How Surmado’s $50 Flat-Fee Compares to Usage-Based Tools

Reading time: 14 minutes

Surmado’s pricing model: Credit-based system (1 credit = $25) for one-time reports

• Signal: $50 (2 credits)
• Scan: $25 or $50 (1-2 credits)
• Solutions: $50 (2 credits)

Competitor pricing models: Subscriptions or usage-based

• Gumshoe: $0.10 per conversation (typical usage: $300+/month)
• Profound: $499+/month subscriptions
• Semrush: $139-499/month
• Ahrefs: $129-449/month

Why we chose flat fees and how costs compare.

TLDR

Surmado uses a credit-based system (1 credit = $25) for one-time reports, not monthly subscriptions. Most companies need quarterly monitoring, not daily dashboards. Paying $499 monthly for a tool you use four times a year wastes thousands. Usage-based pricing sounds affordable until you’re spending $300-500 monthly on routine checks. With Surmado’s credit system, you buy credits when you need them ($50 for 2 credits = 1 Signal report) and pay $0 when you don’t. No forced subscriptions, no auto-renewals, no guilt about underusing an expensive tool. Optional auto-refill available for recurring needs.

---

The Problem with Subscription and Usage-Based Pricing

Problem #1: You Pay Forever (Even When You Don’t Need It)

Subscription model:

• You need AI visibility testing for your product launch
• You subscribe to Profound at $499/month
• You get your visibility report in Week 1
• You fix issues in Weeks 2-4
• Months 2-12: You’re still paying $499/month even though you only need quarterly checks

Annual cost: $5,988 (paid $5,988 for 4 reports you actually used)

Surmado equivalent:

• Signal report: $50 (launch)
• Signal report: $50 (3 months later)
• Signal report: $50 (6 months later)
• Signal report: $50 (9 months later)

Annual cost: $200

Savings: $5,788/year (96% less)

---

Problem #2: Usage-Based Pricing Spirals

Usage-based model (Gumshoe):

• Pricing: $0.10 per conversation
• Testing 5 personas across 6 platforms = 30 conversations
• Monthly monitoring: 30 conversations × 4 weeks = 120 conversations
• Monthly cost: 120 × $0.10 = $12

That sounds cheap! What’s the problem?

The reality: $0.10/conversation adds up fast

Realistic monthly usage:

• Weekly monitoring: 5 personas × 6 platforms × 4 weeks = 120 conversations
• Competitor comparison: 3 competitors × 5 personas × 6 platforms = 90 conversations
• A/B testing content changes: 5 personas × 6 platforms × 2 variants × 2 tests = 120 conversations

Total: 330 conversations/month = $33/month

But wait, you also want:

• Historical tracking (run same tests monthly to track trends)
• Executive reports (export data, create dashboards)
• Team access (3 team members running their own tests)

Actual monthly cost: $300-500/month (confirmed by user testimonials)

Annual cost: $3,600-6,000

Surmado equivalent:

• Signal report: $50/quarter = $200/year

Savings: $3,400-5,800/year (94-97% less)

---

Problem #3: Subscriptions Create “Sunk Cost” Behavior

Psychological trap:

1. You subscribe to tool for $499/month
2. Month 2: You don’t really need it, but you’ve already paid for the year
3. You force yourself to use it (“I’m paying for this, I should use it”)
4. You waste time generating reports you don’t need, just to justify the cost

With flat fees:

• You pay when you need it
• No guilt when you don’t use it
• No forcing yourself to “get your money’s worth”

---

Surmado’s Anti-Subscription Philosophy

Our belief: You shouldn’t pay for tools when you’re not using them.

How we price:

• Credit-based system: 1 credit = $25, buy credits when needed
• No forced subscriptions, no monthly fees
• No usage tracking, no per-query billing
• Optional auto-refill: Set up recurring credits only if you want (you control trigger and amount)

When you need AI visibility testing: Use 2 credits ($50), get Signal report

When you don’t need it: Pay $0

For recurring needs: Set auto-refill (e.g., buy 10 credits when balance hits 2). You control it, not us

---

Cost Comparisons: Flat Fee vs Subscription vs Usage-Based

Scenario 1: Product Launch (One-Time Need)

Your use case: Testing AI visibility for product launch

Surmado (flat fee):

• Signal report: $50
• Total cost: $50

Gumshoe (usage-based):

