Free tier plus a paid upgrade
Let people start on a free-forever plan, then upgrade to paid for more — the freemium funnel, built with subscription variations.
- $0 free-forever tier
- Paid upgrade tier
- One-click upgrade path
The freemium model — a free-forever tier plus a paid upgrade — is the dominant SaaS funnel because it removes all signup friction and then upsells. ArraySubs builds it with variable subscriptions: a $0 Free variation that still creates a managed subscription (so you can gate features), and a paid variation customers upgrade into. This recipe sets up Free vs Pro on one product.
- A $0 tier that creates a real subscription record for gating.
- A paid tier customers can upgrade into with proration.
- Feature differences enforced by access rules or Feature Manager.
- Classic free-to-paid funnel on a single product page.
The exact configuration
Enter these values and you have the setup live. Every field maps to a real ArraySubs setting.
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Product typeProduct data panel | Variable subscription |
| AttributeAttributes tab | Plan → Free | Pro |
| Free variationVariations tab | $0.00 · Month · Interval 1 |
| Pro variationVariations tab | $29.00 · Month · Interval 1 |
| Feature gatingMember Access / Feature Manager | Member Access rules / Feature Manager (Pro) |
When to use this setup
Set it up in 4 steps
A step-by-step guide drawn from the ArraySubs user manual. Open the linked page for the full walkthrough and screenshots.
Create a variable subscription
Set product type to Variable product and enable Subscription so all variations are subscriptions.
Create & Configure Subscription ProductsAdd Free and Pro variations
Create a Plan attribute with Free and Pro values. Set Free to $0.00 / Month and Pro to $29.00 / Month.
Create & Configure Subscription ProductsGate the difference
Use Member Access rules (free) or Feature Manager (Pro) to control what each tier unlocks.
Plan Switching & RelationshipsEnable upgrades
With Pro plan switching, let Free users upgrade to Pro from the customer portal.
Plan Switching & Relationships
This recipe is built from these ArraySubs user-manual guides:
Notes & edge cases
Modules behind this recipe
The ArraySubs modules this setup relies on.
Subscription Products
Create and manage simple or variable subscription products with trials, signup fees, plan logic, and lifecycle behavior.
Feature Manager
Define product entitlements, limits, and capabilities so customers know exactly what each subscription includes. Pro only.
Member Access
Control who can see, download, and purchase content using flexible rules tied to subscriptions and roles.
Related setups to explore
Other configurations you can build with the same modules.
Trial → auto-downgrade to free
When a trial ends without payment, automatically move the customer to a free plan instead of cancelling.
Monthly + annual on one product
Offer both a monthly and a discounted annual option under a single product using subscription variations.
Bronze / Silver / Gold tiers
Offer three good-better-best tiers on one product, each with its own price and what’s-included list.
Questions, answered
Unlock the complete Pro stack
Start on the free-forever core today, then choose a paid Pro plan when you need the advanced Pro feature set.
No credit card required · Annual and lifetime options available