> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.pocketsflow.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Product types & use cases

> Choose the right Pocketsflow product type for courses, guides, templates, communities, and more.

Pocketsflow is built for digital products. This guide helps you map your idea to
the right setup — one-time product or subscription, which pricing model, and how
to structure related offers — so you launch faster and avoid rework.

## When to use this guide

Use this page when you are:

* Planning a new offer and deciding how to structure it.
* Migrating from another platform (for example, Gumroad or Lemon Squeezy) and
  mapping existing products.
* Unsure whether to use one-time purchases, subscriptions, or a lifetime deal.
* Deciding between fixed pricing, pay-what-you-want, or variants.

## The two building blocks

Everything you sell is one of two objects. Get this choice right first; the rest
is configuration.

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="One-time product" icon="box">
    Paid once, accessed forever. No renewals, trials, or cancellations. Delivers a
    file, a link/URL, or a callback. Simplest to run.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Subscription" icon="repeat">
    Billed weekly, monthly, or yearly. Optional free trial, self-service portal,
    and per-subscriber status tracking. Best for ongoing value.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

The single most important question:

> **Is the value delivered in one shot, or continuously over time?**
> One shot → product. Over time → subscription.

## One-time products

Best for:

* Guides, eBooks, and playbooks.
* Notion templates and document packs.
* Icon packs, wallpapers, fonts, 3D assets, and UI kits.
* License keys, presets, or one-off downloads.
* A standalone course with lifetime access.

Characteristics:

* The customer pays once and keeps access to the content.
* Low-friction checkout — email plus payment, done.
* No recurring billing, trials, or dunning to manage.
* Delivery is a **file** download, a **URL** you send buyers to, or a **callback
  URL** that lets your own system fulfill the order (for example, generate and
  email a license key).

Configuration tips:

* Choose a page layout that fits the content (see [Page templates](/selling/page-templates)).
* Bundle related files together to raise perceived value.
* If you plan future updates, say so explicitly — "free lifetime updates" is a
  strong buy trigger for templates and design assets.

## Subscriptions and memberships

Best for:

* Communities and memberships.
* Cohort-based or continuously updated courses.
* Content that ships on a cadence (weekly lessons, monthly drops, a signal feed).
* Tools or services billed monthly.

Characteristics:

* Recurring billing on a **weekly**, **monthly**, or **yearly** schedule.
* Access is tied to an **active** subscription and its status.
* Optional **free trial** and a **self-service portal** for subscribers.
* Requires clear communication about renewal, trial, and cancellation.

Configuration tips:

* Consider offering both a **monthly** and a discounted **yearly** plan (publish
  them as two subscriptions and let buyers pick).
* Clearly describe what subscribers get **every** billing period, not just once.
* Use a trial to lower the barrier to the first "yes."

The full walkthrough is in [Subscriptions](/selling/subscriptions).

## Common use-case patterns

### Courses

Courses can be structured either way:

* **One-time purchase with lifetime access** — the classic "buy the course" model.
* **Subscription to a course library** — ongoing access to a growing catalog.

Tips:

* Use a page layout with room for a curriculum or module list.
* Highlight **outcomes** ("Ship your first product in a weekend"), not just a
  module count.
* Combine with community or live sessions via [upsells or bundles](/selling/upsells-and-bundles).

### Communities

* Almost always a **subscription** — the value (access, conversation, events) is
  continuous.
* Deliver access with a **URL** (a Discord/Slack invite or members area) or a
  **callback URL** that provisions the member in your own system.
* A **trial** works well to let people feel the room before committing.

### Templates and packs

* **One-time products**, optionally grouped into **bundles**.
* Emphasize what's inside and the time it saves.
* "Free future updates" pairs naturally with template products.

### Tools, licenses, and SaaS-style offers

* **Subscription** for recurring access, or a **one-time product** with a callback
  URL that issues a license key on purchase.
* Use the callback/webhook flow to activate the account programmatically.

## Bundles and packs

Bundles combine multiple related items into a single, higher-value purchase.

Best for:

* Combining related products (for example, templates + icons + a mini-course).
* Offering tiered value (starter vs. complete).

Configuration tips:

* Make the bundle's value obvious versus buying each item separately.
* Explain how buyers access each component after purchase.

See [Upsells & bundles](/selling/upsells-and-bundles) for setup and strategy.

## Lifetime deals

Best for:

* Early supporters, launch promotions, and "pay once, keep forever" offers.

Configuration tips:

* Model a lifetime deal as a **one-time product** with ongoing access.
* Be explicit about what "lifetime" means (the lifetime of the product? of your
  business?) in your terms.
* Lifetime deals trade long-term recurring revenue for up-front cash — use them
  deliberately, often as a limited-time launch lever.

## Flexible pricing options

These layer on top of the product types above.

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Fixed price">
    A single amount in your account currency. The default and the clearest choice
    for most offers.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Pay what you want">
    Let buyers choose their own price, with a **minimum** you set (and optionally a
    suggested amount). Great for tips, "name your price" launches, donations, and
    supporter pricing. Buyers must still meet the minimum, and an email is always
    collected.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Variants">
    Offer several options for the same product — for example **Standard / Pro /
    Team**, or different formats of the same asset — each with its own price.
    Buyers pick a variant at checkout instead of you publishing several separate
    products.
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

<Note>
  Pay-what-you-want and variants are one-time product pricing models. Subscriptions
  price per billing period; to offer subscription "tiers," publish a subscription
  per tier.
</Note>

## Choosing the right structure

Ask yourself:

* **Is the value delivered in one shot or over time?**
  * One shot → one-time product.
  * Over time → subscription.
* **Do I want predictable recurring revenue?**
  * Yes → subscription or membership.
  * No → one-time products, optionally with upsells.
* **Will I offer multiple related products?**
  * Yes → consider bundles, or a mix of one-time and subscription products.
* **Do I want to lower the barrier to the first purchase?**
  * Subscription → add a free trial.
  * One-time → offer a low-priced entry product with an upsell to the flagship.

## Mapping Pocketsflow to your use case

| You want to sell…              | Use                                                 | Notes                                                         |
| ------------------------------ | --------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Notion / design templates      | One-time product (optionally bundled)               | Highlight "free updates"                                      |
| A community with monthly calls | Subscription (monthly)                              | Deliver via Discord/members URL or callback; consider a trial |
| A flagship course + bonuses    | One-time course + bundle/upsell                     | Sell outcomes; add assets as upsells                          |
| A newsletter or signal feed    | Subscription (weekly/monthly)                       | Trial to convert readers                                      |
| Tips / "buy me a coffee"       | Pay-what-you-want product                           | Set a small minimum                                           |
| Software with a license        | One-time product with callback URL, or subscription | Callback issues the key                                       |
| A launch-week lifetime offer   | One-time product ("lifetime")                       | Time-box it; be explicit in terms                             |

## What's next

* To configure a specific product, continue to [Create a product](/selling/create-product).
* To add recurring revenue, see [Subscriptions](/selling/subscriptions).
* To maximize revenue per customer, see [Upsells & bundles](/selling/upsells-and-bundles).
* To design the page buyers see, see [Page templates](/selling/page-templates).

## Example code

Developers embedding checkout or handling webhooks can start from a runnable
example — one per building block:

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="One-time products example" icon="github" href="https://github.com/pocketsflow/one-time-products-example">
    Embed a product checkout and handle `order.completed` webhooks.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Subscriptions example" icon="github" href="https://github.com/pocketsflow/subscriptions-example">
    Embed a subscription checkout and handle the subscription lifecycle webhooks.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>