You would want to setup this type of subscription plan if you want users to subscribe for the plan, become active subscriber (for example for 1 month) and renew the subscription manually before it's expiring. Example Setup:
Subscription Length: 1 Month Price: 100$ (price subscribers have to pay every month (or week/year, depends on subscription length) Recurring Subscription: No
You would want to setup this type of subscription plan if you want all subscriptions of this plan expires on same date (not depends on the date users subscribe for the plan). Example Setup:
With that setup, all subscriptions of this plan will be expired on that same date 2020-12-31. By defaut, users will have to pay full price to subscribe for the plan (even if there is only 1 month left until that expired date Expired Date). To allow users to pay base on the time left (from the sign up date to the Expired Date), you can set Prorated Signup Cost to By Days or By Months.
You can setup this kind of plan if you want subscribers of the plan to be charged a setup fee for the first payment- together with subscription fee of the plan (when he first subscribes for the plan). Subscribers won't be charged this setup fee again when they renew subscription (both manual or automatic renewal). Example Setup:
Subscription Length: 1 Month Price: 100 Setup Fee : 250
With that setup, when users first sign up, he will have to pay 350$ (100$ subscription fee + 250$ setup fee). When he renews subscription (after one month), he will only have to pay 100$ and so on.
You can setup this kind of plan if you want renewal happens automatically every week(s), every month(s), every year(s) (subscribers does not need to come back to your site to renew subscription manually after subscribing for the plan). Example Setup:
You would want to setup this kind of plan if you want to allow users to:
Subscription Length: 1 Month Price: 100 Recurring Subscription: Yes Trial Duration: 1 Week Trial Amount: 0
With above setup, users will get free subscription for one week and then pay 100$ every month (automatically).
You would want to setup this kind of plan if you want to give users a chance to try the subscription for certain duration (for example 1 week) before they subscribe to other plans on your site. Example Setup:
Subscription Length: 1 Week Price: 0 (Mean free or any price you want) Enable Renewal: No
With that setup, each user can only subscribe for that plan to become active subscriber for one week only. After one week, subscription will be expired and users won't be allowed to renew the subscription anymore. They can only try the subscription for one week only
You would want to setup this type of subscription plan if you want users to subscribe for the plan (could be free or paid plan) and become lifetime subscribers (they will be active forever and never has to renew their subscription). Example Setup: