The default in agency-land is still fixed-scope project pricing. It looks precise on paper, and it fails almost everyone. Here's what three years of data on 240+ engagements told us — and why we now operate a single subscription for every client.
Fixed scope solves the wrong problem
Fixed scope tries to make software feel like a physical product. The problem: the value of a website or app compounds over time. A launch is a starting point, not a finish line. When the money runs out, the value curve flattens — right at the moment your customers start using the thing.
The best-performing sites in our portfolio have all shipped 40+ post-launch improvements. The worst never got any.
What subscriptions actually change
- The client stops rationing change requests.
- The team keeps working on the same product for years.
- Bugs get fixed the day they're spotted, not next quarter.
- Growth ideas land in a two-week cycle, not a two-month RFP.
How to pilot it
Start with a small monthly retainer for post-launch care, then measure change velocity vs. a fixed-scope control. Every team we've talked to has expanded to the full model within six months.
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