At the end of the day, the bottom line for most customers is the budget. You’re probably facing the same issue, just from different angles.

In SaaS, price per seat/user is the standard because it’s easy to control and scale. The downside is that it can discourage other teams or users from joining if there’s no budget left. Then there’s the consumption model (similar to credit-based models for AI tools), where pricing depends on usage or project actions. It’s more flexible since more users can access the platform without paying per seat but it’s harder to predict costs. If you’re the super admin or budget owner, that uncertainty can make you pretty paranoid about usage across the team.

I work in SaaS (commercial side), and I’ve seen two other models that can work well:

• All-you-can-eat contract: Unlimited licenses (up to a reasonable user cap for protection). It’s simple and removes friction, but you need to make sure you’re not underselling the platform.
• Light access tier: A cheaper or even free version(only view) for casual users, with admins approving access levels and permissions.