New pricing changes FAQ (Archived)

As of August 2020 we updated our self-serve pricing plans from seat-based to research-based pricing. Enterprise plans remain unchanged.

Russ Troester avatar
Written by Russ Troester
Updated over a week ago

🚀 The pricing information included in this help article is no longer accurate as our prices have changed. This article is only for reference as a rationale for our switch from seat/licensed based plans to our session-based plans. For our latest plan options and prices, please see our pricing page or this help article, "Which Pricing Plan Should I choose?"

As of August 2020 we updated our self-serve pricing plans from seat-based to research-based pricing. Instead of paying per collaborator, customers now will pay for a package of sessions per year. Enterprise plans remain unchanged.

All new customers and previous customers reactivating their subscriptions from this point forward will be automatically introduced to the new pricing model. If you are an active customer currently, you do not have to migrate onto a new plan immediately. Read on for more information on the benefits of our new pricing model and how we plan to avoid any interruption for active customers.

Why this pricing model?

There are two main reasons for this change:

  1. We want to support team wide collaboration and engagement with research so that all members can collaborate.

  2. Simplifying the plans, making pricing more predictable and easy to understand is good for everyone.

The value exchange is now based on volume of research and need for insights. We don't limit the number of projects or types of research because we want you to get to your insights, no matter the method. We’ve communicated a longer rationale in a blog post from our CEO.

There are a number of additional benefits for all parties:

  • Everyone gets a login, no need to account share

  • This pricing mechanism allows for expansion of our roadmap

What are the new self-serve plans?

Team:

  • 100 sessions per year, moderated and unmoderated

  • $99 USD per month, billed annually

Insights Hub:

  • 300 sessions per year, moderated and unmoderated

  • $229 USD per month, billed annually

In our own research we’ve found that all teams are unique in that they value different methods of research and types of customer conversations differently. Some prefer moderated sessions, others depend on unmoderated sessions. So we decided to just charge the same price regardless of what kind of research you do. Every session counts equally towards the cap, you decide how you want to use it. Check out our updated pricing page for more information.

How did Lookback decide the sessions caps for the different plans?

Our mission has always been to lower the barriers to research. We need more research, not less. So when we started looking into a cap based pricing model our leading principle was that everyone should fit comfortably into their plan. Customers who do more research should pay more than customers who do less research, but the cap should not be something that you have to think about all the time. It should be spacious and generous.

So we looked at a lot of usage data from the last 5 years and identified three distinct groups.

  1. The first group does less than 100 sessions per year. They are commonly a research-team of one, but with non-researchers participating in the process. Some of these teams conduct research every month, others have a more cyclical pattern with intense bursts of new session activity, but in general, they fit comfortably under the 100 sessions yearly cap of our new Team Plan.

  2. The second group does a lot more research. They usually have a more even pattern of continuous research over the year, but their level of research activity can vary between years. They know they will do more than 100 sessions, but they don’t know if it will be a 200 sessions or a 300 sessions year. We made the Insights Hub plan for this group, for up to 300 sessions.

  3. Finally, the third group does so much research and has such an unpredictable need that they want unlimited sessions. They are typically very large companies with big in-house research teams, or agencies, that have relatively small internal teams but a lot of third party stakeholders and all they do all day is conduct research. Because the needs vary so much in this last group, we offer unlimited enterprise plans for these customers.

Why now?

Our old pricing models have caused confusion and limited team-wide collaboration for a number of years. The plan to change our models has been researched and iterated upon considerably; this has been in the works for quite some time.

Teams are doing more remote research than ever before. And the need to talk to end users, understand customer challenges, collaborate, create and share insights freely has been increasing. The decision to create new plans predates the rapid uptick we’ve seen in 2020, but we feel it is still complementary to the new norm in UX research.

What is my current Lookback plan?

Visit your Billing page (under Settings) to see what plan you’re currently on and when your plan expires.

What’s the timeline for the change?

