A Step-by-Step Guide to Create a Subscription-Based SaaS App in Bubble.io

The Software as a Service (SaaS) market is projected to reach over $377 billion by 2025, driven by the power of the subscription model. For entrepreneurs and developers, this represents a massive opportunity to build sustainable businesses with predictable, recurring revenue. But what if you can't code? Enter Bubble.io, the leading no-code platform that empowers you to build sophisticated web applications without writing a single line of code. This comprehensive guide will walk you through every step of creating a fully functional subscription-based SaaS application in Bubble.io, from database design to payment integration with Stripe.

Why Build a SaaS with Bubble.io and a Subscription Model?

Before we dive into the technical details, it's crucial to understand why this combination is so powerful. The subscription model offers numerous advantages over one-time purchases, transforming how businesses operate.

• Predictable Recurring Revenue: Subscriptions provide a stable and forecastable income stream, making financial planning and scaling much easier.
• Increased Customer Lifetime Value (CLV): By retaining customers over a longer period, you significantly increase the total revenue generated from each user.
• Lower Upfront Costs for Users: A small monthly or annual fee is a much lower barrier to entry for customers compared to a large one-time software license.
• Direct Customer Relationships: This model fosters an ongoing relationship, allowing you to gather continuous feedback and reduce churn.

Bubble.io amplifies these benefits by drastically reducing development time and cost. It provides the visual development environment, database, and logic engine you need to build a robust SaaS platform that can scale with your user base.

Phase 1: Planning and Database Architecture

A successful application starts with a solid foundation. In Bubble, this foundation is your database. A well-structured database will make building features, workflows, and managing user access significantly easier down the line.

Step 1: Define Your Core Features and Subscription Tiers

First, outline what your SaaS will do. What problem does it solve? Then, decide how you will monetize it. Will you have a single plan or multiple tiers (e.g., Basic, Pro, Enterprise)? For each tier, define the specific features, usage limits (e.g., number of projects, team members), and price.

Step 2: Structure Your Bubble.io Database

Navigate to the 'Data' tab in your Bubble editor. We'll need to create and modify a few key Data Types (think of these as tables in a traditional database).

The 'User' Data Type (Built-in):

Bubble provides a default 'User' type. We need to add custom fields to manage subscription details:

• Subscription Status: A text field to store the user's current status (e.g., "active", "trialing", "canceled", "past_due"). This is critical for controlling feature access.
• Stripe Customer ID: A text field to store the unique ID created by Stripe for each customer. This links your Bubble user to their Stripe profile.
• Subscription End Date: A date field to track when the current subscription period ends. Useful for managing access after cancellation.
• Current Plan: A text or option set field to store the name of the user's current plan (e.g., "Pro").

Create a 'SubscriptionPlan' Data Type (Optional but Recommended):

While you can manage plans directly in Stripe, creating a corresponding Data Type in Bubble allows you to display plan information dynamically on your pricing page.

• Plan Name: Text (e.g., "Pro Plan").
• Price: Number.
• Features: A list of texts.
• Stripe Price ID: Text. This is the ID from your Stripe dashboard (e.g., price_1J...); it's essential for initiating the checkout process.

Phase 2: UI Design and User Experience

With your database planned, it's time to build the user-facing pages. Focus on creating a clean, intuitive experience that guides users seamlessly from visitor to paying customer.

Essential Pages for Your SaaS App:

1. Landing Page: Your marketing front door. Clearly communicate your value proposition and have a strong call-to-action (CTA) like "Sign Up Now".
2. Pricing Page: Display your subscription tiers. Use the 'SubscriptionPlan' data type to dynamically show plan details. Each plan should have a "Subscribe" or "Choose Plan" button.
3. Sign-up / Login Pages: Bubble's user management system makes this straightforward. Ensure the process is as frictionless as possible.
4. User Dashboard: This is the main interface for logged-in users. It's where they access the core features of your application.
5. Account/Billing Page: A dedicated area where users can view their current plan, see billing history, and manage their subscription.

Phase 3: Integrating Stripe for Payments

This is where the magic happens. We'll use the official Stripe plugin by Bubble to handle all payment and subscription logic securely.

Step 3: Set Up the Stripe Plugin

1. Go to the 'Plugins' tab in Bubble and search for "Stripe" by Bubble. Click 'Install'.
2. In the plugin settings, you will see fields for API keys. You'll need to get these from your Stripe Dashboard (under Developers > API keys). Start with your 'Test' keys. You have a 'Publishable key' (safe to use on the front end) and a 'Secret key' (keep this secure).
3. Enable "Use Stripe Checkout" for a streamlined, SCA-compliant payment experience hosted by Stripe.

