When you list a SaaS product on AWS Marketplace, one of the first decisions is how buyers will pay. AWS gives SaaS sellers three pricing models. Each one changes what your sales team can offer and what your engineers need to build.
1. SaaS contracts
With a contract, the buyer commits up front to a set amount of your product for a fixed term — for example, 50 seats for 12 months. AWS bills the buyer, and you deliver what they bought.
- Good fit: products sold in tiers or seats, and teams used to annual enterprise deals.
- What you build: a sign-up page for AWS buyers and a check of what each customer is entitled to.
- Watch for: upgrades and renewals mid-term — decide in advance how you will handle them.
2. SaaS subscriptions (pay as you go)
With a subscription, buyers pay only for what they use, and you report usage to AWS on a regular schedule. There's no up-front commitment.
- Good fit: API products, data processing and AI workloads where usage varies.
- What you build: the sign-up page plus a reliable metering job that reports each customer's usage.
- Watch for: missed or late metering records mean lost revenue, so monitor the job like production code.
3. Contracts with consumption pricing
The hybrid model combines a committed contract with usage-based charges on top — for example, a platform fee plus overage for usage above the included amount.
- Good fit: products with a predictable base and spiky extra usage.
- What you build: both entitlement checks and metering.
- Watch for: make the included amount and overage rates easy for buyers to understand.
Side-by-side
| Contract | Subscription | Contract + usage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buyer commits up front | Yes | No | Yes (base) |
| Usage reporting needed | No | Yes | Yes (overage) |
| Revenue predictability | High | Lower | Medium–high |
| Engineering effort | Lowest | Medium | Highest |
How to choose
- Mirror how you sell today. If most deals are annual seats, start with contracts.
- Match how customers get value. If value grows with usage, a subscription or hybrid model will feel fairer.
- Count the engineering cost. Metering is a real piece of software — plan who will own it.
- Remember private offers. Whatever you choose for the public listing, private offers let you negotiate custom terms with large buyers.
Next steps
If you're not sure which model fits, our Listing Launch package starts with a pricing review and builds whatever integration your chosen model needs.