This change is effective for all subscriptions as of August 26, 2020

What happens to my current plan?

The new pricing currently only applies to new and reactivated subscriptions. We will of course honor the existing plan commitments, so you will not have to change pricing (unless you want to) until your current contract with Lookback expires. When it does, we want this to be a smooth and positive experience for everyone. The first phase is to introduce this to new and reactivated customers, and closely evaluate how that goes before deciding on a plan for transitioning existing customers.

Do I need to do anything?

If you have an existing Starter or Pro plan (either billed monthly or annually) you do not need to do anything yet. We will communicate more information when we have it.

What happens if I’m on an annual plan currently?

If you are on an existing annual Starter or Pro plan you will remain on that plan until your plan expires. We will be communicating further as we have more information about the transition. As mentioned in our pricing changes blog post, we have designed this new model with the customer experience top of mind and we’ll involve you in all the transition plans.

Does this change Enterprise plan pricing?

Enterprise plans remain unchanged. To learn more about our Enterprise plans and what they include, please find more information available here.

Billing related questions

Does the subscription auto-renew? If yes, when?

The subscription will auto-renew unless you cancel before the auto-renew date.

What happens if I need to cancel my annual subscription mid-way through the Billing cycle?

If you cancel your subscription mid-way, you can continue using the subscription through the period you paid for. Example: if you first signed up on May 20, 2020 and canceled on August 20, 2020, your subscription remains active through May 20, 2021. It will not auto-renew and you'll lose access to your sessions.

Is there a monthly subscription?

No, currently our self-serve plans are billed for the annual packages.

How will we receive Billing Receipts?

Receipts are emailed to the designated recipient every time the card on file is successfully charged. The default recipient is the organization’s Owner, but there's a setting on the Billing tab that lets the owner enter a different email address for receipts.

Any member can download receipts from the Billing tab.

What methods of payment can I use?

We support credit card

Can I access my sessions, notes and highlights after my subscription has been cancelled?

If you still have time on your subscription period after canceling, you can still access everything until the period ends. Once the period is over, you cannot access the dashboard, and will only be able to reach payment/renewal flows.

Trial related questions

How long does the free trial last?

From the time you sign up you have 60-days and up to 5 sessions, on us! Trial start date and time are counted from when you create a new organization. When you’re new to lookback, you have to verify your email address before you’re allowed to create an organization.

Once you verify your email address, you can create an organization without any kind of confirmation/activation step. As soon as you complete this flow the clock starts, counting down 60 days.

What happens after my free trial ends?

If you intend on continuing to use Lookback you will need to upgrade to a paying subscription in order to access any sessions or work that was completed in Lookback during the trial.

Can I download/export my sessions, notes and highlights as part of the free trial?

No, you cannot export during the free trial.

Session limits

Can I carry over our unused sessions to the next year?

No, we do not have plans to allow for session roll over at the moment.

How can I purchase more sessions?

We are rolling out this phase of pricing and taking our learnings to come up with the best next steps. Please let us know your feedback.

If your team has a large body of research to conduct and you’re concerned about reaching session limits, we’d suggest subscribing to the Insights Hub plan, which has the highest session limit. If you’re already on the Insights Hub plan and have reached your limit, please reach out to us and we’ll take care of you.

Team Members & Permissions

What are the various roles within a team?

All team members in a Lookback organization can create projects, rounds and either moderate or observe in LiveShare sessions, but only the owner of the organization can access or change billing details. There are no other distinctions between team members, the ambition being to make it a flexible and collaborative experience.

Do all team members have permission to invite other team members?

Yes, all members can add new members to their organization.

Do all team members have permission to upgrade/cancel the subscription and make payments?

Only the organization owner has billing permissions.

Can all users export sessions, notes and highlight?

Yes.

…..but I have more questions!

Please reach out to support@lookback.io

Think an Enterprise plan is the right fit? Reach out to enterprise@lookback.io or fill out this form.

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