• 5 personas × 6 platforms = 30 conversations
• $0.10 per conversation = $3
• But: Minimum engagement for meaningful testing = about 100 conversations (multiple rounds, competitor comparison)
• Realistic cost: $300-500 for complete launch testing across all platforms

Profound (subscription):

• Monthly subscription: $499/month
• Minimum commitment: 1 month
• Total cost: $499 (even though you only need it once)

Winner: Surmado ($50 vs $300-500 usage-based vs $499 subscription)

---

Scenario 2: Quarterly Monitoring (4 Times/Year)

Your use case: Check AI visibility every quarter

Surmado (flat fee):

• 4 reports × $50 = $200/year

Gumshoe (usage-based):

• Quarterly testing: 100 conversations per quarter = $10/quarter
• But: Typical usage includes ongoing monitoring, not just quarterly snapshots
• Realistic annual cost: $1,200-2,400/year

Profound (subscription):

• $499/month × 12 months = $5,988/year
• You’re paying for 12 months but only using it 4 times

Semrush (subscription, for comparison):

• $139/month × 12 months = $1,668/year
• Broader tool (not just AI visibility), but same over-payment problem

Winner: Surmado ($200/year vs $1,200+ usage-based vs $1,668-5,988 subscription)

---

Scenario 3: Enterprise Team (Multiple Users, Frequent Use)

Your use case: 5 team members need monthly AI visibility monitoring

Surmado (flat fee):

• 5 team members × $50/month = $250/month
• Annual: $3,000

Gumshoe (usage-based):

• 5 users × 100 conversations/user/month = 500 conversations/month
• $0.10 per conversation = $50/month
• Annual: $600

Profound (subscription):

• Enterprise plan: $999+/month (supports multiple users)
• Annual: $11,988

Winner: Gumshoe ($600/year beats Surmado’s $3,000/year for high-frequency use)

When subscriptions make sense: If you’re running AI visibility tests daily or weekly across large teams, usage-based or subscription pricing becomes competitive.

Surmado is optimized for: Quarterly or monthly monitoring for small teams (most common use case).

---

Why Flat Fees Work Better for Most Users

Data from Surmado customers:

How often do customers run reports?

• 68% run reports quarterly (4x/year)
• 23% run reports monthly (12x/year)
• 7% run reports weekly (48x/year)
• 2% run reports daily (248x/year)

Average annual spend by pricing model:

Usage Pattern	Surmado (Flat Fee)	Gumshoe (Usage-Based)	Profound (Subscription)
Quarterly (68%)	$200/year	$1,200/year	$5,988/year
Monthly (23%)	$600/year	$2,400/year	$5,988/year
Weekly (7%)	$2,400/year	$4,800/year	$5,988/year
Daily (2%)	$12,400/year	$24,800/year	$11,988/year

For 91% of users (quarterly + monthly), flat fees are cheapest.

For 9% of users (weekly + daily), subscriptions or usage-based become competitive.

---

The Hidden Costs of Subscriptions

Beyond the sticker price, subscriptions have hidden costs:

Hidden Cost #1: Over-Purchasing

The trap: You buy annual subscription to “save 20%” vs monthly

The reality:

• You use it heavily for 3 months
• Then sporadically for 2 months
• Then forget about it for 7 months
• You paid for 12 months, used it for 5

With flat fees: You pay for the 5 reports you actually need ($250), not 12 months ($5,988)

---

Hidden Cost #2: Team Seat Charges

Subscription model:

• Base plan: $499/month (1 user)
• Additional users: $99/month each
• 5-person team: $499 + (4 × $99) = $895/month = $10,740/year

Flat fee model:

• Each team member pays when they need a report
• No per-seat charges
• 5-person team running quarterly reports: 5 × 4 × $50 = $1,000/year

Savings: $9,740/year

---

Hidden Cost #3: Feature Paywalls

Subscription tiers (typical SaaS):

• Starter ($99/mo): 1 user, limited features
• Professional ($499/mo): 5 users, full features
• Enterprise ($999/mo): Unlimited users, API access, custom reports

The problem: You need 1-2 enterprise features (API, exports) but you’re forced to upgrade to $999/mo tier

Flat fee model: All features included in every report, no tiers

---

When Subscriptions Make Sense (And We’ll Tell You)

We’re not dogmatic about flat fees. For some use cases, subscriptions are better:

Consider subscriptions when:

• You need daily or weekly monitoring (usage-based becomes cheaper)
• You have large team (10+ people) all running frequent tests
• You need continuous dashboards (real-time tracking, not snapshot reports)
• You’re an agency running tests for multiple clients

Tools to consider:

• Gumshoe: If you need weekly+ monitoring with usage-based pricing
• Profound: If you need enterprise dashboards and can justify $499+/mo
• Semrush/Ahrefs: If you need broader SEO suite (not just AI visibility)

We built Surmado for the 90% use case: Quarterly or monthly monitoring for small teams who want actionable reports, not continuous dashboards.

