and a pricing plan serve different purposes. A product defines what is being sold — such as a SaaS service, digital content, or membership — and contains information like product name, type, image, and description. It does not contain any pricing information. A pricing plan defines how the customer is billed for that product, including the billing amount and billing cycle. Every pricing plan must be linked to a product, and a single product can support multiple pricing plans. For example, a product called ‘Team Plan’ can have two pricing plans: ‘Team Plan – Monthly $30’ and ‘Team Plan – Annual $300.’
No. If a product has already been used in orders, invoices, or subscriptions, editing it will generate a new product version (product_version_id) rather than modifying the existing data. Historical orders, invoices, and subscriptions store a snapshot of the original product information and continue to reference the original version. Active subscriptions will continue billing based on the original product version. Only new orders, checkouts, or subscriptions created after the update will use the new product version. When a new product version is created, corresponding pricing plan versions are also generated to ensure consistency.
Products in Subotiz have three statuses:
  • Active — the product is enabled and can be referenced by pricing plans, used to generate payment links, and included in checkout flows.
  • Inactive — the product has been created but is not currently in use; it cannot be used in checkout or generate payment links, but it can still be edited and activated at any time.
  • Archived — a soft-deleted state where the product is removed from the product list but remains accessible for historical records. When a product is archived, all associated pricing plans are archived as well. Archived products cannot be restored.
Subotiz supports nine product types:
  • SaaS (Software as a Service)
  • Software
  • Online Video Content
  • Information Service
  • eBook
  • Digital Graphic or Template
  • Video Game
  • Blockchain Digital Products
  • Other Digital Products
For a subscription-based software service delivered online without local installation, SaaS is the correct type. SaaS is defined as cloud-hosted, multi-tenant software billed monthly or yearly through recurring subscriptions, where the vendor handles maintenance, updates, and security. Product type is used for internal classification and reporting — selecting the correct type ensures consistent billing logic and financial reporting.
Both SaaS and Software relate to software products but represent fundamentally different delivery and billing models. SaaS (Software as a Service) is subscription-based software delivered online through a cloud-hosted, multi-tenant structure — no local installation is required. It is typically billed monthly or yearly as a recurring subscription, and maintenance, updates, and security are handled by the vendor. Software refers to downloadable or licensed software installed on the user’s device, typically purchased as a one-time or perpetual license, which may include optional update or maintenance packages. The key distinction is delivery method: cloud-based subscription access (SaaS) versus locally installed license (Software).
When creating a product in Subotiz, the required and optional fields are as follows:
  • Required fields:
    • Product name (displayed on checkout pages and receipts)
    • Product type (used for internal classification and filtering)
  • Optional fields:
    • Product image (JPG, PNG, or WEBP, under 2MB)
    • Product description (a short summary to help customers understand the offering)
    • Features (up to 20 quantitative or qualitative feature entries)
The Product ID is generated automatically by the system and does not need to be entered manually. Product features are displayed at checkout or on invoices for reference only and do not affect billing logic or usage enforcement.
When saving a new product, two options are available:
  • Create & activate — immediately enables the product — it becomes available for pricing configuration, checkout flows, and invoice generation right away.
  • Save — stores the product in an inactive state for internal use only. Inactive products do not appear in pricing configuration and cannot be used for new checkout transactions, but they can still be edited and activated at any time.
If you are not ready to make the product available for checkout immediately, use Save and activate it later when needed.
Product features in Subotiz are descriptive labels added to a product to communicate what customers receive after purchasing. They are displayed at checkout or on invoices for reference purposes only.Two types are supported:
  • Quantitative features — used for services with defined quantities or limits such as number of courses, download counts, or usage credits
  • Qualitative features — used for descriptive purposes without quantity limits such as membership access, community access, or exclusive services
Each product supports up to 20 features. Importantly, product features do not affect billing logic, usage enforcement, or any system-level controls — they are informational only.
