GoCardless pricing teardown
https://gocardless.com/pricingGoCardless uses a clean, transparent transaction-fee model (1%–1.4% + 20p) across three self-serve tiers plus a Custom enterprise plan, which is unusual and refreshing for a payments provider. The page is well-organized with a fee calculator, clear feature-gating table, and strong FAQ/trust signals, though the default view hides Advanced/Pro behind a toggle and the escalating percentage fee structure can feel like it 'punishes' higher-risk or higher-volume merchants rather than rewarding growth.
Tier structure
Standard
1% + 20p/transaction
Advanced
1.25% + 20p/transaction
Pro
1.4% + 20p/transaction
Custom
bespoke pricing
Value metric
percentage + flat fee per transaction
How limits scale
Escalation logic
Tiers escalate by risk-and-failure-reduction features (payment failure recovery, fraud protection, chargeback handling) rather than usage caps, with each step charging a higher percentage fee; Custom is a negotiated volume-discount plan for large merchants.
Psychological anchors
- Featured tier styling — Standard plan card has a colored/highlighted border making it visually the default recommended choice.
- Enterprise anchor — Custom plan with 'Contact Sales' and vague 'fully customised package' framing implies premium, higher-value pricing without a number, anchoring perception of Standard/Advanced/Pro as accessible.
- Hidden upsell toggle — 'Looking for enhanced features? View our Advanced and Pro plans' toggle initially hides two tiers, nudging most visitors toward Standard while still allowing self-discovery of upsells.
- Interactive cost calculator — 'Calculate your fees' tool personalizes pricing perception and reframes cost as savings versus card payments.
- Fee caps as reassurance — Capped fees (e.g., £4, £5, £5.60) reduce perceived risk of the percentage-based model scaling unfavorably for larger transactions.
What this page is optimizing for
The page is built primarily for self-serve conversion (transparent per-transaction pricing, instant 'Get started' CTAs, no-commitment messaging) while reserving 'Contact Sales' lead-gen for high-volume/custom needs — a hybrid model balancing PLG and enterprise capture.
Red flags
- Advanced and Pro tiers are hidden by default behind a toggle, reducing visibility of the full pricing structure at first glance.
- Percentage-based fees increase with each tier, meaning the value metric could feel like a penalty for wanting more protection rather than a natural usage-based scale.
- No free trial is offered, which may raise friction for smaller businesses testing the platform.
- Add-on pricing (+£50/mo, +£150/mo) is tucked below the main tiers and could be easy to miss during initial evaluation.
- Custom tier has zero pricing transparency, requiring a sales conversation for any business over £1m revenue.
Best-practices scorecard
What works · 5
- Visible prices — Exact fee percentages and flat fees are shown for Standard, Advanced, and Pro; only Custom is opaque.
- Tier differences are scannable — A detailed feature/fee comparison table below the cards clearly lists what's added at each tier.
- FAQ or objection handling — Extensive FAQ covers fees, VAT, cancellation, international payments, and charity discounts.
- Trust signals present — Page cites 100k+ businesses, $130bn processed, FCA regulation, and 24/7 support.
- Clear CTAs per tier — Each tier has a distinct CTA ('Get started' or 'Contact Sales') appropriate to its stage in the funnel.
Half measures · 2
- Clear recommended tier — Standard is visually highlighted, but it's the entry-level plan rather than a clear 'best value' tier, and higher tiers are hidden by default.
- Value metric matches usage — Per-transaction fee scales naturally with usage, but percentage increases per tier mix usage-based and feature-based pricing in a way that can confuse the value logic.
What's missing · 1
- Annual discount offered — No annual/monthly toggle exists since pricing is per-transaction rather than subscription-based.