Understanding Matterport Hosting Fees and the Pricing Challenge

Before diving into pricing strategies, it’s essential to be clear on what Matterport hosting fees cover. These are typically recurring charges (monthly or annual) for keeping the 3D model and virtual tour accessible online via Matterport’s cloud platform. The fees are often tiered based on the number of active spaces you need hosted.

The core pricing challenge is how to pass these ongoing costs onto your clients without appearing to nickel-and-dime them or creating confusion. Clients often think of the virtual tour as a one-time purchase, like photography. Introducing a recurring fee requires careful communication and value framing. Your options generally involve:

• Including the fee: Bundling hosting into a higher initial price.
• Charging separately: Billing clients a recurring fee for hosting.
• Offering limited hosting: Providing a set hosting period (e.g., 6 or 12 months) upfront.

Each approach has pros and cons for both you and your client.

Strategy 1: Bundling Matterport Hosting Fees into Your Initial Price

One of the simplest approaches is to bundle a set period of Matterport hosting fees directly into your initial service package price. This offers clients a clean, one-time cost upfront, avoiding the complexity of recurring billing initially.

How it works: Calculate the cost of, say, 6 or 12 months of hosting for a typical space, and add that cost (plus a potential margin) to your scanning and processing fee.

Example: If your scanning fee is $300 and 12 months of hosting costs you $60, you might price the package at $400-$450, explicitly stating that it includes 12 months of hosting. After the initial period, you would then offer an option to renew hosting.

Pros:

• Simplifies the initial client decision.
• Avoids immediate discussion of recurring fees.
• Can increase the perceived value of the initial package.

Cons:

• Requires you to track hosting expiry dates for each client.
• Might make your initial quote seem higher than competitors who quote scanning only.
• Clients might forget about the hosting expiry and be surprised by a renewal notice.

This method works well for clients who need the tour for a specific, limited timeframe (e.g., a real estate listing that is expected to sell within a year).

Strategy 2: Charging Matterport Hosting Fees as a Separate Recurring Fee

This is often the most transparent method regarding the ongoing nature of hosting costs. You separate the scanning/processing fee from the hosting fee.

How it works: Your initial quote covers the scanning, processing, and delivery of the virtual tour files. A separate, ongoing fee is quoted for hosting. This can be billed monthly or annually.

Example: Quote $300 for scanning and processing, plus $10/month or $100/year for hosting per space.

Pros:

• High transparency for the client about ongoing costs.
• Clearly aligns the fee with the ongoing service (keeping the tour online).
• Easier for you to adjust pricing for future Matterport fee increases.

Cons:

• Introduces a recurring payment model that some clients may resist.
• Requires setting up recurring billing infrastructure.
• Can feel less like a ‘product’ and more like a ‘service’ with ongoing costs.

To make this work, clearly articulate the value of the ongoing hosting – reliability, speed, accessibility, Matterport platform features, and your continued management of the tour.

Strategy 3: Offering Tiered or Packaged Hosting Options

Instead of a single hosting price, offer clients options. This uses pricing psychology principles like tiering and bundling to provide perceived choice and potentially increase average deal value.

How it works: Create packages that include different hosting durations or levels of service.

Example Options:

• Basic: 6 months of hosting included.
• Standard: 12 months of hosting included, plus maybe 1-2 minor updates.
• Premium: 24 months of hosting included, plus enhanced analytics access or integration support.

Presenting these options clearly is key. Static PDFs or spreadsheets can be cumbersome. This is where a tool like PricingLink (https://pricinglink.com) excels. PricingLink allows you to build interactive pricing pages where clients can select their scanning package and then choose from different hosting duration add-ons or bundled tiers, seeing the total price update live.

Pros:

• Caters to different client needs and budgets.
• Can increase average revenue per client if they choose higher tiers.
• Frames hosting as a valuable, configurable part of the service.
• Interactive presentation tools enhance the client experience.

Cons:

• Requires more thought in setting up the different packages.
• Needs a clear way to present options without overwhelming the client (hence the value of interactive tools).

Remember to price tiers not just on your cost, but on the value the longer hosting period or extra services provide to the client (e.g., longer marketing cycles, evergreen content). If you need more comprehensive proposal software that includes e-signatures, tools like PandaDoc (https://www.pandadoc.com) or Proposify (https://www.proposify.com) are popular, but if your focus is specifically on creating a modern, interactive pricing configuration experience, PricingLink is a laser-focused and affordable option.

Value-Based Pricing for Hosting, Not Just Cost Recovery

Avoid pricing Matterport hosting fees solely based on what Matterport charges you. While covering costs is essential, your matterport hosting fees pricing should reflect the value the hosted tour provides to the client.

What is that value?

• Extended Reach: The tour is accessible 24/7, globally.
• Marketing Asset: It continues to market a property or business long after the scan.
• Engagement: It keeps visitors engaged on their website longer.
• Information Source: Provides detailed information about a space.

Frame your hosting fee not just as a technical necessity, but as the ongoing investment in keeping a powerful marketing and information asset live and working for them. Your fee covers the platform cost and the value of that continuous availability and performance.

This perspective shift allows you to charge a reasonable margin on hosting, contributing to your overall profitability rather than just being a pass-through expense.

Communicating Hosting Costs Transparently

Regardless of the model you choose, transparency is paramount. No client likes unexpected or poorly explained fees.

Key Communication Points:

1. Explain why hosting is needed: It keeps the tour online and accessible.
2. Clearly state the fee structure: Is it included for a period? Is it recurring? What’s the amount?
3. Specify the duration: If included, state for how long (e.g., “Includes 12 months of Matterport hosting”). If recurring, state the billing frequency (e.g., “$15/month hosting fee”).
4. Explain renewal terms: What happens after the included period expires? What are the renewal options and costs?
5. Highlight the value: Connect the hosting fee to the ongoing benefits the tour provides.

Ensure these details are clear in your quotes, proposals, and contracts. Using a tool that structures your pricing clearly, like an interactive pricing link generated by PricingLink (https://pricinglink.com), can significantly improve this communication and client understanding compared to a dense PDF.

Handling Future Matterport Hosting Fee Increases

Matterport, like any SaaS provider, may increase their hosting fees over time. Your pricing model needs to accommodate this.

• Separate Fee Model: This is the easiest model to adjust. Your terms should state that the hosting fee is subject to change with reasonable notice.
• Bundled Model: If you’ve bundled hosting for a long period (e.g., 24 months), you absorb the increase during that time. For renewals, you can adjust the price.
• Contracts: Include a clause in your service agreement that addresses how hosting fees may be adjusted, especially for recurring plans, giving reasonable notice (e.g., 30-60 days).

Future-proofing your matterport hosting fees pricing ensures your margins aren’t eroded by external cost increases.