Extensions, plugins and apps
For 3D and CAD software: which tutorials and trials bring the seats that get bought.
3D and CAD software is bought by engineers, studios and hobbyists after a long trial on real projects, and a seat may be paid by card, invoice or a local reseller. Tally ties the payments made through your own checkout to the visits behind them, so you can see which tutorials, forums and comparison pages bring buyers who add seats.
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01How they sell
- SubscriptionMonthly or yearly seats with support included; studios add seats as projects grow.
- One-offPerpetual licences with an optional yearly maintenance plan, still asked for by engineering firms.
- UsageCloud rendering or simulation time billed by the hour on top of the seat.
02Payments it reads
- StripeCard checkout for single seats and Stripe invoices for quoted orders; paid invoices are read like any payment.
- PaddleMerchant of record for seats sold to studios worldwide; transactions, renewals and seat upgrades are read.
What Tally can't read
- Seats sold through resellers in other countries are paid to the reseller and aren't read.
- Purchase orders paid by bank transfer outside a connected provider aren't read; a quote sent as a Stripe invoice is.
- Licence server check-ins and hours of use aren't counted.
- Education licences issued through a school's own portal aren't read.
03Where buyers come from
- Tutorial channelsLong modeling and drafting tutorials send learners and professionals alike; a UTM per channel separates their revenue.
- 3D printing communitiesMakers designing parts to print arrive from maker forums and buy hobbyist licences.
- CG and engineering forumsThreads comparing tools send professionals who read the feature matrix and system requirements before starting a trial.
- Course pagesStudents and teachers arrive from course sites; education licences show as low revenue per visitor.
04What Tally answers
How long does a studio evaluate before buying seats?
Path to purchase gives the median time and visits from first visit to first payment, a histogram of the wait and the pages buyers saw, often the requirements and licensing pages.
Path to purchaseWhat did the engineering firm read before asking for a quote?
The visitor's journey lists every visit and page with engaged time, so you can see which features and documents the buyer studied.
Visitors and journeysHow many trial sign-ups become paying seats?
Send tally('trial_started') and the goals view gives completions, converting visitors and the revenue of the visitors who started a trial.
Goals and funnelsWhich source brings studios that add seats?
Lifetime value by first source adds every renewal and seat change, so channels that bring growing studios show a rising average.
Lifetime valueOur quotes are paid by invoice. Why are they unlinked?
Coverage names the reason, usually an invoice email the site never identified. Calling tally('identify', { email }) at trial sign-up lets those invoices link by email.
Coverage
05Numbers worth watching
- Median time to buy
- Median time from first visit to first payment; professional evaluations run long, so compare channels by it rather than expecting quick sales.
- Lifetime value by first source
- Average lifetime revenue by first source, which grows when a channel's studios add seats and maintenance.
- Coverage
- The share of revenue linked to a visitor; invoiced orders need an identified email to count.
- Goal conversion
- The share of visitors who start a trial, by source, the step before any seat is bought.
06An example
Lifetime value by first source
All time: every payment since 1 Nov 2025. The period above doesn't apply.
| First source | Customers | Lifetime revenue | Average value | Renewals | Repeat rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GoogleOrganic Search | 325 | $40,560 | $125 | 845 | 52% |
| ChatGPTAI Assistants | 126 | $21,071 | $167 | 391 | 61% |
| Direct | 178 | $18,216 | $102 | 374 | 44% |
| NewsletterEmail | 94 | $17,362 | $185 | 357 | 69% |
| Hacker NewsOrganic Social | 84 | $11,741 | $140 | 227 | 55% |
| x.comOrganic Social | 115 | $10,190 | $89 | 161 | 33% |
| RedditOrganic Social | 84 | $9,016 | $107 | 160 | 40% |
| PerplexityAI Assistants | 42 | $6,342 | $151 | 101 | 57% |
| Every source | 1,048 | $134,498 | $128 | 2,616 | 51% |
A customer is a visitor linked to a sale, counted under the source of their first visit. Lifetime revenue is net of refunds and chargebacks; repeat rate is the share who paid more than once (a renewal, an upgrade or another purchase). $13,167 from 426 payments not linked to a visitor is in no row.
07Setting up
- Next.jsIf the product site runs on Next.js, put the tag in the root layout so docs, pricing and the trial form all count.
- StripeSend quotes as Stripe invoices to the email that started the trial; with identify called at sign-up, they link by email.
- Make the trial sign-up a goal, so trials from each source can be followed through to seats.
08Questions
We sell through resellers in some countries. What will Tally show there?
The visits from those countries, but not the resellers' sales, so revenue per visitor there will look low. Read those rows as reach, not revenue.
Can Tally count licence server usage?
No. It counts visits to your website and reads payments from your provider; usage of the software stays with your licensing system.
Is cloud render time billed on top of a seat read?
Yes, when it's charged through Stripe or Paddle: as a renewal on the seat's subscription, or as a sale of its own if billed separately.