Unlock Tiered Monetization with AgentExchange Commerce and 2GP Permission Set Licenses

For Salesforce ISV partners, a one-size-fits-all licensing model can mean leaving revenue on the table. When every user receives the same level of access, partners face a difficult tradeoff: charge the same price regardless of usage, or offer lower-cost tiers without the granular controls to enforce them. Neither approach gives partners the flexibility to monetize their solutions based on how customers actually use them.

At Dreamforce, we shared how AgentExchange is evolving into a unified destination where humans and agents can discover, evaluate, purchase, and manage partner solutions. With AgentExchange Commerce, partners can unify procurement and billing through private offers with tailored pricing and terms.

Now, Permission Set Licenses (PSLs) for Second-Generation Managed Packages (2GP) help partners take tiered monetization a step further. By defining granular feature access within a single package and automating license provisioning, partners can offer differentiated pricing tiers with platform-enforced controls—without the manual overhead of traditional licensing.

Here’s how it works.

The Bottleneck with Legacy Licensing

Historically, managing licenses via the License Management App (LMA) introduced significant operational friction:

• Manual Fulfillment & Latency: Orders require manual LMA entry, leading to provisioning delays, human error, and extended time-to-value for customers.
• Contractual “Good Faith” Enforcement: If you sell a cheaper tier intended for external or read-only users, all licenses still go into a single pool. Partners have to rely on trust and contractual agreements to prevent full internal users from using low-cost seats.
• Package-Level Granularity: Access control is all-or-nothing at the package level, making it difficult to package basic, standard, and enterprise features out of a single codebase.

The Solution: What Changes with PSLs in 2GP

PSLs transform 2GP packaging into a modular, tier-ready delivery engine. Instead of relying on manual LMA entries, license delivery occurs automatically upon order activation.

Operational Lever	Old LMA Model	PSL-Enabled 2GP Model
Provisioning Trigger	Manual entry in LMA	Automatic upon order activation
Access Granularity	All-or-nothing package licenses	Object CRUD, Custom Permissions, User Licenses
Enforcement	Manual audits & contractual trust	Automatic platform-level blocking
Fulfillment Time	Hours to days	Instantaneous on order start date

Three Platform Levers You Control

Partners can construct tailored product offerings using three platform-enforced restrictions:

1. Platform Enforced Custom Object CRUD: Map Create, Read, Update, or Delete access on custom objects directly to specific SKUs via the PermissionSetLicenseDefinition metadata.
2. Platform Enforced Custom Permissions: Programmatically gate app functionality by enabling or disabling custom permissions associated with a PSL. Admins cannot assign a permission set containing your custom permission unless the user holds the corresponding PSL.
3. User License Restrictions: Require specific base user licenses (e.g., forcing a lower-priced tier to only apply to Experience Cloud / Portal users).

Real-World Scenario: Healthcare App Monetization

Imagine an ISV offering a Clinical Care & Patient Operations app built in a single 2GP package.

1. Metadata Definition

The partner creates one Foundational PSL and three PermissionSetLicenseDefinition metadata files in their 2GP source code:

• CareConnect_App_PSL: Grants access to the package namespace
• Patient_Portal_PSL: Requires a Customer Community user license. Grants Read access to object Appointment__c
• Clinical_Staff_PSL: Applies to internal user licenses. Enables custom permissions for standard clinical workflows (updating care plans, viewing history).
• Advanced_Prescriber_PSL: Applies to internal user licenses. Enables high-tier custom permissions (E-Prescriptions, AI Diagnostics) and full CRUD on sensitive objects.

2. Product & SKU Architecture in the GTM App

In their Partner Business Org (PBO), the partner maps these PSLs into SKUs or Partner Provisionable Products (PPP), matching revenue models directly to operational access:

Product: CareConnect Platform

├── PPP 1 (Patient Portal Tier): 2,000 × CareConnect_App_PSL + 2,000 × Patient_Portal_PSL ($1/seat)

├── PPP 2 (Nurse / Admin Tier): 50 × CareConnect_App_PSL + 50 × Clinical_Staff_PSL ($30/seat)

└── PPP 3 (Provider / Specialist Tier): 10 × CareConnect_App_PSL + 10 × Advanced_Prescriber_PSL ($100/seat)

When a hospital signs an order, Salesforce automatically delivers these exact PSL counts directly to the subscriber org on the contract start date. If an admin tries to give a Patient Portal license to a Doctor, or assign E-Prescription tools without paying for PPP 3, the platform blocks the assignment automatically.

Business Impact for ISVs

Adopting PSLs in 2GP unlocks strategic advantages for your platform business:

• Monetize New User Segments: Reach field or lightweight users with low-cost, restricted tiers without risking IP exposure.
• Protect Intellectual Property: Platform-level rules block invalid assignments automatically—preventing revenue leakage and compliance disputes.
• Accelerate Time-to-Value: Automated provisioning grants instant system-validated access as soon as contracts go live.

Turn Flexible Licensing into New Revenue Opportunities

Tiered monetization shouldn’t require partners to choose between flexible pricing, license enforcement, and operational efficiency.

With AgentExchange Commerce and PSL-enabled 2GP packages, partners can align what they sell with what customers can actually access. From lightweight users to advanced enterprise workflows, partners can create differentiated offerings, automate license provisioning, and enforce access at the platform level—all while managing a single package.

The result? More ways to monetize your solutions, less manual fulfillment, and a more scalable path to growth on Salesforce.

Ready to Build Tiered Offerings?

Explore the developer resources to learn how to define PSLs, map them to products, and bring tiered offerings to market with AgentExchange Commerce.

• Understand Permission Set Licenses: Review prerequisites, restrictions, and foundational concepts.
• Build and Sell Tier-Based Products with PSLs: Explore the technical steps to create differentiated offerings.