A defining characteristic of the subscription$-$based business model is that the

user pays for access to a product or service whether he or she uses it during the payment term or not.

initial product is often sold at a loss or given away for free in order to drive demand for complementary goods.

user pays for only the services he or she consumes.

basic features of a product or service are provided free of charge, but the user must pay for premium services such as advanced features or add$-$ons.