SaaS Price Increases 2026: Which Tools Raised Prices
Data updated October 2026
Key findings
- 108 of 254 tools (43%) we track have a documented price increase or free-plan cut that users actively complain about.
- 223 tools have recurring “hidden cost” complaints — charges users didn't expect when they signed up.
- The most affected category is Video Editing (7 tools), followed by HR (6) and Website Builder (5).
- Common patterns: per-seat repricing, AI features moved to higher tiers, free plans shrunk after an acquisition, and usage-based billing replacing flat plans.
Price increases by category
| Category | Tools with price-increase complaints |
|---|---|
| Video Editing | 7 |
| HR | 6 |
| Website Builder | 5 |
| Design | 5 |
| Photo Editing | 5 |
| Email Marketing | 4 |
| Cloud Hosting | 4 |
| 3D Game Dev | 4 |
| Accounting | 4 |
| AI Chat | 4 |
| Hiring | 4 |
| Database | 4 |
| Payment | 4 |
| AI Coding | 4 |
| Cloud Storage | 4 |
| AI Writing | 3 |
| Team Communication | 3 |
| CRM | 2 |
| Note Taking | 2 |
| CDN | 2 |
| Project Management | 2 |
| Analytics | 2 |
| Ecommerce | 2 |
| Monitoring | 2 |
| Customer Support | 2 |
| Developer Platform | 2 |
| Writing Tools | 2 |
| Meeting Tools | 2 |
| Newsletter | 1 |
| Auth | 1 |
| Password Manager | 1 |
| Employee Engagement | 1 |
| Automation | 1 |
| Task Management | 1 |
| Whiteboard | 1 |
| API Testing | 1 |
| AI Video | 1 |
| Prototyping | 1 |
| Scheduling | 1 |
| AI Image | 1 |
Every tool, most severe first
1. Klaviyo: Repeated price hikes - third increase in 4 years (up to 25%)
Klaviyo has raised prices multiple times, with the latest increase being up to 25%. Legacy users were moved from pay-per-send to pay-per-profile, resulting in significant unexpected cost increases. Many businesses saw bills jump dramatically overnight.
2. Heroku: Free tier eliminated in November 2022
Heroku permanently removed all free tiers in November 2022, citing 'extraordinary effort managing fraud and abuse.' The lowest option is now Eco dynos at $5/month with sleep after 30 minutes. This killed Heroku for hobby projects, students, and startups that relied on free hosting.
3. ConvertKit: Massive price hikes up to 4x for existing customers
In September 2025, ConvertKit increased prices dramatically - some users report 3-4x increases. Long-term loyal customers saw bills jump from $59/month to over $200/month overnight without corresponding feature improvements.
4. Unity: Runtime fee controversy destroyed trust
In September 2023, Unity announced a per-install runtime fee that caused massive developer backlash. Over 1,000 indie developers signed protest letters. Though reversed in 2024, many developers lost trust in Unity's management and began exploring alternatives. The damage to Unity's reputation persists.
5. Medium: Partner Program earnings collapsed 90%+ for many writers
Writers report earnings dropping from $1000+/month to under $100 after algorithm changes. Some saw 96% income drops. Medium's payouts have become increasingly unpredictable. The Partner Program that once made Medium attractive for writers now barely pays. Many full-time Medium writers had to find other income sources.
6. Auth0: Pricing exploded 15x after Okta acquisition
Users report massive price increases post-Okta acquisition. One documented case: bill went from $240/month to $3,729/month (15.54x increase) with modest user growth. The B2C Essentials plan saw a 300% per-MAU price hike in late 2023. MAU-based pricing creates unpredictable costs.
7. HubSpot: 2024 pricing changes caused 5x-20x cost increases
HubSpot's already expensive plans underwent major changes in 2024, with many users seeing 5x-20x increases in annual costs for the same feature set. This blindsided customers who had budgeted based on previous pricing.
8. Mailchimp: Free plan gutted from 2000 to just 250 contacts
Mailchimp has systematically reduced free plan limits. In mid-2025 they lowered contacts from 2000 to 500, then in early 2026 reduced again to just 250 contacts and 500 emails/month. The free plan is now nearly useless for most businesses.
