Bettermode Branding Removal Threshold

Bettermode's Starter plan at $399/mo (annual) keeps the Powered by Bettermode badge and caps members at 10,000; Growth at $1,500/mo (annual) removes branding, adds API, webhooks, a sandbox environment, Ask AI and federated search, and lifts the cap to 25,000 members. That $1,101/mo gap is the agency's decision line. A client community resold at $3,420/mo under the Bettermode Community Starter offer clears the Growth cost with room for 20 hours of setup and 4 hours of monthly management. Below roughly $1,800/mo in client retainer, the badge stays visible and the agency absorbs a branding compromise it did not price. Above it, Growth's API and sandbox let delivery teams wire Salesforce or HubSpot syncs and test changes without touching the live community. Run every Bettermode prospect through this threshold before quoting, because the plan choice, not the build hours, decides whether the retainer holds margin.