GBB 93: Superhuman is the Equinox of Email
GBB 93: Superhuman is the Equinox of Email
Plus: Crunchbase, ThoughtSpot, Chili Piper, and Dashlane
Welcome back to Good Better Best.
Today, we’re breaking down recent pricing updates from Superhuman, and sharing several other pricing and product updates across the world of SaaS and PLG.
Let’s get to it.
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▶ Superhuman is the Equinox of Email
In the world of email, the vast majority of people are satisfied with free tools. Perhaps that’s why most inboxes are an absolute mess.
Enter Superhuman.
Founded to make email faster and more intuitive, its founder once said he wanted the app to feel like driving a Ferrari. At $30 per month, the price tag reflects its luxury positioning. If Gmail and Outlook are Planet Fitness or the local Y, Superhuman is Equinox.
The product amplifies its aspirational air with a “Sent via Superhuman” link in the signature — a way for users to show, without a doubt, that they get stuff done.
The hard part about selling a luxury email app is that email is extremely personal. People have been using email forever, and most are set in there ways (Note: I used Superhuman for a few months earlier this year and loved it, but eventually went back to Gmail because I missed my previous setup).
Because of that, it’s much easier for Superhuman to sell to 1 person rather than 5, 10, or an entire org. Based on the company’s pricing page activity the past few months, it seems Superhuman was having an especially hard time getting adoption for its middle tier.
Recently, they made some big changes, including renaming the plan from Growth to Business, and updating the features accordingly.
Previously, the Growth tier was a slightly better version of the Basic tier (now called Starter), with hardly any feature differences, and a 5 user minimum. Looking at the previous pricing page, it’s unclear who Growth was meant for.
Now, the Business tier has no user minimum — it’s positioned to both teams and individuals, and the plan includes advanced AI tools, Superhuman for Sales, and Hubspot and Salesforce integrations. These features clearly differentiate Business from the Starter plan, and suggest a clear target buyer: serious professionals on customer-facing teams (e.g., Sales, Customer Success).
Despite opening this plan up to individuals, I believe Superhuman will have much more success selling to Teams with the revised Business plan.
If you manage a BD, Sales, or CS team, and are a firm believer in the power of email, you have a much easier story to tell your team about why they should use Superhuman instead of Gmail or Outlook.
Elsewhere ▼
Crunchbase [Packaging Update]
Crunchbase is a powerful media/data product for research and prospecting, and recently removed its Starter Plan, cutting its number of packages down to two. The Starter plan was positioned as a research tool for individuals doing “simple” research. The Pro plan is now the recommended package for individuals. Seems like a solid move to improve pipeline hygiene and drive adoption of sticky features (e.g., CRM integration).
ThoughtSpot [Packaging Update]
ThoughtSpot offers AI-powered insights for the modern data stack, and recently removed its entry-level Team plan. Team included 5 users, but the Essentials plan (the new entry-level tier) includes 20. Seems like a clear move to improve pipeline hygiene and move upmarket.
Chili Piper [Freemium Update]
Chili Piper has always struck me as the Calendly alternative playing by the Rule of Opposites. In this case, Calendly is a PLG darling, and Chili Piper is more SLG-focused (more here). Seems like that might be evolving! While Chili Piper’s Freemium plan originally had a “Start Now” CTA, they changed it to “Get a Demo” which aligns better with their high-touch model.
Dashlane [Packaging Test]
Dashlane is testing its pricing page with and without Business Plus, a $3-per-seat plan for companies with 50+ employees.
Thanks for tuning in and see you next week!
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