9. FreshBooks: Pricing jumps significantly as client list grows
The Lite plan only allows 5 clients, forcing rapid upgrades. Moving from Lite ($19) to Plus ($33) to Premium ($60) means costs nearly triple as your business grows, with no middle-ground options.
10. Evernote: Why is Evernote so expensive? Repeated price increases since 2023
Bending Spoons has raised prices several times: renewal notices in 2024 jumped some yearly plans from about $64 to $114, Personal accounts in Europe were moved to Advanced at EUR 18.99/month in September 2025, and in 2026 users were emailed that Personal/Professional were being replaced by Starter ($99/yr) and Advanced ($249.99/yr). Long-time users report their bill roughly doubling.
11. Akamai: April 2026 price increases up to 10%
Effective April 1, 2026, Akamai is implementing a 3% surcharge plus up to 10% price adjustment on contract renewals due to rising server costs (75-200% increase) and energy costs (200%+ increase). Existing customers face significant cost increases at renewal.
12. Framer: Aggressive pricing increases frustrate users
Framer has raised prices significantly since 2024. Users report price hikes of 50-100% without corresponding value improvements. The 2024-2025 pricing changes caught many off guard, forcing difficult decisions about staying or migrating. Annual subscribers felt locked into higher renewal rates.
13. Notion AI: May 2025 Pricing Change Forced Users to Business Plan
Notion changed their pricing model in May 2025, discontinuing the $8/month AI add-on. AI is now bundled only into the Business tier at $20/user/month. Existing Plus customers were left with just 20 'trial' AI responses, forcing an expensive upgrade to continue using AI features.
14. QuickBooks: Massive price increases in 2026
QuickBooks prices are increasing dramatically. UK users report increases from £32 to £56/month (75% increase). US Desktop Pro Plus rising from $999 to $1,149. Users describe almost 70% price increases with mainly AI additions as justification. Annual increases are becoming the norm.
15. OpenAI: API costs add up fast - bills exceed expectations
Users consistently report 'my OpenAI bill is out of control' and 'way more expensive than expected.' GPT-4o costs $2.50/$10 per million tokens (input/output), GPT-5.2 even more. Teams building production apps see thousands in monthly costs. 'Thought I'd spend $50/month, ended up at $2000.'
16. Airtable: Per-seat pricing inflates costs for collaboration
Airtable's per-seat model forces every user into a paid seat, even those who only need quick approvals or one-line updates. Team plan costs $20/user/month ($24 monthly). A 10-person team pays $2,400+/year. Users report costs 'explode' when adding external collaborators.
17. Cinema 4D: Expensive subscription-only model alienates users
Cinema 4D costs $109/month or $839/year with no perpetual license option since January 2024. Users describe the price as 'a bit too expensive for beginners' and inaccessible for individual artists and small studios.
18. Hotjar: Over 800% price increase after acquisition
Long-time customers report Hotjar became 'shockingly greedy' under new ownership. One user reported a price increase of over 800%. The pricing structure shifted from affordable to 'penny-pinching every little feature' requiring hundreds of dollars a month for arbitrary limits.
19. BigCommerce: Enterprise pricing shock after growth
Once sales exceed $1M annually, you're automatically moved to Enterprise with custom pricing ranging from $400/month to $15,000/month. Many merchants report being caught off guard by exorbitant monthly cost increases when they outgrow Pro tier, with some seeing bills jump from $399 to several thousand dollars.
20. Workable: Headcount-based pricing punishes growing companies
Workable charges based on company headcount, not active job postings. Even if you only need to fill 3 roles, companies with 200+ employees pay significantly higher fees. Users describe this as a 'people tax' that makes the platform prohibitively expensive for larger organizations with occasional hiring needs.
21. 1Password: No free tier - 14-day trial only
Unlike competitors Bitwarden and LastPass, 1Password offers no free plan. Only a 14-day trial is available, then you must pay $2.99+/month. Users who need basic password management find this prohibitive compared to free alternatives.
22. Redis Cloud: 2024 license change sparked community outrage and fork
In March 2024, Redis abandoned BSD license for SSPL/RSALv2, neither OSI-approved. This 'forced AWS and GCP to create their own fork' (Valkey). Core contributors migrated to forks. Redis 8 (2025) added AGPLv3 option but damage to trust was done.
