AI SAAS subscription limit: new business model of SAAS

SAAS has changed.

In the AI SAAS field, the sale of seats has become a subscription limit, that is, a certain usage quota is renewed every month after subscription. In essence, payment is still based on delivery results.

1. New payment model for SaaS

Users subscribe and receive a certain amount of credits every month. Each time a new result is obtained, a certain amount of credits will be consumed. Once it is consumed, it cannot be used again unless the level is upgraded. If the credits cannot be used up this month, then, sorry, it will expire and will not be accumulated.

In reality, most users cannot use up their monthly quota. Moreover, they may not even use it after the automatic renewal next month.
Just like what a webmaster friend who is doing AI SaaS overseas said, we make money from the money wasted by users.

2. Reasons for the emergence of new models

The main reason for changing the previous SaaS "selling seats" model is that AI has obvious costs. Each time the AI interface is called, a certain interface usage fee needs to be paid. If you deploy a large model yourself, there will also be obvious computing power costs.
This means that users cannot use the service without restrictions after subscribing, so they can only subscribe and in limited quantities.

3. How big is the impact

On the one hand, since the start of AIGC, the overall demand for AI SAAS has been growing, and users are fully accepting the limited subscription method.

On the other hand, AI will gradually penetrate into various fields, and the SAAS that was very successful in the past will either be replaced by AI SAAS or become AI SAAS.

So, it is very likely that the model of selling seats will be completely replaced by selling delivery results with limited subscriptions.

4. Summary

I wrote a blog last year saying that AI will change many of the ways people behave, and will therefore generate many new demands and new business opportunities.

Now it seems that these are all correct. But not only that, AI has also changed the business model of SaaS. Perhaps this is just the beginning, and more business models will be changed because of AI.