SaaS Price Hikes & Free-Tier Cuts: The 2025–2026 Tracker

Software is getting more expensive, and "free forever" plans keep shrinking. This tracks the named tools that raised prices, removed free plans or restructured tiers in 2025–2026 — with dates and what actually changed.

Across categories, 2025 and 2026 brought a wave of price increases, discontinued free plans and tier restructures — often timed quietly. This page collects the dated, sourced changes so buyers can see who moved, when, and how, rather than discovering it at renewal.

Free to cite and link. Changes are dated from sourced category data; re-verify against the vendor's announcement before relying on a specific date or figure.

Free-plan cuts & removals

ToolWhat changedWhen
MailchimpFree plan reduced to 250 contacts / 500 sendsJan 2026
AsanaNew free accounts capped at 2 paid users (was up to 10)after Nov 12, 2025
TeachableOld free plan removed for new sign-ups2025 pricing change
ThinkificPermanent free plan discontinued (30-day trial)2025–2026
PodiaFree plan discontinuedOct 14, 2024
SmartRecruitersLegacy SmartStart free tier discontinued (post-SAP)2025–2026
DashlaneDiscontinued its free planSept 2025
1PasswordDiscontinued free tier (trial only)2025–2026

Price increases & tier restructures

ToolWhat changedWhen
QuickBooks OnlineReported price increases ~12–17% annuallysince 2023
Kit (ConvertKit)Creator plan rose from ~$15 to ~$25/mo entrySept 2025
GoDaddyRefund window cut from 30 to 7 daysFeb 2025
Kajabi$89/mo Kickstarter entry plan removed2025
SkoolMoved from single ~$99/mo to Hobby ($9, 10% fee) + Pro ($99)2025–2026
Mighty Networks$49/mo Community entry plan removed (now Launch/Scale/Pro)2025–2026
SE RankingEssential/Pro/Business tiers retired (now Core/Growth)late 2025
MailerLiteNew pricing scaling by subscribers + send volumeJun 16, 2026
GreenhouseTiers rebranded (Essential/Advanced/Expert → Core/Plus/Pro)2026
Envato ElementsTiers restructured (post-Shutterstock)Feb 25, 2026
GrammarlySimplified to Pro / Enterprise structure2026

Key findings

  1. Free-plan erosion is the clearest 2025–2026 trend. Mailchimp (cut to 250 contacts), Asana (new accounts capped at 2 users), Teachable, Thinkific, Podia, Dashlane and 1Password all reduced or removed free tiers. The "free forever" era is visibly contracting — if a free plan is central to your choice, lock in the current terms and expect them to tighten.
  2. Password managers moved together. Both Dashlane (Sept 2025) and 1Password discontinued free plans in the same window — a category-wide shift worth noting if you rely on a free password manager.
  3. Acquisitions precede pricing changes. SmartRecruiters dropped its free tier after the SAP deal; Envato restructured tiers after Shutterstock acquired it. An ownership change is a leading indicator of a pricing change (see our ownership map).
  4. Compounding increases are the quiet killer. QuickBooks' reported ~12–17%/year since 2023 compounds far faster than a one-time hike — a multi-year QuickBooks commitment costs meaningfully more than the year-one quote suggests.
  5. "Cheaper entry tier" sometimes means a worse deal. Skool's new $9 Hobby plan looks like a price cut but carries a 10% transaction fee; the headline drop hides a usage-based cost. Read what the restructure actually changed, not just the entry number.

Methodology

This tracker compiles dated price increases, free-plan reductions/removals and tier restructures named in our sourced 2026 category studies, across email, courses, CRM, hosting, SEO, recruiting, password managers, stock media and more. Dates and figures are as published/reported at compile time. This is a change-tracker for buyer awareness, not an exhaustive list, and not financial advice.

Editorial note (verification): Pricing changes and their exact dates should be confirmed against the vendor's own announcement before republishing. Some dates are approximate ("2025–2026") where the source did not specify. Compiled 2026-06-27.

How to cite

"SaaS Price Hikes & Free-Tier Cuts: The 2025–2026 Tracker", ToolsRanks. https://toolsranks.com/etudes/saas-price-hikes-free-tier-cuts-2026
A spreadsheet of all changes is available on request.