23. Adobe Premiere Pro: Expensive subscription with no perpetual license option
At $22.99-$34.49/month with no one-time purchase option, many users feel trapped by ongoing costs. Freelancers and hobbyists find the subscription model unsustainable. Users paying for years have spent more than the old perpetual license cost with nothing to show if they stop paying.
Adobe Premiere Pro pricing & hidden costs · cheaper alternatives
24. Adobe Illustrator: No affordable option - subscription-only model
Adobe eliminated perpetual licenses, forcing subscription payments. At $22.99/month (annual) or $34.49/month-to-month, costs accumulate to $275-$414/year indefinitely. Users report feeling trapped with no option to buy outright, unlike competitors like Affinity Designer at $69.99 one-time.
Adobe Illustrator pricing & hidden costs · cheaper alternatives
25. Xero: Price hikes with little notice
Xero has a history of raising prices with minimal advance warning. Basic features like payroll have been moved to higher tiers or spun off as separate paid add-ons, frustrating long-term users who feel bait-and-switched.
26. Datadog: Usage-based billing escalates costs as infrastructure scales
The per-host pricing model ($15-$27/host for Infrastructure, $31-$40/host for APM) quickly adds up as your infrastructure scales. Adding containers, serverless functions, or microservices multiplies costs. Organizations that started small find Datadog becoming prohibitively expensive as they scale. Costs require constant attention and strategic planning to control.
27. Greenhouse: Annual price increases of 8-15% at renewal
Greenhouse typically attempts 8-15% annual price increases at renewal. Users report the software is 'one of the most expensive ATSs on the market' with escalating costs year over year. New features often locked to higher tiers only.
28. Bench: Price increases after acquisition
After the Employer.com acquisition, customers report being charged additional fees for services already paid for. Some were charged even after canceling years prior. The acquiring company attempted to extract more money from existing customers who had already paid.
29. BambooHR: Expensive add-ons inflate total cost
Core plans start at $250/mo flat rate (under 25 employees) or $12-22 per employee/month. But payroll, time tracking, performance, and benefits admin are all extra add-ons. Total cost for full functionality often 2-3x the base price.
30. CockroachDB: License change retired free Core version in 2024
In November 2024, CockroachDB Core was retired. Enterprise version is free only for companies under $10M annual revenue. Companies over $10M must pay based on CPU cores. The shift from open-source to 'source-available' raised concerns in the community.
31. Webflow: Expensive pricing that escalates quickly
Webflow's costs compound rapidly: site plans ($14-$39/month), workspace plans ($16-$19/month per seat), ecommerce plans ($29-$212/month), and add-ons. Enterprise pricing can reach 5-digit USD/year. Users report being locked into expensive plans with no alternative when traffic grows, feeling forced to accept price increases.
32. Ghost: Ghost(Pro) pricing is expensive compared to alternatives
Ghost(Pro) starts at $15/month ($180/year) for just 1,000 members, scaling to $29/month for Publisher and $199/month for Business. Compared to Substack's free-until-paid model or beehiiv's generous free tier, Ghost's upfront costs are significant. Small creators feel priced out before building an audience.
33. 15Five: Costs escalate quickly with add-ons and growing teams
Base pricing doesn't tell the full story. Implementation fees range from $1,000-$5,000 based on company size. The HRIS Connector adds $1,200-$1,800/year. Manager coaching costs $399 per credit. Kona AI coach is $19/user/month extra. Users report final bills being 2-3x their initial quote.
34. PlanetScale: Much more expensive than alternatives
At $39/month minimum, PlanetScale is significantly more expensive than competitors. Neon starts at $5/month with autoscaling, Railway offers $5 credits, and Supabase has a generous free tier. For hobby projects and small startups, the cost difference is substantial.
35. Microsoft Teams: Unbundling from M365 is a disguised price hike
Enterprise customers must now buy Teams separately ($5.25/user/month) from M365 due to antitrust pressure. Forrester called it 'just a sneaky price hike.' E3 licenses went up 95% and E5 up 70% in two years when including Teams. What was 'free' now costs extra.
Microsoft Teams pricing & hidden costs · cheaper alternatives
36. Zendesk: Too expensive for small teams and startups
Suite Team starts at $69/agent/month, Enterprise averages $195/agent/month (excluding add-ons). For a 10-agent team, that's $8,280-23,400/year minimum. Less accessible for smaller businesses or startups with budget constraints.
