2025
The year Freemius went all-in on micro-SaaS
2025 was the year Freemius expanded beyond WordPress and built a clear path into the micro-SaaS space.
We updated our messaging, rebuilt product flows for SaaS-first buying, strengthened the API and documentation, expanded community efforts, and showed up at micro-SaaS events for the first time. Internally, the shift gave everyone a shared goal: make Freemius the go-to payments platform for micro-SaaS founders to launch and grow.
And the timing couldn’t be better, because demand for modern SaaS billing options inside the WordPress ecosystem has accelerated. AI pushed plugins toward SaaS-style monetization. Most AI-powered plugins now sit on top of OpenAI, Gemini, or similar LLM APIs.
That shift drove two clear outcomes: monthly subscriptions gained traction at a pace we haven’t seen before alongside annual plans, and usage and credit-based billing models became far more common, shaped directly by how LLM APIs price consumption.
We rebuilt core flows, shipped new features, and invested heavily in DX (developer experience) so makers can build and launch faster on Freemius.
New
features
A coherent, unified DX (developer experience)
We streamlined the full developer journey so docs, APIs, and SDKs work together, making it easier to build, integrate, and ship SaaS.
Freemius for mobile
Expanded mobile support means makers can now monitor key business metrics on the go. Core dashboard views were optimized for mobile, making it easier to track revenue, subscriptions, and performance on the go.
API documentation for modern SaaS workflows
We overhauled the API documentation. Endpoints were reorganized, explanations clarified, and examples improved so developers can find what they need quickly and work with the API more confidently.
Clearer, faster documentation experience
The documentation site was rebuilt to make answers easier to find and content faster to navigate. Improved structure, search, and navigation — combined with a faster, static setup — significantly reduce load times and make the docs easier to explore, quicker to scan, and more useful as a day-to-day developer reference.
Modern JS SDKs and starter kits
New JavaScript SDKs and starter kits for React and Next.js provide a structured way to integrate Freemius into modern web apps. Common SaaS patterns like authentication, licensing, and billing are easier to implement out of the box, reducing setup time and cutting down on custom code.
Freemius for WordPress plugin
We officially introduced a new WordPress plugin that fundamentally simplifies how the Freemius Checkout is integrated into WordPress websites. No more manual coding, the checkout and pricing can now be easily added with the native block builder experience.
A SaaS-ready checkout with clearer choices and more control
Many checkout improvements were introduced to reduce friction, improve conversion, and support more SaaS-specific billing scenarios.
- Redirect after successful checkout
Automatically send buyers to a confirmation page, app, or onboarding flow after purchase, creating a smoother post-checkout experience.
- Billing selector UI
A clearer billing selector makes it easier for buyers to choose between plans or pricing options during checkout.
- One subscription per user
SaaS makers can now restrict buyers to a single active subscription, preventing duplicate signups and reducing account confusion.
- Improved, embeddable payment recovery (dunning)
A more flexible and embeddable dunning experience helps recover failed payments while keeping buyers informed and in control.
- Seamless upgrades from products to bundles
Buyers can upgrade from individual products to bundles without friction, preserving licenses and avoiding unnecessary churn.
Rebrand:
More than a new look
This rebrand wasn’t just about changing colors or typography. It was about rethinking how Freemius looks, feels, and functions for modern SaaS software businesses.
Developer Dashboard redesign
The dashboard was redesigned from the ground up to better reflect how modern SaaS businesses operate. Navigation was simplified, key metrics were surfaced more clearly, and revenue, subscriptions, and product performance were reorganized into a more coherent, business-first view.
Customer Portal revamp
The Customer Portal was reworked to give buyers a clearer, more intuitive way to manage subscriptions, licenses, payments, and account details. We improved information hierarchy, simplified navigation, and aligned the portal visually and functionally with the rest of the rebrand.
A self-service experience that reduces confusion, lowers support requests, and builds greater trust with customers.
New invoices and reverse invoices
New invoice and reverse-invoice formats bring clearer structure to billing and payouts. The updates make transactions easier to understand, align better with real-world accounting needs, and give makers cleaner records as revenue and volume scale.
Email design and clarity
We modernized email templates across the platform to improve clarity, consistency, and readability — from purchase confirmations and milestone messages to weekly reports and transactional emails. It’s a more trustworthy, on-brand inbox experience.
A frictionless buyer experience built for trust
In 2025, we focused on removing friction from the buyer journey while strengthening trust at every step — from checkout to accessibility to payments.
EU accessibility compliance
Both the Freemius Checkout and Customer Portal were updated to meet EU accessibility standards. Improvements ensure better support for assistive technologies, clearer structure, and more inclusive interactions.
iDEAL support in the Netherlands
We added support for iDEAL at checkout, enabling buyers in the Netherlands to pay directly through their local banks using a trusted, widely adopted payment method. As one of Europe’s most digital-forward and flourishing markets, supporting iDEAL makes it easier for Dutch customers to complete purchases with confidence.
