Answer first
A complete cost model for comparing contact, profile, event, send, seat, onboarding, and operating charges. The useful unit is the complete operating path, not one isolated feature. Define the trigger, context, route, sequence, exit, handoff, and measurement before comparing secondary capabilities.
Complete cost model
| Cost layer | Typical unit | Hidden variable |
|---|---|---|
| Core subscription | Plan or package | Critical automation reserved for a higher tier |
| Audience | Contacts, marketing contacts, profiles, subscribers | Inactive or non-subscribed profiles may still count |
| Messages | Email sends, SMS units, credits | Overage and country rates |
| Data | Events, objects, API calls, storage | Volume and retention limits |
| People | Seats and onboarding | Required services and permission tiers |
| Connected tools | CRM, capture, messaging, integration | Duplicate billing and maintenance |
| Operations | Monthly team hours | QA, data mapping, reporting, governance |
Calculation
Real monthly cost = subscription + usage tiers + channel charges + required connected tools + amortized onboarding + monthly operating time. Model the current database, the expected 12-month database, and one high-volume campaign month.
Pricing traps to test
Check whether unsubscribed contacts count, whether automation is available on the entry plan, when a higher contact tier activates, whether sends are a multiple of audience size, which AI actions consume credits, and whether sales handoff needs a separate CRM package.
How to use this guide
- Name the business outcome and the event that starts the path.
- Mark the system that owns each piece of context.
- Write the conditions that change timing, message, route, or next step.
- Define every exit before building messages.
- Test the two handoffs most likely to lose context.
- Record the plan, date, source, expected result, and actual result.
Evidence boundary
This guide uses current public product documentation and the publication's evaluation model. It does not claim a hands-on product test unless a dated record is labeled Workflow tested.