37. Intercom: Base pricing expensive - $29-132/seat/month
Essential starts at $29/seat/month, Advanced at $85, Expert at $132. For a 10-person team, that's $3,480-15,840/year minimum - before Fin AI costs. Competitors like Crisp and Freshdesk are significantly cheaper.
38. CapCut: CapCut Pro annual price more than doubled to $179.99
In February 2026 CapCut quietly restructured into Standard ($9.99/mo) and Pro ($19.99/mo or $179.99/yr) plans. Annual Pro subscribers who paid around $77 faced renewals at $179.99, an increase of over 100%. There was no formal announcement; the change surfaced through in-app pricing screens.
39. ZBrush: Expensive subscription after Maxon acquisition
Since Maxon acquired ZBrush, users complain about the shift to subscription pricing at $49/month or $399/year. Perpetual license holders now only receive bug fixes while new features require subscription. Users feel forced into subscriptions to access updates.
40. Constant Contact: Expensive compared to modern alternatives
Pricing is described as 'really expensive' and one of Constant Contact's biggest detriments. Costs increase sharply with contacts. ActiveCampaign costs 50% less at 1000 contacts ($15 vs $30/month).
Constant Contact pricing & hidden costs · cheaper alternatives
41. Zapier: 200% price increases on existing customers
Long-time customers report sudden 200% price increases with take-it-or-leave-it ultimatums. Annual renewals catch users off guard with higher rates. No loyalty discounts for existing users.
42. Zenefits: TriNet acquisition forcing expensive PEO/ASO plans
After TriNet's acquisition, the company is no longer supporting the standalone HRIS option and will only offer more expensive ASO or PEO plans. Good customer service and pricing transitioned to 'horrible customer service and the push to get everyone on their PEO platform for an insane cost' according to users.
43. Todoist: 40% price increase in December 2025
On December 10, 2025 Todoist raised Pro from $5 to $7 per month (+40%) and the annual plan from $48 to $60 (+25%); Business is now $10 per user monthly or $8 billed yearly. Pro Legacy subscribers kept their old price but do not get features released after the change. The hike pushed many long-time users to compare TickTick and other cheaper apps.
44. Render: Pricing changes with short notice
Render introduced a $20/month per-person charge on top of compute costs with little warning. Users felt blindsided by the change, with some losing trust in the platform's pricing stability. This affected teams who had budgeted based on previous pricing.
45. Salesforce: Annual price increases of 6-10%+ with no escape
Salesforce implemented a 6% price increase in August 2025 across Enterprise and Unlimited editions. Users report annual price increases of at least 10% while being locked into contracts and not allowed to downgrade.
46. Netlify: Bandwidth overage is expensive - $55 per 100GB
If you exceed your plan's bandwidth limits, Netlify charges $55 per additional 100GB. A single viral post or DDoS attack could cost hundreds or thousands of dollars. Users report unexpected bills in the hundreds without prior warning.
47. Papaya Global: Actual costs 30-50% higher than quoted
Users report that employee costs end up being 30-50% more than initially quoted. Management fees can be as high as one person's salary. The custom pricing model makes it impossible to know full costs before speaking with sales.
48. JazzHR: Auto-upgraded to expensive tier without warning
Customers report being automatically upgraded to more expensive tiers without notice. When protesting, JazzHR pointed them to their Terms of Service and refused to downgrade until the end of another full billing cycle. Contracts auto-renew each year without requiring new signatures.
49. GitLab: Significant price increases
GitLab raised Premium pricing from $19 to $29/user/month (53% increase), leaving many customers frustrated. Users report the new price doesn't match the extra value received. Price increases create financial strain for teams that budgeted based on previous rates.
50. Splice: Why is Splice so expensive?
The US App Store lists Splice Monthly at $14.99 and yearly plans at $79.99, $99.99 and $119.99, plus a weekly plan with a free trial. That is well above CapCut Pro or InShot Pro for a phone-only editor, and an App Store feedback report notes long-term users upset by pricing plan changes.