When you deactivate a product, all associated pricing plans are deactivated at the same time. The product becomes inactive, the pricing plans can no longer be used for new checkout sessions or orders, and new payment links cannot be generated. However, historical orders remain unchanged, and active subscriptions continue under their original terms. If you later want to use the product again, you can reactivate it — and its pricing plans will need to be reactivated as well.
No. A deleted product cannot be restored. Once a product is deleted, it is permanently removed from the product list. However, historical order records that referenced the product are preserved and remain accessible — the deletion only removes the product from the active product management interface. Before deleting a product, confirm that it is no longer needed and that all relevant business records have been reviewed. If you only want to stop using a product for new transactions without permanently removing it, consider deactivating or archiving it instead.
No. Updates to pricing plans apply only to new transactions and do not affect existing orders or active subscriptions. If you increase a monthly subscription fee from $30 to $40, existing subscribers will continue to be charged $30 on renewal. New subscribers created after the update will be charged $40. This behavior ensures that existing customers are not unexpectedly impacted by pricing changes, while allowing you to adjust pricing for new customers immediately.
Yes. When a pricing plan is deactivated or archived, existing subscribers who are already on that plan are not affected — they continue under their current plan and can still renew. The plan being retired only means that new customers can no longer select it at checkout. This ensures business continuity for existing customers while allowing you to phase out old pricing options for new traffic.
Subotiz supports two charge types for pricing plans:
  • Recurring subscription — used for ongoing billing such as SaaS monthly or annual subscriptions — it supports trial setup (free or paid), custom introductory pricing for early billing cycles, and automatic renewal.
  • One-time payment — used for single-charge scenarios such as setup fees or lifetime purchases — it charges the customer once and does not create any recurring billing or subscription.
A single product can have both recurring and one-time pricing plans configured simultaneously.
Yes. Archiving a pricing plan stops it from being used for new orders, subscriptions, or checkout sessions, but it does not affect existing active subscriptions. Subscriptions already on the archived plan will continue to renew based on the original pricing configuration. Historical orders and invoices also remain unchanged. The plan is removed from the default pricing list and cannot be found through search, but all historical data associated with it remains accessible.
Both trial types delay the first full subscription charge, but they differ in whether the trial period itself is free:
  • Free trial — The customer is not charged during the trial period. At the end of the trial, billing starts automatically at the standard subscription price. For example, a 7-day free trial starting May 1 means the first charge is on May 8.
  • Paid trial — The customer is charged a separate trial price for the trial duration. After the trial ends, the subscription automatically switches to standard recurring billing at the full price. For example, a 7-day paid trial at $5 followed by standard monthly billing.
Both trial types support a limit of one trial per customer to prevent repeated use.
Introductory pricing in a flat recurring plan allows you to define up to three custom pricing rules for early billing cycles, with different prices applied sequentially before reverting to the standard price. Each rule requires a defined cycle range (for example, cycles 1 to 2), and ranges must be continuous and cannot overlap. After the defined introductory cycles are completed, billing automatically continues at the standard price with no manual intervention needed. For example: cycles 1–2 at $50, cycles 3–4 at $75, and cycle 5 onward at the standard price of $100.
Recurring subscription pricing plans in Subotiz support four billing cycles:
  • Weekly (7 days)
  • Monthly (31 days)
  • Quarterly (93 days)
  • Yearly (365 days)
Charges are processed automatically based on the selected interval. For package pricing plans, an additional option is available: Customer-initiated payment, which disables automatic renewal and requires the customer to manually initiate each payment instead.
A package pricing plan is a recurring subscription model where the billing is based on predefined quantities or bundled content included per billing cycle, rather than a fixed price alone. It is ideal for products that include a fixed amount of usage per cycle, such as course bundles (for example, 10 classes per month), download limits, or credit-based services. A flat recurring plan is better suited for products with consistent pricing and no quantity-based differentiation. The key distinction is that package plans define an included unit quantity per cycle, while flat plans define a price per cycle without a usage quantity component.
