🎬 TL;DR: WATCH THE VIDEO (click above) for the full pricing teardown. Only takes 〜5 minutes at 2x speed. ⏩
Most companies raise their prices and face customer outrage. Is backlash like this avoidable? Maybe. Figma’s recent price hike gives us some clues.
Today's teardown unpacks Figma's recent price hike. There are some brilliant moves, and also missed opportunities every product and growth leader can learn from.
At Irrational Labs, we work with companies on pricing page design, willingness-to-pay studies, and pricing change strategy. Figma just gave us a perfect case study of how (and how not) to handle a price increase.
The good: Transparency done right
Figma got transparency right in some key ways most companies miss:
Smart timing with advanced notice: They announced the change in December to take effect in March. This gives users a 3-month heads up, strategically timed with budget planning cycles. Just like when you tell a child "in five minutes, we're leaving": humans respond better to change when given clear expectations.
They made clear price comparisons: They showed exact numbers: Professional tier moving from $12-15 to $16/month, org tier from $45 to $55/month. Without this anchor, people immediately wonder "How much am I getting screwed?" I experienced this first-hand with QuickBooks and Qualtrics price increases (watch the video to find out just how wrong things went).
Smart feature bundling: They managed to add Figma Slides and FigJam in a way that felt like a bonus. This could easily have felt like being forced to pay for features you don’t want, so credit to Figma where credit is due (but keep reading for the part about this they got wrong).
Framing numbers strategically
Figma chose not to highlight percentage increases—probably a smart move. Think about it:
Professional tier increase: 6-10% (would sound reasonable)
Org/Enterprise tier increase: 20-29% (would sound scary)
A large tech company with 250 designers would pay roughly $45,000 more annually. In the greater scheme of things, this is not unreasonable compared to other enterprise costs. But the percentage would feel painful.
Where Figma could improve
Figma gets points for transparency, but their framing needs work. Several behavioral design principles could have made this price increase land better.
Lead with benefits, not cost: Their announcement led with the price increase. Shouting out their feature improvements and investment before mentioning costs would have created a more positive framing.
Make value gains salient: The new features were a nice bonus, but they could have more strategically timed the launch of the new features and tied them to the increase: AI-powered design! Slides! This would create a clearer value exchange in users' minds and make the price increase feel fairer.
Mind the pricing gap: $16 to $55 monthly is a big jump. For context, most business tools like Asana ($10-25) and Dropbox ($15-25) have gentler transitions. A middle tier could help, especially for small businesses used to lower pricing.
Give competitive context: Figma could tell customers what they already know: Adobe and Salesforce cost way more. This comparison would strengthen their value story.
Finally, the freelancer factor
The internet has opinions. Some freelancers are understandably upset—price increases hit independent workers hard. Companies should focus on delivering products people love while using enterprise pricing to drive revenue, keeping prices lower for professionals and freelancers.
3 insights from the teardown for product leaders
💡 A surprisingly effective transparency tactic most companies overlook
⚠️ How top companies mess up feature announcements (and what to do instead)
💰 What QuickBooks and Qualtrics got wrong that you can get right
The TL;DR? Price increases don't have to be a zero-sum game between product and user. They can actually strengthen your relationship with your customers—if you design and communicate them right.
Need help with your pricing strategy? At Irrational Labs, we’re experts at pricing page design (the most underrated lever for revenue), willingness-to-pay studies, and overall pricing communication.
Questions? Hit me up: kristen@irrationallabs.com
What do you think about Figma's approach? Have you seen other companies handle price increases particularly well (or poorly)? I’d love to hear about it.
🎬 This post is just a preview. WATCH THE VIDEO (below) for all the insights, examples, and real pricing screenshots. Tip: It's just 〜5 minutes at 2x speed. ⏩
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📧 Questions about product adoption? Shoot me an email: kristen@irrationallabs.com.
Want to increase conversion, retention, engagement? Reach out to Irrational Labs.
We design products that change behavior, using behavioral science. Check out our case studies to see it in action.
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