51. Square: Transaction fees increased in 2025
Square raised their rates in February 2025. In-person transactions went from 2.6% + $0.10 to 2.6% + $0.15 per transaction. Card-not-present rates jumped to 3.50% + $0.15. For high-volume merchants, these increases add up to significant additional costs annually.
52. Gusto: Constant price increases - Simple plan jumped from $40 to $49
As of March 2026, Gusto increased Simple plan from $40 to $49/month (22.5% increase). Add-ons can raise costs by $10-30 per employee each month. Small businesses often see a $49 plan turn into $100+/month once features are enabled.
53. Deel: EOR pricing starts at $599/month per employee
Employer of Record service starts at $599/employee/month - expensive for small businesses hiring just a few international employees. Combined with contractor fees ($49/month each) and hidden withdrawal costs, total costs escalate quickly.
54. Rippling: Core HR runs $21-29 per employee - expensive vs alternatives
While Rippling starts at $8/employee/month for basic platform, core HR features usually run $21-29/employee/month. For a 50-person company, that's $1,050-1,450/month. Competitors like Gusto offer more transparent, often lower pricing.
55. Miro: Expensive for teams - $16/user/month for Business
Business plan costs $16/user/month, making it expensive for larger teams. A 20-person team pays $3,840/year minimum. Competitors like FigJam start at $5/user/month. Many features locked behind expensive tiers.
56. Postman: Free plan severely limited - only 1 user from March 2026
Postman's March 2026 pricing update limits the free plan to just 1 user. Previous free teams must upgrade or lose collaboration features. The constant addition of paid add-ons makes pricing confusing, with costs escalating quickly for teams.
57. Ashby: Premium pricing starts at $400/month minimum
Ashby is positioned at the premium end of the ATS market with a minimum cost of $400/month. Dedicated recruiter seats range from $350-750/month depending on plan tier, while hiring manager elevated access costs $800 annually per seat. This makes Ashby one of the most expensive base-tier ATS options available.
58. Sketch: Shift to subscription model frustrates long-time users
Sketch's transition from one-time purchase to subscription pricing has frustrated many users. While a $120 one-time Mac-only license exists, it lacks cloud collaboration features. Users feel forced to pay yearly to maintain the latest features, with annual fees and plugin costs adding up quickly.
59. Adobe Photoshop: AI features limited by generative credits system
Firefly AI features use a credits system that doesn't roll over monthly. Professional users report needing 20+ generations to get usable results, quickly depleting credits. Once credits run out, users must wait until reset or purchase additional credits via the $9.99/month Firefly Standard plan for unlimited access.
Adobe Photoshop pricing & hidden costs · cheaper alternatives
60. Canva: Why did Canva Teams get so expensive? Per-seat pricing and the Business plan
In September 2024 Canva replaced the flat $119.99/year Teams plan (up to 5 people) with per-seat pricing, so some 5-person teams went to about $500/year (40% off the first year). Teams is now closed to new sign-ups; the replacement Business plan costs $25 per person per month or $250 per person per year.
61. Tabnine: Enterprise pricing extremely expensive
Enterprise plan costs $39/user/month - higher than Copilot ($19) or Cursor ($20). For 500 developers, that's $234,000/year. While privacy features justify some premium, competitors now offer similar enterprise options at lower costs.
62. Sourcegraph: Enterprise pricing very expensive
Enterprise tier costs $59/user/month - one of the most expensive AI coding tools. For 100 developers, that's $70,800/year. Starter at $19/user/month limited to 50 users. Volume discounts require sales negotiation. Cost prohibitive for many teams.
63. KineMaster: Why is KineMaster so expensive now?
Premium used to cost around $4.99/month or $39.99/year (TechRadar's older review); KineMaster's own June 2026 price list shows $8.99/month or $59.99/year, and the US App Store lists monthly options up to $11.99. Long-time users on review sites and in App Store reviews describe the increases as several-fold and say cheaper editors do the same job.
64. Runway: Exorbitant pricing for unreliable features
Users complain about exorbitant charges combined with features that don't follow prompts. At $15-95/month plus per-credit costs, the pricing doesn't match the quality and reliability delivered.
