Pricing & Plans 101: Tracking success
Evaluate your plan and pricing performance using Recurly Analytics. Track essential subscription growth metrics from launch—including MRR growth breakouts, per-plan churn trends, active subscriber counts, ARPS, and trial conversion rates—against industry benchmarks.
Acquire · Pricing & Plans 101
Tracking success
Your pricing and plan setup generates data from day one. This page covers the six metrics that tell you whether your plans are working, where to find them in Recurly, and what to look for as you grow.
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Tracking success
Where to find your analytics
Recurly Analytics is available to all plans and requires the Analytics user role permission. Your plan and pricing data lives across multiple dashboards — each answers a different question about how your setup is performing.
| Dashboard | Where to find it | What it answers |
|---|---|---|
| Plan KPI | Analytics → Plans, Pricing, & Promotions → Plan KPI | Acquisition rate, churn rate, ARPU per plan. |
| Subscriptions by Plan | Analytics → Plans, Pricing & Promotions → Subscriptions by Plan | Subscriber distribution across plans. |
| Churn Trends by Plan | Analytics → Plans, Pricing & Promotions → Churn Trends by Plan | Churn metrics segmented by plan. |
| Retention by Plan | Analytics → Plans, Pricing & Promotions → Retention by Plan | Subscriber duration and loyalty by plan. |
| Trials by Plan | Analytics → Plans, Pricing & Promotions → Trials by Plan | Trial conversion rates by plan, with growth breakout. |
| MMR by Plan | Analytics → Plans, Pricing & Promotions → MMR by Plan | Monthly recurring revenue per plan, with growth breakout. |
| LTV by Plan | Analytics → Plans, Pricing & Promotions → LTV by Plan | Lifetime value of subscribers per plan. |
Go to Configuration → Analytics settings and select the industry category that best matches your business. Recurly will compare your key metrics against industry benchmarks — helping you calibrate whether your numbers are strong, average, or need attention relative to peers.
Six metrics to track from launch
These are the metrics most directly shaped by how you've set up your plans, pricing models, and trials. Review them within the first 30 days of launch and continue monitoring monthly.
Monthly Recurring Revenue — the predictable revenue your active subscriptions generate each month, normalized to a monthly figure regardless of billing interval.
Watch for: Which plans drive the most MRR. If annual plans represent a small share of MRR relative to subscriber count, your annual plan pricing or discounting may need adjustment.
The count of unique subscribers with at least one active subscription. Note: a subscriber with multiple subscriptions is counted once, not once per subscription.
Watch for: Subscriber count growing faster or slower than MRR. Fast subscriber growth with slow MRR growth may signal that lower-priced plans are acquiring more than higher-value ones.
The percentage of subscribers who cancelled in a given period relative to active subscribers at the start of that period. Available at the per-plan level in the Plans, Pricing & Promotions dashboard.
Watch for: High churn on a specific plan shortly after the first charge. This often signals a pricing perception problem — subscribers don't feel the value matched the price when the trial ended.
The rate at which new subscribers are joining each plan. Tracked per plan so you can compare which plans are converting visitors into subscribers most effectively.
Watch for: One plan dramatically outperforming others. This is often your natural "anchor" plan — consider whether its pricing and packaging should be more prominent in your checkout experience.
Average Revenue Per Subscriber — MRR at end of month divided by active subscribers at end of month. A simple measure of how much each subscriber contributes on average.
Watch for: ARPS trending down over time while subscriber count grows. This indicates newer subscribers are joining at lower-priced plans, which may be intentional or may signal your higher-value plans need better visibility.
The percentage of trial subscribers who convert to paid at the end of their trial period. Tracked per plan so you can compare card-required vs. cardless trials directly.
Watch for: Conversion rates below 34% — the approximate industry average. If you're consistently below this, review your trial length, onboarding experience, and the 3-day pre-trial-end communication.
Reading the MRR growth breakout
The MRR by Plan dashboard breaks net MRR movement into five categories. Understanding each one helps you diagnose whether your pricing structure is working as intended.
| Category | What it means | What it tells you about your plans |
|---|---|---|
| New business MRR | Revenue from subscribers joining for the first time | Your acquisition plans and trial setup are working if this grows steadily |
| Expansion MRR | Revenue from existing subscribers upgrading or adding add-ons | Your add-on architecture and plan upgrade path are generating incremental revenue |
| Contraction MRR | Revenue lost from existing subscribers downgrading | Subscribers are stepping down to lower-priced plans — check whether your mid-tier plans are priced to retain |
| Churn MRR | Revenue lost from subscribers cancelling entirely | The cost of voluntary and involuntary churn — the primary metric to monitor for pricing-driven cancellations |
| Reactivation MRR | Revenue from previously churned subscribers returning | Former subscribers coming back — often a signal that win-back pricing or offers are working |
A healthy growth picture
- New business and expansion MRR exceed contraction and churn MRR. Net MRR is positive — your plan architecture is generating more than it's losing.
- Expansion MRR grows over time. Subscribers are finding more value and purchasing add-ons or upgrading — a direct signal that your add-on and plan structure is working.
- Churn MRR is concentrated in lower-priced plans. Higher-value plans retain better; lower-priced plans churn more but are also easier to replace with new acquisition.
Want help interpreting your numbers?
It's one thing to find the dashboards; it's another to know what the numbers mean for your specific plan structure. Bring your metrics to Global Office Hours — our CSMs can help you read them in context.
Register for Office Hours →