Most builders pick the wrong monetization model — usually because they pick the model the last builder used, not the model that fits the agent. There are five proven paths. They're not equivalent. Pick one to start, then layer.
1. Subscription
Recurring monthly or annual fee for access. Best for agents whose value is consistent over time — always-on assistants, content engines, monitoring agents.
Typical pricing: £30–£200 per customer per month. The math works at scale: 50 customers × £79/month = £3,950 monthly recurring. Predictable, retention-focused, easy to forecast.
When to pick it
- Customers will use the agent regularly (weekly minimum)
- Usage is fairly consistent across customers
- The customer's alternative is a fixed-cost human (employee, freelancer)
2. Per-use / metered
Charge per agent action — a generated post, a qualified lead, a processed document. Best when usage varies wildlyacross customers and you don't want to subsidize the heavy users.
Typical: £0.50–£5 per action plus a small base fee. A real estate agent qualifying 200 leads/month at £3/qualified lead = £600/month from one customer.
When to pick it
- Outputs are countable and discrete
- Customer sees clear ROI per action (not per month)
- You want to align costs with usage transparently
3. Marketplace listing
List on a marketplace, set your price, the marketplace handles billing. Best for builders without an existing audience who need discovery as well as billing.
Squidgy's marketplace is built for this — you set price (subscription, per-use, or one-time), Squidgy runs payments and customer support. Builders keep the majority of revenue.
When to pick it
- You don't have an existing audience to sell to directly
- Your agent solves a discoverable problem (search-volume exists)
- You want billing infrastructure handled without DIY-ing Stripe
4. White-label
Other businesses license your agent under their brand and resell to their clients. Best for vertical-specialist agents that an agency or consultancy wants to productize without building it themselves.
Typical: £500–£5,000/month per licensee, sometimes plus a one-time setup fee or revenue share. A consultant selling a brand-audit agent under their own brand can also license a white-label version to seven other consultants at £999/month each — additional £7K/month recurring with no extra client work.
When to pick it
- Your agent is vertical-specific and another business could resell it
- The buyer wants to control the customer relationship (agencies do)
- You're willing to give up some end-customer attribution for higher per-deal revenue
5. Outcome-based
Customer pays only when the agent achieves a measurable result — a booked client, a generated sale, a qualified lead. Powerful when you can attribute outcomes cleanly and the customer trusts you.
Hard to price correctly. Hard to predict revenue. But high upside when right — and a compelling sales pitch ("you only pay when it works") for skeptical customers.
When to pick it
- Outcomes are clean to measure (no debate about attribution)
- Customer is skeptical and other models fail to land
- You have data — usually historical — to price the outcome correctly
How to pick
Start with subscription if your agent is consistently used. Per-use if usage varies dramatically. Marketplace if you don't have an audience yet. White-label if your agent is vertical and another business could resell it.
Outcome-based: not first. Usually you layer it on once you have data and trust.
And don't over-think pricing on day one. Pick a model, ship the agent, iterate. The builders earning the most started with a wrong price and corrected it within sixty days.