65. Slack: Slack raised Business+ price 20% in 2025 (now $15/user)
On June 17, 2025 Slack raised Business+ from $12.50 to $15 per user/month billed annually ($15 to $18 monthly), justified by bundled AI features and Salesforce integrations. Existing self-serve customers were moved to the new price at their first renewal after August 17, 2025, and turning AI off does not lower the bill.
66. Adobe Lightroom: Cheap 20GB plan gone, 1TB plans cost more
The 20GB Photography plan closed to new subscribers in January 2025, so the cheapest Lightroom + Photoshop bundle is now the $19.99/month 1TB plan. Existing 20GB users saw monthly billing rise from $9.99 to $14.99. Photographers who never needed 1TB of cloud storage now pay for it anyway.
Adobe Lightroom pricing & hidden costs · cheaper alternatives
67. Chargify: Pricing increased with features moved to higher tiers
Costs have increased significantly over time with some features moved to higher-paying plans. Product can be expensive, particularly for startups or low-volume users who find features they need require upgrades.
68. Chargebee: Pricing changes frequently
Hacker News users note that 'Chargebee's pricing has changed multiple times over the years,' making it difficult for businesses with thin margins to plan costs. The percentage-based billing makes costs 'very expensive for companies with even a couple hundred clients' as they scale.
69. Notion: Frequent pricing changes erode user trust
Notion has reshuffled pricing repeatedly: the Business plan rose to $20/seat and absorbed AI in May 2025, the AI add-on was retired, and in May 2026 Custom Agents started consuming paid Notion credits. Users worry each change pushes them to a higher tier or a new usage meter.
70. Writesonic: Features moved behind expensive paywalls
Users report Writesonic has a habit of moving existing features behind more expensive paywalls. Features that were accessible on lower tiers get restricted to higher plans over time. This creates uncertainty about long-term value and forces upgrades to maintain functionality.
71. Copy.ai: Double the price of competitors
Copy.ai's price is described as double what others are charging. When compared to ChatGPT, the quality of writing is much better from ChatGPT at half the price. The pricing is considered steep by many users, especially for small business owners and solopreneurs.
72. Cloudflare: Workers/KV pricing can lead to surprise bills
Cloudflare Workers KV operations can rack up unexpected charges. All operations incur charges including fetches for non-existent keys. Dashboard and wrangler operations count as billable usage. Users have received unexplained charges totaling $77+ over multiple invoices. AI Gateway has strict retention caps that can cause budget surprises.
73. ProtoPie: Student and plan downgrades without warning
Users report student plans being downgraded from Pro to Basic features without adequate communication. Forced updates have changed plan limitations, leaving users with fewer features than they originally paid for. This erodes trust in the subscription model.
74. Google Drive: 15GB shared storage fills up faster than users expect
The 15GB free storage is shared across Drive, Gmail, and Google Photos. Users who rely on Gmail and Photos find their Drive quota depleted quickly. Google Photos stopped offering unlimited compressed photo storage in 2021, accelerating storage consumption. What seems generous initially becomes limiting fast.
75. Replit: Restrictive free plan pushes paid upgrades
Users feel the company is a 'cash grab' citing the restrictive new free plan (only 3 active programs), strict no-refund policy, and focus on chasing AI hype over core product stability. The free tier is too limited for meaningful work, forcing paid upgrades.
76. Pixelmator Pro: Is Pixelmator Pro a subscription now? Apple Creator Studio pushback
Apple now sells Pixelmator Pro inside Creator Studio for $12.99/month or $129/year, bundled with Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro and others. The one-time purchase is still available, but new features go to subscribers first or only. Long-time buyers who chose Pixelmator to get away from Adobe-style subscriptions object to this split.
Pixelmator Pro pricing & hidden costs · cheaper alternatives
77. iCloud: Large price jump between storage tiers
Users complain about the significant price jump from 50GB ($0.99) to 200GB ($2.99) to 2TB ($9.99). There's no intermediate option, and 50GB fills up quickly with photos and device backups. Capterra reviews frequently cite this as a major pricing frustration.
78. Braintree: Higher base fees than competitors
At 2.59% + $0.49 per transaction, Braintree's fees are higher than Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30 for comparable transactions. For most businesses, this means Braintree costs more per transaction. The only advantage is for high-volume merchants who can negotiate custom rates ($80K+/month required).
