Predictable recurring revenue
Customers renew monthly or yearly. Your cash flow stops depending on the next big launch and starts compounding from the existing base.
Subscriptions for Excel workbooks
Recurring revenue
from your spreadsheet.
XLS Padlock ships a free FastSpring Subscription Kit that turns your compiled workbook into a subscription product. Activation keys expire at the end of each billing cycle and renew automatically as long as the customer keeps paying. Cancel, and the EXE refuses to run on next re-validation.
Why the model fits Excel workbooks.
Continuous updates justify the price
Subscribers expect (and accept) regular updates. You ship features incrementally instead of saving them for a paid major release.
A lapse stops the workbook
Cancellation revokes the key on the next re-validation. You do not chase customers; the EXE enforces the cutoff.
Tighter feedback loop
Active subscribers are easier to talk to than one-time buyers. Customer success metrics improve, and churn becomes a real signal.
From checkout to renewal, fully automated.
- 01
Set up FastSpring billing
The subscription kit ships for FastSpring. You run recurring billing through FastSpring, and the kit keys activation and renewal off your FastSpring subscriptions.
- 02
Configure the FastSpring Subscription Kit
Drop the PHP kit on your activation server, point FastSpring webhooks at it. The kit handles initial activation, renewal, and cancellation.
- 03
Customer subscribes and activates
Standard FastSpring checkout. Webhook fires on success, the kit issues a time-limited activation key, customer activates the EXE.
- 04
Renewals re-validate transparently
Every N days, the EXE re-validates the key against your server. The kit checks subscription status with FastSpring; expired = revoked.
Pick a model for your spreadsheet product.
The figures below are example price points you set yourself. They are not the cost of XLS Padlock, which is a one-time license you buy once.
Monthly
9 to 29 EURStandard SaaS-style pricing. Best for general productivity workbooks aimed at consumers and SMBs.
Yearly
49 to 199 EURDiscount versus monthly. Reduces churn (customers commit longer). Best for business workbooks with seasonal usage.
Tiered
Basic / Pro / EnterpriseSingle workbook, multiple feature levels. You gate features in your own VBA using the subscription data Online Validation returns.
Hybrid
Lifetime + maintenanceUpfront purchase plus optional renewable maintenance for new versions. XLS Padlock itself ships this way (a one-time license plus a 12-month maintenance window).