Both modes are used for per-unit usage billing but differ in when invoices are generated:
  • Billing by cycle — Usage is accumulated within a fixed billing cycle (weekly, monthly, quarterly, or yearly) and an invoice is generated automatically at the end of each cycle based on total usage. No threshold is required.
  • Billing by threshold — Usage charges accumulate continuously without a fixed cycle end. An invoice is generated automatically once the accumulated charges reach the defined threshold (for example, $50). After each invoice, the accumulation resets and begins again. This mode requires a threshold value to be set.
Use billing by cycle for predictable, period-based invoicing. Use billing by threshold for high-volume usage where you want invoices generated more frequently than a full billing cycle.
Both are tiered pricing models that apply different unit prices across usage ranges, but they calculate charges differently:
  • Volume pricing — All usage within a billing cycle is charged at a single unit price determined by which tier the total usage falls into. For example, if a customer uses 450 GB and the tier for 101–500 GB is $0.15/GB, all 450 GB are billed at $0.15, totaling $67.50.
  • Graduated pricing — Usage is split across tiers and each portion is charged at its respective rate. Using the same example: the first 100 GB at $0.20 = $20.00, the next 350 GB at $0.15 = $52.50, totaling $72.50.
Volume pricing is simpler and typically results in a lower bill once a higher tier is reached. Graduated pricing is more precise and applies progressive discounts.
Both statuses make a pricing plan unavailable for new orders, but they differ in visibility and reversibility:
  • Inactive — The pricing plan is not available for new checkout or invoicing but still appears in the pricing list and can be found through search. It can be reactivated at any time. Existing orders and subscriptions are not affected.
  • Archived — The pricing plan is permanently removed from the default pricing list and cannot be found through search. It cannot be used for new orders or checkout. However, historical orders, subscriptions, and related data remain accessible. Archiving is triggered by the Delete action in the pricing management interface.
Use Inactive when you may want to reuse the plan later, and Archive when the plan is permanently retired.
Yes. A single product in Subotiz can support multiple pricing plans with different charge types simultaneously. For example, you can configure a weekly subscription, a monthly subscription, and a one-time lifetime payment all under the same product. Each pricing plan operates independently — customers select one plan per checkout session, and orders, invoices, and subscriptions are created based on the selected plan. This eliminates the need to create duplicate products for different billing options. Note that for one-time payment plans, trial periods and billing cycles are not applicable and will not be displayed.
For usage-based pricing plans (per unit or tiered), no fixed charge amount is displayed at checkout. This is by design — charges are calculated based on actual usage after the billing cycle ends or when the billing threshold is reached, so the final amount cannot be known at the time of checkout. Instead, the checkout page displays the billing method (Based on usage), the billing cycle (if applicable), and the unit pricing (such as cost per session or per unit). Merchants should set clear descriptions in the pricing plan to help customers understand how they will be billed before subscribing.
Customer-initiated payment is an option available for package pricing plans that disables automatic renewal. In a normal recurring subscription, the system automatically processes charges at the end of each billing cycle without any action from the customer. When Customer-initiated payment is selected, automatic renewal does not occur — the customer must manually initiate each payment to continue their subscription. This option is useful for merchants who want customers to actively confirm each billing period rather than being charged automatically. Note that this option is only available for package pricing plans and is not supported for flat recurring plans or usage-based plans.
Existing active subscriptions will continue to use the original pricing — they are not affected by the update. When a pricing plan that already has associated transactions or subscriptions is edited, the system automatically creates a new price version (price_version_id) to preserve historical data. Existing subscriptions continue billing based on the original price version. New orders and subscriptions created after the update will use the updated price version. You can verify which pricing was applied to a specific order or subscription by opening its detail page — it shows the pricing configuration in effect at the time of creation.
