# The pricing page: plans, anchors and honesty about limits

> How many plans to show, how anchoring works, why limits need actual numbers, and which questions to answer under the plans so people click.

Published: 2026-06-24 · Source: https://subxcat.com/articles/pricing-page-design · Author: SUBXCAT

People who open your pricing page have mostly made up their minds. They understand what the product does, and now they want to know two things: what it will cost them, and whether there's a catch. Bad pricing pages fail the second question more often than the first.

## How many plans

Three is usually enough: one for people trying it out, one for your core audience, and one for those who need more, such as teams, higher limits or support. Four or more forces comparison, and comparison is tiring. A single plan is fine too, if the product really is the same for everyone.

Describe each plan by who it's for, not just by a feature list: "for one person", "for teams up to ten", "for companies with security requirements". People recognize themselves in a description faster than in a table.

## Anchoring

Prices are judged relative to each other. Put an expensive plan next to the main one, and the main one looks more reasonable. That works, but only if the expensive plan is real: people buy it, and it contains things worth paying for. A plan invented purely to make its neighbor look cheap gets spotted.

Highlighting a recommended plan is a good idea, as long as it's one plan. And highlight the one that actually suits most people, not the one that suits you best.

## Monthly and annual

If there's an annual discount, show both prices honestly. A common trick is to display the annual price divided by twelve in large type, and mention in small print that you pay for twelve months up front. People notice at checkout and leave feeling they were being played.

A monthly/annual toggle with a clear difference and the actual amount that will be charged is better.

## Feature comparison

Below the plan cards there's usually a big comparison table. It helps people choosing between two adjacent plans, and it hurts when it has seventy rows of checkmarks. Group the rows, drop the ones where every plan is identical, and describe features in the user's words: "a year of change history", not "audit log retention 365d".

## Limits

These are what gets hidden most often, and what matters most to show. Limits on projects, users, requests and storage, and what happens when you exceed them: blocking, overage charges, throttling.

An honest description of limits:
- uses numbers, not "extended limits";
- explains what happens when you go over before anyone goes over;
- says how to cancel and what happens to your data.

If your product uses AI and every request costs money, this matters even more. "Unlimited" with a quiet cap in the terms is a way to collect angry reviews, not customers.

## Questions and answers

A FAQ under the plans clears up the doubts that keep people from clicking. Collect the questions from what support and sales calls actually hear, not from your head. Typically:
- is there a free trial, and does it need a card;
- can I switch plans, and what happens to what I've already paid;
- how do I cancel;
- which payment methods do you take, and can a company pay by invoice;
- where is my data stored.

Each answer is two or three sentences, without marketing.

## Buttons

Each plan gets one clear action: "Start free", "Try it for 14 days", "Contact us" for enterprise. After clicking, people land where they were promised, not on a generic signup page after which they have to find their plan again.

## The test

Hand your pricing page to someone outside the team and ask three questions: how much will they pay in the first month, what happens if they exceed a limit, and how do they cancel. If any answer is "I don't know", the page isn't ready.

SUBXCAT helps put together pricing pages that show both the price and the limits. An honest page usually sells better than a clever one.