79. Figma: Organization and Enterprise plans very expensive
Organization plan costs $45/month per full seat. Enterprise is $90/full seat, $35/dev seat. Annual billing only for higher tiers. A 10-person design team on Organization pays $5,400+/year minimum. Many feel the cost is too high compared to alternatives like Penpot (free).
80. Cursor: Credit system confusing and controversial
June 2025 pricing changes moved to credit-based billing that confused users. Credits deplete based on AI model used. Premium model costs vary widely. Users report unexpected charges and difficulty understanding actual costs. The shift from 'unlimited feel' to complex metering frustrated many.
81. Linode: Price increases after Akamai acquisition
Users report up to 20% price increases without corresponding service improvements following the Akamai acquisition. The pricing that made Linode competitive has eroded, straining budgets and forcing some to consider migration.
82. Wix: Unexpected price increases at renewal
Users complain about prices changing without adequate notice and difficulties obtaining refunds. Some report being charged for annual subscriptions earlier than expected or having cancellation requests ignored. The pricing structure has become less competitive as the company has grown.
83. Squarespace: Price increases after IPO
Following its IPO, Squarespace raised prices across all plans at renewal, even for users on legacy pricing. The February 2025 price update increased costs across all tiers. Long-term users feel betrayed when locked pricing suddenly increases significantly.
84. Calendly: Expensive for teams - thousands per year
Teams plan costs $16-20/user/month. For a 10-person team, that's $1,920-2,400/year minimum. Enterprise starts at $15,000/year. Competitors like Cal.com offer similar features at lower cost or free (open-source).
85. Leonardo.ai: Pricing considered very high for casual users
Users find the pricing very high, particularly impacting beginners and casual users. At $15-70/month for paid plans, it's expensive compared to alternatives, especially when free credits are insufficient.
86. Jasper: No free plan available
Unlike competitors like Copy.ai (2,000 free words/month) and ChatGPT (free tier available), Jasper offers no free plan. The only option is a 7-day free trial, after which users must commit to paid plans starting at $39/month.
87. Wordtune: Expensive compared to alternatives
Users find the subscription expensive at $9.99/month for unlimited features, especially when ChatGPT offers similar functionality with more versatility. The premium version at $20/month or $240/year is seen as way too expensive considering alternatives exist.
88. QuillBot: Premium feels expensive at $100/year
Some students and individual users feel $99.95/year or $19.95/month is steep for a paraphrasing tool. Users question paying 'almost $100' when free alternatives exist and AI tools like ChatGPT offer more versatility. The value proposition isn't clear to all.
89. Supabase: Team plan jumps to $599/month - big leap from $25 Pro
The jump from Pro ($25/month) to Team ($599/month) is massive. No middle ground for small teams needing collaboration features. Many team features locked behind this expensive tier. Enterprise requires sales calls with minimum $15,000/year contracts.
90. Trello: Maximum quantity billing charges for peak seat count
Atlassian announced 'maximum quantity billing' for monthly subscriptions effective October 2025. Your bill reflects the highest number of active seats in the month, not the average or end-of-month count. If you add seats mid-month then remove them, you're still billed for the peak - punishing flexibility.
91. Dropbox: Dropbox team plans went back up to $15 and $24 per user in January 2026
Promotional discounts on Standard and Advanced ended on January 1, 2026, returning them to $15 and $24 per user/month billed yearly ($18 and $30 billed monthly). Advanced also requires at least 3 users, so a small team pays at least $72-90/month.
92. Gumroad: Fee increases have eroded value proposition
Gumroad changed pricing to a flat 10% fee, higher than many alternatives. The fee increases over time have pushed sellers to platforms like Lemon Squeezy (5% + $0.50). What was once competitive pricing is now a liability.
93. Segment: Annual plans with overage charges trap customers
Annual plans allow purchasing MTU at lower rates, but exceeding allotted MTU counts incurs additional charges. Users are trapped in annual commitments and pay overages when they scale unexpectedly.
94. Sentry: Performance monitoring quota depletes quickly
Transactional and application performance monitoring quota disappears very quickly without topping up with cash. Teams find they can't use performance features for more than a few days before hitting limits.
95. OneDrive: Standalone OneDrive plans being retired - forced into Microsoft 365
Microsoft announced retirement of standalone OneDrive for Business Plan 1 and Plan 2, pushing users toward more expensive Microsoft 365 bundles. Users who only need storage are forced to pay for Office apps they may not need.
