Welcome to Part 3 of our real-time SaaS breakdown series.

In Part 1, we introduced the idea.
In Part 2, we mapped out the product flow and wireframes.
Now it’s time to answer the most important question:

“How would this SaaS actually make money?”

Let’s keep it practical.
We’re not guessing. We’re designing a pricing model that aligns with real customer value.

Step 1 – What Are People Really Paying For?

This product doesn’t optimize images.
It doesn’t generate new media.
It simply helps people:

• Safely delete unused media
• Free up massive storage
• Avoid file count issues
• Keep backups clean
• And recover deleted files if needed

It’s not flashy — but it’s deeply useful.
And people pay for things that save them time, money, or pain.

Step 2 – Our Pricing Model

We’d keep it simple and honest, with two pricing layers:

1. Scan Fee (One-Time)

When a user connects a WordPress site and runs a scan, they pay a fixed fee — for example: €39 per scan.

That includes:

• Full scan + cleanup interface
• Storage report (“You’re using 100 GB, but only 15 GB is needed”)
• First month of backup storage for deleted files

This gets users in the door. Low-friction, high impact.

2. Ongoing Storage Fee (Monthly, Optional)

After the first month, users can choose to continue storing deleted files with us. But we won’t make them manage storage plans manually.

Instead, we use automated tiering.

Step 3 – Smart Storage Lifecycle (Automatic Tiering)

To avoid complexity and reduce costs for the user, we’d manage their deleted files across three tiers:

• Days 0–30: Files are stored in high-speed servers (instant recovery)
• After 3 months: Files move to slower, cheaper cold storage (e.g. S3 Glacier)
• After 6–12 months of no access: Files go to deep archive (very low cost, slower retrieval)
• After 12 months of total inactivity: Files are permanently deleted (users are notified before)

This way:

• New deletions are easy to recover fast
• Old, untouched files cost much less
• Forgotten files disappear over time — no clutter, no growing bills

It’s like auto-decluttering for your storage.

Bonus Benefit – Saving Files and File Limits

Hosting providers don’t just charge based on gigabytes. Many use file count limits (a.k.a. inodes).

Here’s the hidden problem:
A single WordPress image upload can create 5–10 files (thumbnail, medium, large, etc.). Some themes even add extra sizes.

So 10,000 uploaded images might mean 100,000+ actual files.

And most hosting plans have strict file limits:

• Linux hosting: ~250,000 files
• Windows hosting: ~500,000 files
• Some hosts limit each folder to 1,024 files for performance

So our SaaS doesn’t just save space —
It also helps users avoid backup issues, staging errors, and forced hosting upgrades.

Step 4 – Why This Pricing Model Works

This setup works because it’s:

1. Value-Based
People can clearly see the ROI.
“We saved you 85 GB — that’s €X/month in hosting you’re no longer wasting.”

2. Recurring Revenue (But Optional)
We’re not forcing subscriptions.
But users who care about safety will happily pay to keep deleted files available.

3. Invisible Complexity
We’re giving users simple choices, while doing the smart storage logic behind the scenes.

And agencies can resell or bundle this service into their WordPress care plans. It’s revenue for them, too.

Optional Upsells (For Later)

We could test features like:

• Instant file recovery, even from deep storage
• White-label dashboards for agencies
• Scheduled scans
• Team access
• Bulk restore with version history

But those are not MVP features.
We earn the right to build them after product-market fit.

Final Thoughts

Clean product. Clean storage. Clean business model.

This pricing strategy keeps things simple for the user and scalable for the business — exactly what a young SaaS needs.

Coming up next in Part 4:
We’ll show you how to target WordPress agencies — your most valuable early customers — and why they’ll thank you for helping them save storage and look smart in front of their clients.

Stay tuned.