The Real SaaS Data Model: Tenants, Apps, Customers, and Subscriptions

Why Your Data Model Matters

Most billing systems are flat. One account, one subscription, done. But real SaaS products need hierarchy.

The StackBE Model

We've built a data model that reflects how real SaaS businesses operate:

Tenant → App → Products → Plans → Customers → Subscriptions

Let's break it down.

Tenants: Your Organization

A tenant is your organization—the entity that owns everything. One tenant can run multiple apps, each with its own:

This is perfect for agencies, platforms, and companies with multiple products.

Apps: Your Products

Each app is a self-contained SaaS product. Think of it as a workspace. You might have:

Each completely isolated, but all under one tenant.

Products & Plans: What You Sell

Products describe value. Plans describe pricing.

A product might be "Pro Access" with plans for:

Customers: Who Pays

Customers are scoped to apps. The same email can exist in multiple apps without collision. Each customer has:

Subscriptions: The Revenue Engine

Subscriptions tie customers to plans. They track:

Why This Matters

This model lets you:

It's not the simplest model. It's the right model.