# SaaS Tier Mix Calculator

URL: https://www.paydude.io/resources/tools/saas-tier-mix-calculator
Type: Free interactive calculator
Summary: Enter customers per tier and see total MRR, ARR, average revenue per customer, and what share of revenue each plan actually contributes.

Most MRR calculators give you a total. The useful question is which tier the total comes from — because the plan with the most customers is frequently not the plan paying the bills.

## Summary

Customer count and revenue share are usually very different distributions. The cheapest tier often has the most customers and the least revenue. Average revenue per customer is the number to use in every other calculator. Support load follows customer count, so the cheapest tier can cost the most to serve.

## Where the money actually comes from

**A typical three-tier distribution**

| Tier | Customers | Share of customers | MRR | Share of revenue |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Basic $19 | 400 | 55% | $7,600 | 28% |
| Pro $49 | 250 | 34% | $12,250 | 45% |
| Business $99 | 75 | 10% | $7,425 | 27% |
| Total | 725 | 100% | $27,275 | 100% |

Basic has more than half the customers and just over a quarter of the revenue. Business has one customer in ten and nearly as much revenue as Basic. Those two facts should shape what gets built next.

## Why this changes decisions

- **Roadmap.** A feature request from a Business customer represents far more revenue than the same request from a Basic customer.
- **Support.** Load scales with customer count, so the lowest tier usually generates the most tickets per dollar.
- **Pricing changes.** Raising the top tier touches 10% of customers and moves a quarter of revenue.
- **Churn.** Losing 10 Business customers costs more than losing 40 Basic ones.

> **ARPU is the number you carry elsewhere:** Average revenue per customer — total MRR divided by total customers — is the figure to use in the customers-needed and side-hustle calculators. Using a single tier price there will give you a badly wrong answer.

## Watch the drift

Tier mix moves slowly and rarely gets tracked. Two patterns matter.

**Downward drift** — a growing share on the cheapest plan — usually means the tiers are not differentiated enough, and it quietly pulls ARPU down even while customer count grows. **Upward drift** means the value ladder is working, and it raises revenue with no new customers at all.

**Lower fees across every tier** Published rates that improve automatically as volume grows. — [See pricing](https://www.paydude.io/pricing)

## Frequently asked questions

### What is a healthy tier distribution?

There is no universal answer, but a common healthy shape has the middle tier contributing the most revenue, with the top tier growing as a share over time. If almost everyone sits on the cheapest plan, the tiers are usually not differentiated enough to justify upgrading.

### Should I use ARPU or my headline price in other calculators?

ARPU, always. If you have tiers, no single price describes your business. Total MRR divided by total customers is the figure that makes the customers-needed and revenue-goal calculations correct.

### How many tiers should I have?

Three is the common default because it gives a clear middle option without overwhelming the buyer. More than four rarely helps self-serve conversion, though enterprise plans often sit outside the published ladder entirely.

### Does the cheapest tier cost more to support?

Per dollar of revenue, usually yes. Support load tracks customer count rather than revenue, so a tier holding half your customers and a quarter of your revenue consumes a disproportionate share of the support budget.