# Pricing Ladder Worksheet — One-time vs Monthly

**SKU:** `pricing-ladder`  
**Price:** $9 USD, paid in USDC on Base  
**Format:** Decision worksheet + fill-in ladder + fictional worked example  
**Audience:** US indie hackers choosing a first public price for a small product  
**Promise:** Pick one-time, monthly, or a two-rung ladder using arithmetic you can defend — not vibes.

No invented revenue. If you have zero sales, use **hours and substitute cost**, not “industry benchmarks.”

## 0. What this worksheet will not do

- It will not tell you to “charge more” as a personality trait.
- It will not design a five-tier SaaS grid for a markdown file.
- It will not compare you to a famous boilerplate kit.
- If the buyer uses the thing once, monthly is usually the wrong shape.

## 1. Usage pattern (circle one)

How often does a buyer **re-enter** the product to get the outcome?

| Pattern | Typical shape | Circle |
|---------|---------------|--------|
| Once: they extract an artifact and leave | One-time |  |
| Recurring: the job comes back on a calendar | Monthly (or annual) |  |
| Mixed: first artifact + optional ongoing | Two-rung ladder |  |

**Trigger that brings them back (or “none”):**  
**Time-to-first-win:** ______ minutes/hours  
**Your delivery cost per new buyer:** ______ hours  
**Your delivery cost per month if they stay:** ______ hours

## 2. Floor, substitute, and ask

Use the same units (USD).

| Input | Amount | Source (must be real) |
|-------|--------|----------------------|
| A. Hours to deliver v1 to one buyer |  | calendar, not hope |
| B. Indie wage you will actually take ($/hr) |  | often $40–$75; pick one |
| C. Floor = A × B |  |  |
| D. Substitute they already pay (contractor, SaaS, their hours × wage) |  | quote or your own stack |
| E. Ask cap = 0.6 × D |  |  |
| F. Candidate one-time price (round number between C and E) |  |  |
| G. Candidate monthly (if pattern is recurring) |  | usually F ÷ 4 to F ÷ 8 |

If C ≥ E, stop. Change the deliverable or the who. Do not paper over it with “positioning.”

## 3. One-time vs monthly test (answer yes/no)

1. Does the buyer’s **calendar** recreate the job every month?  
2. Do you incur **cost** every month they stay (hosting, support, updates they depend on)?  
3. Would a reasonable buyer feel **tricked** if they paid monthly and you froze the file?  
4. Can you issue a refund or cancel without a custom script?  
5. Do you have a **written** changelog cadence you will keep even at 0 customers?

**Scoring**

- One-time if (1) is no, or (2) is no, or (3) is yes.
- Monthly only if (1) and (2) are yes **and** (5) is yes.
- Ladder if they need a first artifact **and** a subset will need the recurring job.

## 4. Ladder shapes (pick at most two rungs for v1)

| Rung | Name | What they get | What they do not get | Price |
|------|------|---------------|----------------------|-------|
| 0 (free, optional) |  |  |  | $0 |
| 1 (default) |  |  |  | $ |
| 2 (only if monthly or DWY) |  |  |  | $ |

Rules:

- Rung 2 must add a **job**, not a badge.
- Do not add annual “save 20%” until monthly exists and you can do the accounting.
- Do not add a $999 “agency” tier to make $12 look cute. That is a prop, not a ladder.

## 5. The sentence buyers will use to compare you

Fill this. If you cannot, the ladder is unclear.

`For $[R1] I get [ARTIFACT] once. For $[R2]/mo I get [RECURRING JOB]. I should pick R1 if [CONDITION]. I should pick R2 if [CONDITION].`

## 6. Objections by shape

| Shape | They say | Your reply (one sentence, true) |
|-------|----------|----------------------------------|
| One-time | “Will you keep updating it?” |  |
| Monthly | “Can I pay once?” |  |
| Ladder | “Which one do I need?” |  |
| Any | “Can I get a discount for a tweet?” |  |

## 7. Checkout copy block (paste)

```
Price
• [RUNG 1 NAME] — $[P1] one-time — [ARTIFACT]
• [RUNG 2 NAME] — $[P2]/month — [RECURRING JOB]  (omit this line if no monthly)

Not included: [LIST]
Refund: [YOUR REAL POLICY]
Pay: USDC on Base (or your rail). Memo: [SKU]
```

## 8. 30-day price freeze

Write the freeze so you do not fidget:

- Public price until [DATE]:  
- What would justify a change (cost, not boredom):  
- Where you will announce a change:

## 9. Worked example (fictional)

Product: **Scope Fence** — a one-page scope template for US indie consultants who already send Google Docs. Delivery: 20 minutes to customize examples. Substitute: a contractor charged $200 to rewrite a scope last quarter (fictional peer quote used only as math).

| Input | Amount |
|-------|--------|
| Hours | 0.5 remaining per buyer after the template exists |
| Wage | $60 |
| Floor | $30 |
| Substitute | $200 |
| Ask cap | $120 |
| Candidate one-time | $29 |
| Monthly? | No — they use the template per project, but the file does not change monthly |
| Ladder | None in v1. Optional later: $99 done-with-you scope review (different SKU, not a fake middle tier) |

**Sentence:** For $29 I get the Scope Fence markdown once. There is no monthly. I should not pay if I already have a scope doc I like.

## 10. Done definition

- [ ] Usage pattern circled
- [ ] Floor and substitute filled with sources
- [ ] One-time vs monthly test completed
- [ ] At most two rungs
- [ ] Comparison sentence has no brackets
- [ ] Checkout block pasted onto your pay page