SaaS Pricing Statistics 2026: Usage, Retention and Trials

Direct Answer

The pricing-model chart in Benchmarkit’s 2025 report shows a 44% median growth rate for usage-based-pricing participants, compared with 25% for subscription-pricing participants. The source’s fieldwork dates and CY-24 labels conflict, so this page does not describe either value as a completed CY-24 result. Usage-based participants also reported 92% median gross revenue retention, versus 88% for both subscription and hybrid models. In a separate ChartMogul survey of 200 B2B software products published in January 2026, free trials were the leading entry motion and the median free-to-paid conversion rate was 8% within six months. Its observation window is not established by the retained report.

These are observed benchmarks, not instructions to replace subscriptions with usage pricing. Company stage, product type, customer mix and measurement rules differ across the source samples.

Pricing benchmark	Figure	Scope
Usage-based median growth in pricing-model chart	44%	Benchmarkit 2025 report, N=149
Subscription median growth in pricing-model chart	25%	Same chart and sample
Usage-based median GRR	92%	Benchmarkit pricing-model view, N=225
Subscription median GRR	88%	Same chart and sample
Hybrid median NRR	110%	Benchmarkit pricing-model view, N=228
Products leading with a free trial	57%	ChartMogul, 200 B2B software products
Products leading with freemium	26%	Same survey
Median free-to-paid conversion	8%	Conversion within six months

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What the Pricing-Model Data Shows

Usage-based participants reported faster median growth

The pricing-model chart in Benchmarkit’s 2025 report shows a 44% median growth rate for usage-based-pricing participants and 25% for subscription-pricing participants. The linked hibob.com PDF is a third-party hosted copy of the Benchmarkit report. Source

The difference is an association, not proof that the pricing model caused the growth. Faster-growing products may be more likely to choose usage pricing, and the chart does not hold company stage, segment or product category constant.

Subscription participants reported 25% median growth

The corresponding subscription-pricing median was 25%. This is a useful comparison point inside the report’s sample, not a universal forecast for subscription SaaS. Source

Retention by Pricing Model

Usage-based participants had 92% median GRR

Usage-based-pricing participants reported 92% median gross revenue retention in the report’s pricing-model view. The cited GRR chart used 225 responses. Source

Subscription and hybrid participants each had 88% median GRR

Subscription-pricing participants and hybrid subscription-plus-usage participants each reported 88% median GRR in the same view. That four-point difference versus usage-based participants is descriptive; it does not isolate pricing as the cause. Source

Hybrid pricing had 110% median NRR

Hybrid subscription-plus-usage participants reported 110% median net revenue retention in the pricing-model chart, based on 228 responses. NRR includes expansion, so it answers a different question from GRR. Source

Free Trial and Freemium Benchmarks

57% led with a free trial

In ChartMogul’s survey of 200 B2B software products, published in January 2026, 57% led with a free trial, 26% with freemium and 7% with a reverse trial. Publication date does not establish the observation window. The figures describe the surveyed products’ primary entry motion; they do not establish which motion converts best for every product. Source

A 14-day trial was the most common length

Among the surveyed products, 62% used a 14-day trial, making it the most common trial length in the report. Trial duration alone does not capture onboarding effort, card requirements or time to value. Source

Median free-to-paid conversion was 8%

The median free-to-paid conversion rate across the 200 surveyed products was 8% within six months. ChartMogul’s definition counts a lead or free signup that becomes a paying customer during that window. Source

Do not compare that 8% directly with a dashboard metric unless the denominator and conversion window match. A product counting only activated users will produce a different rate from one counting every signup.

How to Use These Benchmarks

Use the pricing-model figures as a diagnostic comparison, then segment your own data by company size, acquisition channel and customer type. For a pricing decision, track at least:

conversion from qualified signup to paid;
time to first value and time to paid;
gross and net revenue retention;
expansion and contraction by pricing model;
gross margin and cost-to-serve by usage band;
sales-cycle length and discounting.

A higher growth median is not enough to select a model. Usage pricing can align price with value, but it can also make customer spend and vendor revenue less predictable. Subscription pricing can simplify budgets, but a fixed seat metric may fit poorly when software usage is automated.

Methodology and Limitations

Benchmarkit: private-SaaS benchmark survey with metric-specific samples from 43 to 228 responses. The pricing-model growth chart used N=149, GRR N=225 and NRR N=228.
ChartMogul: survey of 200 B2B software products, published in January 2026. The retained public report does not establish the observation window or geographic weighting.
Period: Benchmarkit’s pricing-model chart appears in its 2025 report, but the source chronology does not support relabeling the growth medians as completed CY-24 results. ChartMogul’s 2026 publication year does not establish when the reported entry motions or conversion outcomes were observed.
Chronology caveat: Benchmarkit’s glossary says the survey was open in February–March 2024 while the report requests CY-24 or trailing-twelve-month data. Preserve that source caveat when using the figures.
Causality: pricing-model comparisons are observational and do not control for company stage, market, growth strategy or product architecture.
Conversion definition: ChartMogul measures a lead or free signup becoming paid within six months.

Last verified: July 10, 2026.

Cite This Research

Tugelbay Konabayev. “SaaS Pricing Statistics 2026: Usage, Retention and Trials.” Konabayev.com. Updated July 10, 2026. https://konabayev.com/blog/saas-pricing-statistics-2026/

Frequently Asked Questions

Is usage-based pricing growing faster than subscription pricing?

In Benchmarkit’s 2025 pricing-model chart, usage-based participants showed a 44% median growth rate versus 25% for subscription participants. Treat this as an observed sample difference, not a completed-year label or causal proof.

What is a typical SaaS free-to-paid conversion rate?

ChartMogul’s survey published in 2026 reported an 8% median within six months across 200 B2B software products. The six months define the conversion window, not a verified calendar period of observation. Your comparison needs a matching denominator and conversion window.

How long should a SaaS free trial be?

A 14-day trial was the most common choice in the ChartMogul sample, used by 62% of surveyed products. Product complexity and time to value matter more than copying the modal duration.