What Are Subscription Entitlements?
Subscription entitlements define which features, resources, or capabilities a customer can access based on their current subscription plan. They are the bridge between billing and in-app feature access.
Why Entitlements Matter
Without entitlements, your application code ends up checking plan names directly — "is this user on the Pro plan?" — which breaks every time you rename, add, or restructure plans. Entitlements decouple feature access from plan naming:
- ✓Plan-agnostic logic — check "can this user export?" instead of "is this user on Pro?"
- ✓Flexible plan changes — rearrange features across plans without touching application code.
- ✓Granular access control — grant or revoke individual capabilities rather than entire plan tiers.
- ✓Self-serve experimentation — product teams can adjust packaging without engineering deploys.
Entitlements vs Feature Flags
Entitlements
- • Tied to subscription plans and billing
- • Managed by product or billing teams
- • Determine what a user has paid for
- • Persist as long as the subscription is active
Feature Flags
- • Tied to release and rollout strategy
- • Managed by engineering teams
- • Determine what is currently enabled
- • Temporary — removed after full rollout
In practice, many SaaS products use both: feature flags for gradual rollouts and entitlements for plan-based gating.
How Entitlements Work
Define Features
Identify the capabilities your product offers — export, API access, team seats, custom branding — and create a named entitlement for each.
Attach to Plans
Map entitlements to subscription plans. The Starter plan might include 3 seats and basic export, while Pro gets unlimited seats and advanced analytics.
Check via API
When a user performs an action, your app queries the billing API for their active entitlements and grants or denies access accordingly.
Common Entitlement Patterns
Boolean
A simple on/off toggle. The user either has access to a feature or does not. Example: can_export = true.
Numeric (Quota)
A countable limit. The entitlement specifies a maximum value. Example: seats = 5, api_calls = 10000.
Tiered
A level-based entitlement that unlocks progressively more capability. Example: support = basic | priority | dedicated.
How Paylio's Built-in Entitlements Work
Paylio includes entitlements as a native part of the billing platform — no separate service to build or maintain:
- ✓Define entitlements visually in the plan builder — boolean flags, numeric quotas, or tiered levels.
- ✓Query with one API call —
get_subscription(user_id)returns active entitlements alongside plan details. - ✓Instant updates — change feature-to-plan mappings in the dashboard and they take effect immediately.
- ✓Upgrade/downgrade aware — entitlements adjust automatically when a customer changes plans.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between entitlements and feature flags?
Feature flags are a deployment tool — they control whether a feature is turned on or off for specific users or cohorts, usually managed by engineering. Entitlements are a billing concept — they define what features a customer has purchased access to based on their subscription plan. Entitlements are tied to the plan; feature flags are tied to rollout strategy.
Can entitlements change when a user upgrades or downgrades?
Yes. When a customer changes plans, their entitlements update immediately to reflect the new plan. Features attached to the higher plan become available on upgrade, and features exclusive to the old plan are revoked on downgrade.
How do I check entitlements in my application code?
Typically, you call your billing platform API with the user ID and receive a response that includes the user's active entitlements. You then check for a specific entitlement (e.g., can_export or seats_limit) in your application logic before granting access.
Do I need a separate entitlements service?
Not necessarily. Some billing platforms like Paylio include entitlements natively — you define features per plan in the dashboard and query them via the subscription API. If your billing system lacks this, you would need to build and maintain a mapping layer yourself.
What happens to entitlements during a free trial?
During a free trial, the customer typically receives the entitlements of the plan they are trialing. This lets them experience the full feature set before committing. When the trial ends, entitlements either persist (if they convert) or revert to a free-tier level.
Feature Gating Without the Custom Code
Free for up to 100 subscribers. Built-in entitlements on every plan — no separate service needed.
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