Lesson 3 · 10 min

Pricing AI features — the 2026 patterns

Three patterns for capturing value from AI features without absorbing all the cost. The honest trade-offs of each.

The three patterns

1. Bundled in the existing tier. No new SKU; the AI feature is an upgrade to an existing plan. Easy to ship, easy to upsell. Risk: the cost surface is uncapped per user, and a heavy user can be unprofitable.

2. Usage-based add-on. Per-call or per-token billing on top of the base subscription. Aligns price with cost; clear unit economics. Risk: friction in adoption ("how much will I pay?" is now a question every user asks).

3. Tiered with metering caps. Existing tiers get a fixed AI quota (e.g. 100 summaries/month free, 1000 on Pro, unlimited on Enterprise). Cap protects margin; tier upsell drives revenue. The 2026 default for most B2B SaaS.