96. Otter.ai: 'Shrinkflation' gives fewer minutes for same price
Many users have pointed out 'shrinkflation' where they get fewer minutes for the same price they used to pay. Having to track usage and stay within transcription minute limits adds unnecessary stress to workflow. Heavy usage months can lead to surprise costs or getting cut off.
97. Kapwing: Business plan extremely expensive per user
The Business Plan costs $600-768/year per user, which is extremely expensive for the features offered. The true cost of ownership includes hidden expenses beyond the subscription fee: learning curve costs, troubleshooting time, and backup tool subscriptions when Kapwing fails.
98. Zoom: Zoom Pro price increased to $14.16/user per month
The official pricing page now lists Pro at $14.16/user/month billed annually (previously $13.33) or $16.99 billed monthly. Zoom pairs the increase with 10GB cloud storage and bundled AI meeting summaries, but users who only need longer meetings pay more for features they don't use.
99. GitHub Copilot: Premium tiers expensive for individuals
Pro+ at $39/month is steep for individual developers. The model multiplier system makes advanced models practically unusable without upgrading. Some users find ChatGPT provides similar capabilities for free, questioning Copilot's value proposition.
GitHub Copilot pricing & hidden costs · cheaper alternatives
100. VSCO: No refunds available from VSCO directly
VSCO is not able to issue any refunds directly. Users must request refunds through Apple, Google, or Samsung, with Google Play only refunding if requested within 48 hours. This makes it extremely difficult to get money back for unwanted charges.
101. Fireflies.ai: Expensive compared to alternatives
Users find Fireflies expensive especially with unclear costs and additional charges for features. Some note competitors or integrated options like Zoom's native transcription offer similar features at lower prices. Pro at $10/month seems reasonable until hidden limits appear.
102. InShot: InShot Pro price increase: now $4.99/month, $19.99/year, $49.99 lifetime
The US App Store now lists InShot Pro at $4.99 monthly, $19.99 yearly and $49.99 lifetime, up from $3.99, $17.99 and $39.99 when we first checked in early 2026. Prices vary by region (reported ranges up to $24.99/yr and $69.99 lifetime), and the lifetime option has reportedly disappeared from some regional listings at times.
103. Maya: Paid updates add to subscription cost
Beyond the subscription, keeping Maya updated to the latest version adds costs. Users feel nickel-and-dimed compared to Blender, which provides all updates free. The total cost of ownership exceeds the base subscription.
104. Picsart: Picsart keeps changing credits and plan limits in 2026
Pricing trackers recorded Ultra credits cut from 2,500 to 1,500 in May 2026 and restored in July with a higher yearly price ($52.50 to $60/month), Pro credits cut from 500 to 250 in August and doubled back three weeks later, and daily AI limits replaced by per-feature credit caps in September.
105. PowerDirector: PowerDirector renewal charged at full price, not the sale price
The annual plan is almost always advertised on sale ($59.99 vs a $79.99 list price), but users report renewals charged at full price. App Store terms also say an active subscription can't be cancelled mid-period, only stopped from renewing.
106. Adobe Express: Adobe Express Teams price jumps after the first year
Express Teams is advertised at US$4.99 per seat per month for the first year (two-seat minimum, 12-month commitment) and renews at US$7.99 per seat per month - a 60% increase at renewal.
107. Perplexity: Enterprise pricing extremely high
Enterprise Max costs $325/seat/month ($3,250/year annually). For large teams, costs escalate rapidly. Despite premium pricing, support and features don't match expectations. Some question value vs competitors.
108. ChatGPT: Pro plan at $200/month is 10x Plus with unclear value
Pro costs $200/month - 10x the $20 Plus plan. While it offers unlimited access and exclusive GPT-5.2 Pro, many question if the value justifies the premium. Early Pro users describe it as still experiencing crashes and issues.
Methodology & citing this report
Each entry is a pricing complaint reported independently by multiple users across review sites, community forums, and app stores, verified against the vendor's pricing page where possible. See our methodology. Free to cite with a link: “Try or Bye, SaaS Price Increases 2026, https://www.tryorbye.com/reports/saas-price-increases”.