Why Simple Beats Complex: CKBK's Decision to Avoid Tiered Pricing

When building a subscription platform that serves both home cooks and professional chefs, the obvious move seems to be creating different pricing tiers. Charge more for pro features, less for basic access. It's the playbook followed by most SaaS companies and streaming services. But CKBK founder Matthew Cockerill deliberately chose a different path.

On the Levels Podcast, Matthew explained why his cookbook subscription platform maintains just one simple tier despite serving vastly different user segments. His reasoning offers valuable insights for any startup wrestling with pricing complexity versus user experience simplicity.

The Temptation of Tiered Pricing

The logic for multiple tiers seemed compelling. CKBK's library includes both accessible home cooking books and expensive professional culinary textbooks that normally cost hundreds of dollars each.

"We initially did, we have thought about whether to have a pro tier with making pro books accessible specifically at a higher price point. And there's some arguments for that in the sense that the people who work professionally with food, actually it's very easy to... A lot of those professional books are a lot of money for each copy."

Professional users clearly derive more value from access to high-end culinary education content. They also have higher ability to pay, often with institutional budgets supporting their learning. From a revenue optimization perspective, charging them more seemed like an obvious choice.

The User Experience Complexity Problem

But Matthew had learned from experience in other industries that pricing complexity creates disproportionate user friction, even when the underlying logic seems sound.

"On the other hand, we certainly found that simplicity has a lot of virtues. Anytime you introduce complexity to the model where it's like, oh, you don't have access to this unless you do that, you create potentially a lot of, almost like a disproportionate negative back from, I thought I was getting this but actually now I get that."

The issue isn't just about pricing transparency. It's about the psychological impact of perceived limitations. When users encounter content they can't access, it creates frustration that outweighs the satisfaction of getting what they can access.

The Netflix vs. Cable Model

CKBK's approach mirrors Netflix's original insight about subscription simplicity. Rather than creating different tiers based on content genre or quality level, successful streaming services focus on providing comprehensive access at one price point.

"So having a simple message where people are never going to feel, I thought I would get one thing but actually got something else is pretty important. So we've ended up keeping it really simple and saying right this is the platform and if you subscribe you get access to everything."

This all-access approach eliminates decision paralysis during signup. Users don't need to evaluate which tier matches their needs or worry about choosing wrong. They simply decide whether the entire platform is worth the subscription price.

Marketing Message Clarity

A single tier also dramatically simplifies marketing communication. Instead of explaining feature differences between tiers, CKBK can focus entirely on communicating the value of their comprehensive cookbook library.

The marketing message becomes: "Get access to the world's best cookbooks for $39.99/year." That's infinitely clearer than: "Basic tier gets you home cooking books for $29.99, but professional books require our Pro tier for $79.99, unless you want our Premium tier with video content for $129.99."

Cross-Segment Value Discovery

Perhaps most importantly, the single-tier approach enables serendipitous value discovery across user segments. Home cooks discover professional techniques they wouldn't have paid extra to access. Professional chefs find inspiration in simple home cooking approaches they might have overlooked.

"Our goal is to have all of those books which were in our top 1000 kind of desert island cookbooks. And then the best of the new publications, if something wins an award, we are always looking to bring those award winning books on board."

This cross-pollination creates more engaged users overall. A home cook who discovers advanced pastry techniques through their regular subscription might become more serious about cooking. A professional chef who finds a brilliant simple technique in a home cooking book gets unexpected value.

Operational Simplification

Behind the scenes, a single tier eliminates enormous operational complexity. Customer support doesn't need to handle tier-change requests or explain access limitations. The development team doesn't need to build complex permission systems. Billing integration stays straightforward.

These operational benefits compound over time. Every new feature can be made available to all users immediately, without tier-specific development work. Every partnership opportunity can be evaluated purely on content quality, not tier placement.

The Revenue Trade-off Reality

Matthew acknowledges that single-tier pricing likely leaves money on the table in the short term. Some professional users would certainly pay more for access to expensive culinary textbooks. But the long-term benefits outweigh this opportunity cost.

Higher user satisfaction leads to better retention rates. Simpler operations mean faster feature development. Clearer marketing messages improve conversion rates. These compounding effects often generate more revenue than tier optimization would.

Lessons from Other Industries

The single-tier approach aligns with successful models in adjacent industries. Spotify doesn't charge more for classical music despite its production costs. Netflix doesn't tier pricing based on content budget. Amazon Prime doesn't separate shipping benefits from video access.

These platforms recognize that the perceived value of comprehensive access often exceeds the sum of individual component values. Users prefer feeling like they have unlimited access rather than calculating whether specific content justifies incremental costs.

When Complexity Might Work

Matthew's approach doesn't mean tiered pricing is always wrong. For platforms where user segments have genuinely different use cases and value perceptions, tiers can work well. Software tools where professionals need advanced features that confuse casual users benefit from separation.

But for content platforms where discovery and exploration drive engagement, artificial barriers often reduce overall value creation. The key question is whether pricing complexity serves users or just revenue optimization.

Implementation Insights

CKBK's single-tier success required careful attention to the overall value proposition. At $39.99 annually, the price point needed to feel reasonable to home cooks while remaining accessible to institutions and professionals.

The platform also needed robust content curation to ensure that every user segment finds enough valuable content to justify the subscription. This meant licensing decisions based on broad appeal rather than tier-specific targeting.

Key Takeaways

• Simplicity reduces cognitive load: Single-tier pricing eliminates decision paralysis and tier-comparison complexity during signup
• Access limitations create disproportionate frustration: Users focus more on what they can't access than what they can
• Cross-segment discovery drives engagement: Allowing all users to explore all content creates unexpected value connections
• Operational complexity compounds: Multiple tiers require ongoing development, support, and marketing resources
• Comprehensive access feels more valuable: Users often perceive unlimited access as worth more than the sum of individual components

Matthew's pricing philosophy demonstrates that sometimes the best optimization is no optimization at all. By choosing simplicity over segmentation, CKBK created a more satisfying user experience that ultimately drives better business results.

Listen to the full conversation with Matthew Cockerill on the Levels Podcast to learn more about his approach to pricing and user experience design.