UK Product-Led Growth (PLG) Guide (2026)

UK PLG free tier design: the free tier must create value (users experience the product and want more) without replacing the paid tier. Effective free tier limits: (1) usage limit (100 API calls/month free, 10,000 paid — user hits limit, naturally upgrades), (2) seat limit (1 user free, team requires paid), (3) feature gate (core feature free, advanced features paid — the free tier demonstrates value, paid features create the conversion incentive), (4) data retention limit (30 days free, 12 months paid — analytics products use this). Anti-pattern: free tier so limited it provides no value (users leave instead of upgrading). Free tier must create the "aha moment" — the moment the user realises the product solves their problem. The upgrade conversation happens naturally when they want more of that.

FCA Consumer Duty applies to financial services products — not to non-financial SaaS B2B products. For UK FinTech PLG: yes, FCA Consumer Duty applies to free trial conversion for financial products. Key requirements: (1) trial expiry must be clearly communicated (not buried in small print — Consumer Duty consumer understanding outcome), (2) automatic trial-to-paid conversion must include 24-hour advance notice (FCA Consumer Duty — no surprises), (3) cancellation process must be at least as easy as sign-up process (FCA Consumer Duty — no dark patterns in offboarding), (4) trial pricing and post-trial pricing must be clearly disclosed at sign-up (no teaser rates that escalate without clear notice). For non-financial SaaS: Consumer Rights Act 2015 applies (14-day cancellation right for digital subscriptions).