SaaS access sales through website

SaaS subscription sales implementation via website

SaaS subscription sales is technically more complex than selling one-off products. Required: pricing tiers with different limits, subscription management (upgrade, downgrade, cancellation), billing cycles, trial periods.

Billing architecture

Don't implement billing yourself — use Stripe Billing, Paddle, or Chargebee. They handle: recurring payments, failed transactions, dunning mechanics, taxes by region.

Stripe Billing integration

class SubscriptionService
{
    public function createSubscription(User $user, string $priceId, array $options = []): Subscription
    {
        // Create Stripe Customer if not exists
        if (!$user->stripe_customer_id) {
            $customer = $this->stripe->customers->create([
                'email'    => $user->email,
                'metadata' => ['user_id' => $user->id],
            ]);
            $user->update(['stripe_customer_id' => $customer->id]);
        }

        $subscriptionData = [
            'customer'           => $user->stripe_customer_id,
            'items'              => [['price' => $priceId]],
            'trial_period_days'  => $options['trial_days'] ?? 0,
            'payment_behavior'   => 'default_incomplete',
            'expand'             => ['latest_invoice.payment_intent'],
        ];

        $stripeSubscription = $this->stripe->subscriptions->create($subscriptionData);

        return Subscription::create([
            'user_id'                   => $user->id,
            'stripe_subscription_id'    => $stripeSubscription->id,
            'plan'                      => $options['plan'],
            'status'                    => $stripeSubscription->status,
            'trial_ends_at'             => $stripeSubscription->trial_end
                ? Carbon::createFromTimestamp($stripeSubscription->trial_end)
                : null,
            'current_period_end'        => Carbon::createFromTimestamp($stripeSubscription->current_period_end),
        ]);
    }

    public function cancel(Subscription $subscription, bool $immediately = false): void
    {
        if ($immediately) {
            $this->stripe->subscriptions->cancel($subscription->stripe_subscription_id);
        } else {
            // Cancel at end of period
            $this->stripe->subscriptions->update($subscription->stripe_subscription_id, [
                'cancel_at_period_end' => true,
            ]);
        }
    }
}

Pricing tiers with limits

// Plan limits table
class PlanLimits
{
    private array $limits = [
        'free'       => ['projects' => 1,  'storage_gb' => 1,  'api_calls_month' => 1000],
        'starter'    => ['projects' => 5,  'storage_gb' => 10, 'api_calls_month' => 10000],
        'pro'        => ['projects' => 20, 'storage_gb' => 50, 'api_calls_month' => 100000],
        'enterprise' => ['projects' => -1, 'storage_gb' => -1, 'api_calls_month' => -1],  // -1 = unlimited
    ];

    public function check(string $plan, string $feature, mixed $currentUsage): bool
    {
        $limit = $this->limits[$plan][$feature] ?? 0;
        if ($limit === -1) return true;  // unlimited
        return $currentUsage < $limit;
    }
}

// In controller
public function createProject(Request $request)
{
    $user = auth()->user();
    $plan = $user->subscription->plan;

    $currentProjects = $user->projects()->count();

    if (!app(PlanLimits::class)->check($plan, 'projects', $currentProjects)) {
        return response()->json([
            'error' => 'Project limit exceeded for your plan',
            'upgrade_url' => route('billing.upgrade'),
        ], 402);
    }

    // Create project
}

Webhook event handler for billing

Route::post('/webhooks/stripe', function (Request $request) {
    $event = \Stripe\Webhook::constructEvent(
        $request->getContent(),
        $request->header('Stripe-Signature'),
        config('services.stripe.webhook_secret')
    );

    match($event->type) {
        'customer.subscription.created' =>
            HandleSubscriptionCreated::dispatch($event->data->object),
        'customer.subscription.updated' =>
            HandleSubscriptionUpdated::dispatch($event->data->object),
        'customer.subscription.deleted' =>
            HandleSubscriptionCancelled::dispatch($event->data->object),
        'invoice.payment_failed' =>
            HandlePaymentFailed::dispatch($event->data->object),
        'invoice.payment_succeeded' =>
            HandlePaymentSucceeded::dispatch($event->data->object),
        default => null,
    };

    return response('ok');
});

Timeline

SaaS billing with Stripe, pricing tiers, and subscription management: 14–20 working days.