Business Models
The patterns in this section are end-to-end blueprints. Each one takes a recognizable real-world business model, names the companies that operate it, walks through the modeling decisions, and shows the actual API calls that build it on Kontorion. They are designed to be adapted, not just read - copy-paste the curl commands, swap in your own product names and prices, and you have a working pricing model in under an hour.
Why this section exists. Generic feature documentation tells you what each primitive does; it doesn't tell you how to combine them to build a specific business. These blueprints close that gap. Every billing system has a long list of features - what makes Kontorion different is that those features compose cleanly into recognizable real-world models without the bespoke glue code that usually accumulates between "the billing platform" and "what the business actually charges for."
Pattern catalog
| Pattern | Real-world examples | Commercial shape | Headline Kontorion primitives |
|---|---|---|---|
| SaaS per-seat | Slack, Linear, Notion, Figma, Cursor | Per-user monthly or annual, mid-cycle quantity changes, trials | seat product type, subscription quantity, automatic proration |
| API platform | OpenAI, Twilio, Stripe API, Anthropic API | Pay-per-call with graduated discounts, real-time visibility | Usage events, STAIRCASE pricing, idempotent aggregators |
| Hybrid platform (PaaS) | Vercel, Supabase, Render, PlanetScale | Flat tier + usage overage above included allowance | Plan allowances, rollover, allowance.rolled_over webhook |
| Marketplace + payouts | Etsy, Shopify Payments, Uber, DoorDash | Platform takes a fee, settles the rest to sellers weekly | Settlements, counterparty rules, withholding |
| Subscription box | HelloFresh, BarkBox, Dollar Shave Club | Fixed monthly delivery, pause/skip, gift subscriptions | Recurring schedules, scheduled changes (skip), wallet credits (gifts) |
| Domain registrar | Namecheap, GoDaddy, Cloudflare Registrar | Hundreds of TLDs as one logical product, per-TLD pricing | Keyed products (price_key_label), unmatched_price_key_policy |
| Telecom carrier | T-Mobile, Vodafone, Free Mobile | Prepaid + monthly recurring + roaming overage + family plans | Wallets (prepaid balance), CUPs (committed minutes), keyed products (per-country roaming) |
| Cloud infrastructure | AWS, Hetzner, Linode, Cloudflare Workers | Hourly metered + reserved capacity + spot pricing | Committed use plans, usage events, customer price overrides |
| Creator platform | Substack, Patreon, Twitch, OnlyFans | Subscriber pays platform; platform takes a cut and settles to creator | Subscriptions + settlements + revenue-share counterparties |
| Enterprise SaaS | Salesforce, Workday, ServiceNow, SAP | Custom-priced multi-year deals, multi-currency, deal-desk approvals | Customer price overrides, approval workflows, FX policy pinning |
| Reseller network | Microsoft Partner Network, AWS Marketplace, Stripe Apps | Multi-tier reseller hierarchy, partner commissions, co-op funds | Settlements with tiered commission rules, wallets for co-op budgets |
| Outcome-based services | Consulting, agencies, professional services, healthcare | Charge on delivered milestones, not time | Billing milestones, approval workflows, custom fields |
How to use these blueprints
Each page follows the same shape:
- The shape of the problem - what makes this model harder to build than it looks
- Kontorion blueprint - which primitives map to which concerns
- Build it - 4-6 concrete API calls that get the model running end-to-end
- Variations - common adaptations (annual prepay, multi-currency, regional discounts)
- What you don't have to build - the work Kontorion already does for you
- Cross-links - to the deep concept docs for each primitive used
Pick the closest match, not the exact match. A subscription box pattern is the right starting point for any "regular delivery + pause + skip" model, even if your product isn't food. A marketplace blueprint applies whether your sellers are individuals, brands, or other businesses. The blueprints are templates; the variations sections show how to bend them.
Combine when you need to. Real businesses are rarely one pure pattern. A modern PaaS combines SaaS-per-seat (for editor users) with API-platform metering (for runtime usage), and adds marketplace settlements when third-party integrations charge through the platform. The pattern pages cross-link where natural combinations exist.
When to deviate from a blueprint
These patterns favor the most common shape of each model. If your business has unusual constraints, the right move is usually to start from the closest blueprint and add the specifics on top, not rebuild from primitives. Common reasons to deviate:
- Regulatory constraints that mandate specific notice periods, tax treatments, or invoicing formats. Layer the relevant tax rules on top; leave the rest of the blueprint intact.
- Channel-specific pricing (different rates for direct customers vs resellers vs partners). Add customer price overrides on top of the standard catalog.
- Multi-currency with FX-policy preferences. Set the org's FX policy and proceed - all blueprint code stays the same.
Help us add more
If your business model isn't represented here, the gap is interesting to us. Open an issue or reach out at engineering@kontorion.eu with a sketch of the model - what you charge for, when you charge, who pays whom, and what the edge cases are. The most-requested patterns get added next.