The Products page in Subotiz supports search and filtering to help locate specific products efficiently. You can search by product name or product ID using a keyword search. You can also filter by product type (such as SaaS, Software, eBook, or Information Service) or by status (Active or Inactive). Multiple filters can be combined to narrow down results further. The product list displays the product name, product ID, product type, status, and created time for each entry.
Product IDs in Subotiz are generated automatically by the system and cannot be set or changed manually. The product ID is used for internal identification and is displayed in the product list and detail page. If you need to reference products using your own identifiers, you can use the product name or description fields for that purpose. The product ID is also available as a search parameter on the Products page, allowing you to locate specific products quickly.
To check whether a pricing plan has active subscriptions, open the pricing detail page by going to Products > Product Pricing and clicking the pricing plan name. The detail page displays the pricing configuration including associated product information, billing rules, and features. You can also view the order history linked to the pricing plan from this page. If the plan has been used in orders or subscriptions, deactivating it will not affect those existing subscriptions — they continue under the original terms. Deactivation only prevents the plan from being used for new checkout sessions or orders.
Price lists only support pricing plans with an Active status.In terms of pricing types, only two are supported:
  • One-time payment plans
  • Recurring subscription plans with Fixed Pricing
Package Pricing and Usage-based pricing (both per unit and tiered) are not supported in price lists and cannot be added. Attempting to add unsupported pricing types will not be possible from the price list setup interface.
Before creating a price list, two things must be in place:
  1. You need at least one active pricing plan — only Active pricing plans can be added to a price list.
  2. Webhook configuration must be completed. Price lists require a Webhook to receive payment result notifications. Go to Developer > Webhooks, create a Webhook, and enter a valid Endpoint URL.
Once the Webhook is configured and activated, the price list feature becomes available. Without a configured Webhook, the price list cannot be created.
Yes. Each billing cycle (such as Weekly, Monthly, or Yearly) supports a maximum of 4 pricing plans per price list. This limit applies per billing cycle type, not across the entire list. For example, you can have up to 4 monthly plans and up to 4 yearly plans within the same price list. This limit is designed to keep the display clean and avoid overwhelming customers with too many options per cycle.
Archiving and deleting a price list have different outcomes and levels of permanence:
  • Archiving — The price list is no longer available for checkout, but it remains accessible in the admin and can be reactivated at any time. The shared link and embed code also become inactive, but the list itself is preserved.
  • Deleting — The price list is permanently removed. All associated checkout links and embed codes immediately become invalid and cannot be restored. This action cannot be undone.
Use archiving when you may want to bring the list back later, and deleting only when you are certain the list is no longer needed.
When a price list is saved and activated, Subotiz automatically generates both a shareable checkout link and an iframe embed code. To embed the price list on your website, open the price list detail page, copy the iframe embed code, and paste it into your website page or third-party landing page HTML. The price list will display inline on the page, allowing customers to compare plans and complete checkout without leaving your site. The same embed code remains valid unless the price list is archived or deleted.
Yes. During price list creation and editing, Subotiz provides a preview function that shows how the price list appears in both desktop and mobile layouts. This allows you to verify that the button styles, typography, and overall layout look consistent and professional across different devices before sharing the link or embedding the code. The preview is available on the price list setup page after configuring the display settings.
The price list name and title serve different purposes and are visible to different audiences. The pricing list name is an internal label used for admin reference only — it appears in the price list dashboard to help you identify and manage your lists, but customers never see it. The title is the customer-facing heading displayed on the price list page itself, such as Choose your subscription plan. This is what customers see when they open the shared link or view the embedded page. When creating a price list, use the name for internal organization and the title to communicate clearly to your customers.
Yes. Subotiz supports hybrid pricing, which allows merchants to combine different pricing structures within the same subscription plan. For example, a plan can include a fixed base fee charged each billing cycle plus a variable usage-based component charged based on actual consumption. This is useful for SaaS products that have a recurring base price alongside variable usage costs. Hybrid pricing can be configured when creating or editing a pricing plan in the Products > Product pricing section of the admin.