The nSelf plugin licensing model: how $0.99 beats SaaS
Most backend platforms charge per seat, per project, or per request. The price scales with your success. The more you grow, the more you pay. We think that model is broken for self-hosted software.
The problem with SaaS pricing
You are already paying for your own server. You are already managing your own infrastructure. The entire point of self-hosting is control and cost predictability. A pricing model that scales with usage defeats the purpose.
Supabase charges $25/month per project on the Pro plan, plus compute and storage overages. Nhost charges $25/month per project. Firebase is free until it is not, then costs become unpredictable. All of them charge more as you add team members, storage, or compute.
Our approach
nSelf is MIT licensed. The CLI and 25 core plugins are free forever. No limits, no telemetry gates, no "upgrade to unlock" walls on core functionality.
Revenue comes from 62 pro plugins organized into bundles:
| Tier | Monthly | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | CLI + 25 plugins |
| Basic | $0.99 | All 62 pro plugins |
| Pro | $1.99 | Basic + AI suite |
| Elite | $4.99 | Pro + email support |
The key insight: you pay per account, not per project, not per seat, not per request. One $0.99/month Basic membership unlocks all 62 pro plugins across every project you run. Ten projects on ten servers? Still $0.99.
Why this works
Predictable costs. Your infrastructure bill is your server cost plus $0.99-$4.99/month. That is it. No surprises.
Aligned incentives. We want you to use nSelf on as many projects as possible. Every project you run is a project that is not on a competitor. We make money by making you successful, not by metering your success.
Low barrier. $0.99/month is an impulse purchase. There is no procurement process, no budget approval, no "let me check with my manager." You try it, it works, you keep paying. If it does not work, you cancel and you have lost less than a coffee.
Plugin quality. Because we earn revenue from plugins, we have a direct incentive to make them excellent. Every bug in a pro plugin is a potential cancellation. Every feature request is a potential upgrade. The business model aligns our engineering priorities with user needs.
The annual option
Pay annually and save roughly 17%. Basic drops to $9.99/year. Pro drops to $19.99/year. For teams that know they are committed, this is a better deal.
There is also nSelf+ at $49/year, which bundles every pro plugin across every product (nClaw, nChat, nTV, the full ecosystem). If you are using more than two products, nSelf+ is cheaper than buying bundles individually.
What we do not charge for
- The CLI itself
- Core plugins (auth, storage, database management, monitoring, etc.)
- Updates and patches (LTS support is free)
- Community support (Discord, GitHub Discussions)
- Documentation
- Self-hosting on your own hardware
The line is clear: infrastructure tooling is free, premium capabilities cost a flat fee. No grey areas, no bait-and-switch.
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