Step 4: Create Products and Prices in Stripe

Before users can subscribe, you must define what they are subscribing to in your Stripe Dashboard.

1. Log in to Stripe and navigate to the 'Products' section.
2. Click 'Add product'. Give it a name (e.g., "SaaS Pro Plan").
3. Under 'Pricing', add a new price. Set the amount, currency, and ensure you select 'Recurring'. This creates the subscription plan.
4. Once created, copy the 'Price ID' (it will look like `price_...`). You will need this for your Bubble workflows.

Phase 4: Building the Core Subscription Workflows

Workflows are Bubble's way of defining logic. We'll now connect our UI buttons to Stripe actions to create and manage subscriptions.

Step 5: The "Subscribe" Button Workflow

On your pricing page, select the "Subscribe" button for a specific plan. Open the Workflow editor.

1. Action 1: 'Subscribe the user to a plan' (from Stripe Plugin): Select this action.
2. User: Set this to 'Current User'.
3. Price ID: This is where you paste the Stripe Price ID you copied earlier. It's best practice to store this ID on your 'SubscriptionPlan' data type and reference it dynamically.
4. This single action will redirect the user to a secure Stripe Checkout page to enter their payment details.

Step 6: Handling Successful Payments with Webhooks

What happens after a user pays? Stripe needs to tell your Bubble app that the payment was successful. This is done using webhooks, which are automated messages sent from one app to another.

First, you must enable backend workflows in your Bubble app's settings (Settings > API > Enable Workflow API and Backend Workflows).

1. Go to your 'Backend workflows' page. Click to add a new API workflow.
2. Name it something like 'stripe_checkout_completed'. Check 'Expose as a public API workflow'.
3. Under 'Detect request data', click 'Detect data'. Bubble will give you a unique URL. Copy it.
4. In your Stripe Dashboard, go to Developers > Webhooks. Click 'Add endpoint'.
5. Paste the Bubble URL into the 'Endpoint URL' field.
6. For 'Events to send', select 'checkout.session.completed'. Add the endpoint.
7. Back in Bubble, trigger a test payment (using Stripe's test cards). Once Stripe sends the webhook, Bubble will detect the data structure.
8. Now, create actions in this backend workflow. When it runs, you'll want to: 'Make changes to a thing...'
9. Thing to change: 'Search for Users'. The constraint will be `Stripe Customer ID = Request Data's object customer`.
10. Fields to change: Set `Subscription Status` to "active" and update the `Current Plan` and `Subscription End Date` fields using the data sent from Stripe.

Phase 5: Managing User Access and Permissions

With subscription status tracked in your database, you can now control what users can see and do.

Step 7: Implement a Paywall with Conditionals

You can restrict access to pages or features using conditional logic.

• Page-Level Protection: On a premium feature page, create a workflow 'When Page is Loaded' and add a condition: `When Current User's Subscription Status is not "active"`. The action should be 'Go to page...' and redirect them to your pricing page.
• Element-Level Protection: You can hide specific buttons or groups for non-paying users. On the element's 'Conditional' tab, create a rule: `When Current User's Subscription Status is not "active"`, set the property 'This element isn't visible'.

Step 8: Create a Customer Billing Portal

Empower your users to manage their own subscriptions without contacting support. Stripe offers a pre-built Customer Portal.

1. In your Stripe settings, configure the Customer Portal with your branding and desired options (e.g., allow plan changes, cancellations, payment method updates).
2. In your Bubble app's Account/Billing page, add a "Manage Billing" button.
3. The workflow for this button uses the Stripe plugin action: 'Stripe portal - create a link'. It only requires the 'Current User' as a parameter.
4. The final action is 'Open an external website' with the result of the previous step. This will seamlessly redirect the user to their personal billing portal hosted by Stripe.

Conclusion: Launch and Iterate

You have now built the core infrastructure for a powerful subscription-based SaaS application in Bubble.io. You've designed a scalable database, created a user-friendly interface, integrated a world-class payment processor, and secured your premium features behind a paywall. The final steps involve thorough testing with Stripe's test cards to ensure every workflow functions as expected before switching to your live API keys. Remember, building a SaaS is an iterative process. Launch your minimum viable product (MVP), listen to user feedback, and continuously improve your application. With the power of Bubble.io and Stripe, you have all the tools you need to turn your idea into a thriving subscription business. Ready to build your recurring revenue empire? Start building on Bubble.io today!