What is a price metric (value metric)?

In short. A price metric is the unit you charge for, such as users, API calls, invoices processed or contacts. A good one grows with the value the customer gets and is easy for the buyer to understand.

Example in a B2B tech company

Users, invoices processed, API calls, or contacts in the database.

How it works

Test each candidate unit with five questions. Does it follow the value the customer gets? Can the buyer predict it? Can you measure it reliably? Does it grow as the customer grows? Is it hard to work around?

Examples

A data platform charging per gigabyte processed; a CRM charging per contact.

Watch out for

A unit that punishes adoption, such as a per-user fee for a tool you want everyone in the company to use, or a unit the buyer cannot forecast.

Common questions

Is a value metric the same as a price metric?

Most teams use the two words for the same thing. Some use value metric for the unit of value and price metric for the unit on the bill. Ideally they are the same.

Can a product have more than one price metric?

Yes, for example a platform fee plus a usage charge. One or two keep quotes simple.

Related terms

Usage-based pricing: Customers pay for what they use instead of a fixed fee.
Per-seat pricing: Charging per named user. It fits well when value grows with the number of people who use the product.
Value-based pricing: Setting the price from the value the customer gets, not from cost or competitor prices.
Pricing model: The structure of how a customer is charged: flat, per seat, usage, tiered, hybrid or outcome-based.

Browse all 60 terms in the pricing glossary.

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Last updated: 14 October 2026.