---

The “No Subscription” Guarantee

Surmado’s commitment:

• Pay per report
• No monthly subscriptions
• No annual contracts
• No auto-renewals
• No hidden fees
• No per-seat charges
• No feature paywalls

You pay when you need a report. You pay $0 when you don’t.

---

Real Customer Cost Comparisons

Customer A: SaaS Startup ($1.2M ARR)

Need: Quarterly AI visibility monitoring

Tried Profound first:

• Subscribed at $499/month to test visibility before Product Hunt launch
• Used it heavily in Month 1
• Fixed issues in Month 2
• Month 3-6: Forgot to cancel, paid $2,000 for nothing
• Total: $2,994 for 6 months (used 2 months, paid for 6)

Switched to Surmado:

• Run Signal report quarterly: $50 × 4 = $200/year
• Savings: $2,794/year (93% less)

---

Customer B: B2B Marketing Agency

Need: Monthly AI visibility reports for 3 clients

Tried Gumshoe first:

• Usage-based pricing seemed affordable ($0.10/conversation)
• Reality: 3 clients × 5 personas × 6 platforms × 4 tests/month = 360 conversations/month
• Cost: $36/month × 12 = $432/year

Switched to Surmado:

• 3 clients × 12 reports/year × $50 = $1,800/year

Verdict: Gumshoe was cheaper for this high-frequency use case

Why they stayed with Surmado anyway: “Gumshoe’s usage-based pricing was unpredictable. We couldn’t budget for it. Surmado’s flat fee lets us charge clients $150/report and know our margins.”

---

Customer C: Enterprise SaaS ($50M ARR)

Need: Weekly competitive AI visibility monitoring

Tried Surmado first:

• 52 reports/year × $50 = $2,600/year

Switched to Profound:

• Enterprise plan: $999/month = $11,988/year
• More expensive, but: Real-time dashboards, API access, multi-user seats

Verdict: Subscriptions make sense for high-frequency enterprise use

Why Surmado wasn’t the right fit: They needed continuous monitoring dashboards for exec team, not quarterly reports.

---

Pricing Philosophy: Why We Don’t Do Subscriptions

Our belief: Subscriptions optimize for vendor revenue, not customer value.

Subscription incentives (for vendors):

• Lock customers into annual contracts
• Charge for features they don’t use
• Make it hard to cancel
• Maximize revenue per customer regardless of usage

Flat fee incentives (for customers):

• Pay only when you need it
• No lock-in, no contracts
• All features included
• Minimize cost for your actual usage

We optimize for customer value, even when it means less revenue for us.

---

How to Decide: Flat Fee vs Subscription vs Usage-Based

Use this decision tree:

Question 1: How often do you need reports?

• Once or twice: Flat fee (Surmado) is cheapest
• Quarterly (4x/year): Flat fee is cheapest
• Monthly (12x/year): Flat fee is still cheaper than subscriptions
• Weekly (48x/year): Usage-based (Gumshoe) or subscriptions become competitive
• Daily (248x/year): Subscriptions (Profound) or usage-based (Gumshoe) are cheaper

Question 2: How many team members need access?

• 1-3 people: Flat fee is cheapest (no per-seat charges)
• 4-10 people: Flat fee still competitive if usage is quarterly/monthly
• 10+ people: Subscriptions with team plans become competitive

Question 3: Do you need continuous dashboards or snapshot reports?

• Snapshot reports (point-in-time analysis): Flat fee (Surmado)
• Continuous dashboards (real-time monitoring): Subscriptions (Profound, Otterly)

---

The Bottom Line

Surmado’s flat fees are cheapest for 90% of users:

• Quarterly or monthly monitoring
• Small teams (1-10 people)
• Snapshot reports (not continuous dashboards)

Subscriptions make sense for 10% of users:

• Weekly or daily monitoring
• Large teams (10+ people)
• Continuous dashboard needs

We’re transparent about this: If subscriptions are better for your use case, we’ll tell you. We optimize for the 90%, not the 10%.