In 2024, we had fewer than ten SaaS products on Freemius. Growth did not take off overnight. It took about six months of product work, DX improvements, messaging fixes, and iteration before adoption started to accelerate.
Once it did, the curve changed quickly. We now see roughly three times more SaaS products starting to sell on Freemius each week compared to the beginning of the year. As the product matures, more SaaS founders are trusting Freemius as their selling platform for micro-SaaS.
Some of the new SaaS makers using Freemius as their MoR solution
Tiago Alves
Co-founder of Bake That Batter
Tiago Alves
Co-founder of Bake That Batter
We welcomed three new teammates who helped drive our shift into SaaS
We also said goodbye to Zee, Stefana, and Robert as they moved on to their next chapters. Good luck and all the best: we’re rooting for you!
2025 reshaped our marketing. The move to micro-SaaS and changes in search pushed us toward bottom-of-funnel content and product marketing that makes Freemius stand out clearly among the alternatives.
We rebuilt the website and launched new cornerstone guides for SaaS founders.
We shipped the biggest pricing update in Freemius history. The goal was not marketing. It was fixing two real problems:
- Staying competitive in a crowded market
- Removing friction through full pricing transparency.
We lowered revenue share and introduced Transparent Growth Pricing so founders always know what they will pay as they grow. No negotiations. No surprises. Just predictable pricing that improves as your business scales.
We shipped the biggest pricing update in Freemius history. The goal was not marketing. It was fixing two real problems:
- Staying competitive in a crowded market
- Removing friction through full pricing transparency.
We lowered revenue share and introduced Transparent Growth Pricing so founders always know what they will pay as they grow. No negotiations. No surprises. Just predictable pricing that improves as your business scales.
Distribution was (and still is) not completely solved
Last year our SEO performance grew nicely. Organic clicks increased by 180 percent and impressions increased 160 percent. In 2025 that momentum did not hold. Zero-click and AI answers changed the game. Traffic declined. Distribution became a real problem.
Instead of doubling down on what no longer works, we shifted our effort into formats that still drive engagement. This included product-focused copy, deeper comparisons, and a stronger push into thought leadership through Vova’s founder persona.
Personal content reached people faster than branded content, and it carried more trust. This was a lesson that aligned closely with the message from Freemius podcast guests who stressed the value of individual voices over faceless brands.
Freemius podcast:
Marketing takes center stage
Season 3 focused entirely on the area most software makers struggle with: marketing. Insights from eleven guests helped founders understand how to communicate value, when to get help, how to scale content, and how to build trust.
Their insights directly influenced how we speak to SaaS builders today.
Spreading the good word about Freemius through guest podcasting
Guest podcasting became a key part of the awareness mix. Vova appeared on major SaaS, WordPress, and founder-focused podcasts that introduced Freemius to thousands of new listeners.
More episodes are on the way in 2026
First webinars made specifically for micro-SaaS founders
We invested heavily in webinars aimed at early-stage SaaS builders
100K
100K
YouTube showed the power of distribution
Our biggest marketing milestone came from YouTube. We grew the channel from 4.7k to 100k subscribers in a single month by pairing strategic educational content with smart paid distribution.
Great content doesn’t find its audience on its own; even strong videos can sit untouched without a plan for reach. What finally moved the needle was treating distribution as seriously as production.
At an average of $0.04 per subscriber, with 21% arriving organically, the results made one thing clear: content is the foundation, but distribution is the engine.
100K
Experimenting with new formats
Our first course and a building-in-public series
We launched our first course — How to monetize Next.js SaaS apps with Freemius — and a building-in-public series with Brad Vincent as he transitions from WordPress to SaaS. These formats gave makers a more realistic look at the decisions, challenges, and wins behind building a SaaS product.
Our makers shape the product as much as we do, so the community stayed at the center of our work in 2025.
Our Slack community continued to grow
The Slack space became the place where micro-SaaS founders, WordPress developers, and product people share questions, get unstuck, and connect with others building small but ambitious software businesses.
We remained committed to WordPress makers
Freemius is still the simplest way for plugin and theme developers to handle licensing, updates, and payments (and this won’t change).
Sponsorships became a meaningful part of our community investment
Sponsoring the Build in Public community on X turned out to be one of our smartest moves this year. The engagement was strong. Each post generated 100k views and brought us tons of new signups.
We plan to keep supporting communities like this throughout 2026.
We backed WP Product Talk on their push to 10k YouTube subscribers
Their content has become a key resource for the WordPress product community, and backing them was a natural continuation of our long-term support for WordPress makers.
Community remains one of the most reliable ways we find out what founders actually need. It is where product ideas surface, pain points become clear, and relationships form. This year confirmed that investing in people, not just channels, is still one of the strongest levers we have.
