zlh-grind/SCRATCH/pricing-structure.md

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Pricing Structure — Initial Draft (Mar 28, 2026)

Status: Starting point — revisit as revenue data comes in


Infrastructure Cost

  • ~$140/month (dedicated host + VPS + Backblaze B2)
  • Break-even: ~7-8 customers at Modded tier

Launch Scope

  • Minecraft only — all 6 variants (Vanilla, Paper, Purpur, Fabric, Forge, NeoForge)
  • Other games added after revenue validates the platform
  • Engine abstraction designed, not yet implemented (DEC-010)

Game Server Pricing (Minecraft)

Plan RAM Best For Price
Vanilla 2GB Small/vanilla servers, ~10 players $8/mo
Modded 4GB Standard modpacks, Fabric/Forge/NeoForge, ~20 players $20/mo
Heavy 8GB Large modpacks, 20+ players, heavy NeoForge $35/mo

Market context:

  • Budget hosts (Shockbyte, BisectHosting): $2.99-5/mo — race to the bottom, not our market
  • Premium modded hosting: $20-35/mo for modded, $35-50/mo for heavy
  • We are priced at market rate for premium — justified by better UX, Modrinth integration, purpose-built platform

Dev Environments

  • Deferred from launch — add once game server revenue is stable
  • Target price range: $15-40/mo (to be finalized)
  • Developer discount on game servers: 50% (to be implemented with dev env launch)

Notes

  • Do not undercut market — underpricing signals low quality
  • Revisit after first 30 days of live data
  • Annual discount option: consider later
  • Free trial: not at launch, revisit after billing is stable