Most companies don’t need $499/month AI visibility subscriptions. They need $50 quarterly reports.

---

Related Reading

• Signal vs AI Visibility Tools Comparison
• Scan vs SEO Audit Tools Comparison
• Solutions vs Strategy Consultants Comparison
• Manual ChatGPT Checking Costs

Want to try flat-fee pricing? Get a Signal report ($50) or Scan audit ($25) with no subscription, no auto-renewal, no hidden fees. Pay once, get your report, done.

---

Quick Answers

Why flat-fee instead of subscription?

Subscription problem: You pay $499/month for 12 months ($5,988/year) even though you only need reports quarterly (4x/year).

Flat-fee solution: Pay $50 per report, 4x/year = $200/year

Savings: $5,788/year (97% less)

Philosophy: You shouldn’t pay for tools when you’re not using them. Subscriptions optimize for vendor revenue. Flat fees optimize for customer value.

---

Why $50 instead of $49?

Base-25 pricing philosophy: All Surmado prices are multiples of $25

Options: $25, $50, $75, $100 (not $49, $99, $79)

Why base-25:

• Simpler math: $50 × 4 quarters = $200 (vs $49 × 4 = $196… Weird)
• Transparent: No psychological pricing tricks ($49 feels like “$40s” but it’s $50)
• Respectful: We don’t play games with pricing (no “.99” deception)

Example: Signal $50, Scan $25 or $50, Solutions $50-75 (all base-25)

---

Do you offer monthly plans?

No forced monthly subscriptions.

What we offer:

• Credit system: 1 credit = $25, buy as needed
• Signal: $50 (2 credits)
• Scan: $25 or $50 (1-2 credits)
• Solutions: $50 (2 credits)
• Optional auto-refill: Set up recurring credit purchases if you want regular reports (you control the trigger and refill amount)

Why no forced subscriptions?:

• 90% of users need quarterly/monthly monitoring (not daily)
• Subscriptions create sunk-cost behavior (“I’m paying $499/mo so I should use it even when I don’t need it”)
• Credit system lets you use tools when useful, not when obligated
• Auto-refill available for those who want recurring cadence. You control it

If you need weekly/daily monitoring: Set up auto-refill credits or consider usage-based tools like Gumshoe

---

Can I buy credits in bulk?

Yes! Bulk credit purchase available.

How it works:

• Buy credits upfront: 20 credits = $500 (saves vs buying 2 at a time)
• Each Signal report uses 2 credits (20 credits = 10 Signal reports)
• No expiration (credits don’t expire)
• Share across team (credit pool shared)
• Optional auto-refill: When balance hits X credits, buy Y more automatically

Who uses bulk credits:

• Agencies: Buy 40 credits, run Signal for 20 clients (2 credits each)
• SaaS companies: Buy 20 credits, run quarterly Signal reports over 2+ years
• Consultants: Buy 20 credits for client audits (mix Scan, Signal, Solutions)

Contact sales: Email sales@surmado.com for bulk pricing (40+ credits)

---

Do you offer agency discounts?

Yes. bulk pricing for agencies.

Agency tiers:

• 10-25 reports/year: 10% discount
• 25-50 reports/year: 15% discount
• 50+ reports/year: 20% discount (custom contract)

What agencies get:

• White-label reports (your branding, not Surmado’s)
• Bulk credit pool (share across all clients)
• Priority support (dedicated Slack channel)

Contact: Email sales@surmado.com with “Agency Partnership” in subject

---

How does flat-fee compare to Gumshoe’s usage-based pricing?

Gumshoe ($0.10/conversation):

• Sounds cheap ($0.10!)
• Reality: 300 conversations/month = $30/month = $360/year
• Typical usage: $300-500/month for monthly monitoring

Surmado ($50 flat):

• $50 per report
• Quarterly monitoring: $50 × 4 = $200/year
• Savings: $160-2,800/year vs Gumshoe

When Gumshoe wins: Need daily/weekly monitoring with custom prompts

When Surmado wins: Need quarterly/monthly strategic audits

Compare Signal vs Gumshoe →

---

Ready to Try Flat-Fee Pricing?

Run Surmado Signal for $25

See all products →