Pay-per-Use Software: Pay for What You Use Instead of Licenses

Pay-per-use software bills based on actual consumption: you pay for calls handled, documents processed, or media created – not for licenses, user seats, or mere access. Everyone understands the principle from electricity: the connection costs you nothing per person in the household; you pay for what goes through the meter.

Three billing models compared

Software today is sold essentially in three ways:

• Purchase license: Pay once, use forever. Sounds fair, but means high upfront investment, plus often update and maintenance costs.
• Subscription (per user/month): The dominant model. Predictable – but the fee is charged regardless of usage: for the colleague who opens the tool twice a month, just as much as for the power user. Across many tools, the familiar subscription stack builds up, charging every month no matter what happens.
• Pay-per-use: Costs arise only with actual usage. Cost-justified – who uses little, pays little.

None of these models is inherently “right.” But they create different incentives – and fit different situations.

Where the subscription model pinches

For small and mid-sized companies, the per-user subscription has two structural weaknesses. First, it penalizes inclusion: every additional employee costs money, so occasional users don’t get access – and work around the system. Second, it penalizes diversity: every additional tool is another subscription, so useful software stays unbought or gets used via shared logins, which is neither clean nor secure. The result is often a company paying for software hardly anyone uses – and not using what would help many.

Where pay-per-use has its strengths

• Variable usage: Seasonal business, project peaks, quiet months – costs move with the tide.
• No base fee: The account incurs no recurring access charge.
• Limited experimentation: Upon self-registration you get 7.5 Credits as a test budget.
• Honest incentives: The provider only earns when their software actually does work – not on forgotten subscriptions.

To be fair: at very high, constant usage, a flat-rate model can be cheaper. If you consume the same large volume every month, you should calculate both options.

What to watch for with pay-per-use

1. Transparency before the action: You should see what something costs before it incurs a charge.
2. Visible consumption: An account balance visible at all times instead of surprise at month-end.
3. No hidden fixed costs: “Pay-per-use plus base fee plus minimum purchase” is a subscription with extra steps.

How webRichtung implements it

The webRichtung platform is built consistently on pay-per-use: your account is free and has no base fee. You pay for work completed via Credits: 1 Credit equals 1 euro net. Upon self-registration you receive 7.5 Credits as a test budget. How the model works in detail is explained in the documentation.