# Competitor Pricing Observation Log

Canonical page: https://waitlist.crany.ai/marketing-templates/competitor-pricing-observation-log

By Tangenix. Published 2026-10-24. Category: Positioning.

Record public software pricing with billing units, commitments, limits and observation dates so comparisons retain the conditions behind each number.

## Task

Capture a dated external software offer without inventing comparable prices or private contract terms.

## When to use

Use this when collecting public offer information for positioning research or a factual buying guide. Capture the plan and conditions before attempting any scenario calculation.

## Choose another approach when

You need confidential negotiated terms, intend to reverse-engineer an inaccessible quote, or want to select your own price solely because one competitor displays a particular number.

## Inputs

- The vendor’s current public pricing page and linked plan or billing documentation.
- The relevant region, currency, billing interval and plan selection visible during observation.
- A clear distinction between displayed amounts, disclosed conditions and any separate calculation.

## Template

    Vendor / offer / primary URL: [reference]
    Observed at / locale / currency: [date, time and context]
    Exact displayed amount: [number or contact sales; no invented estimate]
    Billing unit: seat / workspace / usage unit / flat fee / combination
    Interval and commitment: [monthly, annual, minimum term or unknown]
    Minimum quantity / included allowance: [documented conditions]
    Meter or tier behavior: [what is billed and how, if disclosed]
    Additional charges, taxes and exclusions: [stated / unspecified]
    Trial or promotion: [separate temporary terms from ongoing price]
    Access or plan restrictions: [material limits]
    Comparable scenario possible? [yes with stated assumptions / no / unresolved]
    If calculated: [separate formula, inputs and limits; never relabel as vendor quote]
    Review trigger: [offer or documentation change]
    A per-month display with annual commitment is not automatically a monthly cancellable offer.

## Illustrative example

This is not a Crany customer result. Replace example details with verified facts.

    Fictional example: Task Ledger shows a per-user amount labeled “per month, billed annually” and lists a minimum quantity. A separate usage allowance appears in its plan documentation.
    The researcher records the displayed unit, annual commitment, minimum quantity and included allowance separately. They do not publish the display amount as the total monthly cost for a whole team. A tax treatment not stated on the page remains unspecified.
    Another fictional vendor says “contact sales”. That entry stays unquoted. The researcher cannot rank it as more expensive from the absence of a public number, and the observation does not become advice about what Handoff Notes should charge.

## How to use

1. Capture the current vendor page and all visible offer conditions with an observation date.
2. Use documentation to distinguish units, tiers, allowances and commitments; preserve unknown fields.
3. Publish factual observations with dates, keeping scenario calculations separate from vendor-stated prices.

## Checks

- Seat, workspace and usage prices are not compared as if they use the same denominator.
- Temporary promotions and annual commitments remain visible beside the amount.
- No price, private discount, tax treatment or Crany subscription plan has been invented.

## What to measure

Track missing conditions, stale observations and corrections needed before publication. A complete log supports an auditable offer comparison; it does not establish total cost for every buyer, competitor profitability or the right price for your product.

## Research and sources

Stripe documents different recurring pricing units and models. The observation log is an original research aid; Stripe does not verify any competitor offer here. The fictional example contains no live vendor prices, tax advice or recommended Crany pricing.

- [Stripe: Recurring pricing models](https://docs.stripe.com/products-prices/pricing-models) — checked 2026-10-24. Current documentation distinguishes flat-rate, per-seat, tiered and usage-based subscriptions. It does not establish any competitor’s actual offer.

Prepared with AI assistance. Sources support the stated principles; they do not endorse Crany or guarantee performance.

## About Crany

Crany is an AI marketing co-founder in development for software founders and vibe coders. It is designed to strategize, execute approved marketing and improve based on results. These free resources are usable independently of app access. The public waitlist is at https://waitlist.crany.ai/.