The Psychology of Choice

Your pricing page is where the decision happens. It's the culmination of your marketing efforts. A poorly designed pricing table can confuse users and lead to abandoned carts, while a well-executed one can guide them effortlessly to the right plan.

The Rule of Three

The "Goldilocks Effect" is a well-known psychological principle. When presented with three options, people tend to avoid the extremes (the cheapest and the most expensive) and choose the middle option. This is why the 3-tier pricing structure is the industry standard.

Our Pricing Table 3-Tier component is built around this principle.

Structuring the Tiers

The Anchor (Starter): A low-cost or free entry point. Its job is to get users in the door.
The Target (Pro): The plan you actually want people to buy. It should offer the best value-to-price ratio.
The Ceiling (Enterprise): A high-priced option that makes the "Pro" plan look like a bargain by comparison.

Highlighting the "Best Value"

To nudge users towards the middle tier, visual cues are essential.

Scale: Making the middle card slightly larger or elevating it with a shadow.
Color: Using a primary brand color for the CTA button or border.
Badges: A clear "Most Popular" or "Recommended" badge.

{
  name: "Pro",
  description: "For growing teams",
  price: { monthly: 29, yearly: 290 },
  popular: true, // This triggers the highlight styles
  features: [
    { text: "Unlimited projects", included: true },
    { text: "Priority support", included: true },
  ],
  cta: { text: "Start Trial", onClick: () => {} },
}

Transparency and Trust

Modern users are savvy. They hate hidden fees and confusing terms.

Clear Feature Lists: Use checkmarks for included features and muted X's for excluded ones.
Annual vs. Monthly: Offer a toggle. Showing the yearly savings (e.g., "Save 20%") is a powerful motivator for upfront commitment.
"Coming Soon": Don't be afraid to list features that are in development. Our component supports a comingSoon flag that adds an amber "Soon" badge, showing users that the platform is evolving.

Mobile Responsiveness

Pricing tables are notoriously difficult to make responsive. A 3-column layout that looks great on desktop can become a scrolling nightmare on mobile.

Our solution stacks the cards vertically on mobile, ensuring that the "Popular" plan remains prominent. We also ensure that the "Subscribe" buttons are easily tappable thumb targets.

Conclusion

A pricing table is a living document. Test different feature splits, price points, and visual highlights. With a flexible component like PricingTable3Tier, iterating on your pricing strategy becomes a matter of changing a few props, not rewriting code.

Designing High-Converting Pricing Tables