A freemium strategy represents a popular business model for cloud-empowered services, in which a vendor gives away basic services for free and seeks to monetize premium services. The economic viability of freemium models depends on the vendor’s ability to convert free service users into paying customers. Different from prior studies that mainly examine users’ intention to pay, this study examines both users’ intentions to pay and their actual purchase behaviors by extending the IS success model to propose a software as a service (SaaS) success model. Our proposed model emphasizes two freemium-specific, user-oriented factors: (1) the fit between perceived value of provided services and user needs of premium services as a contingent factor, and (2) price consciousness resulted from free-mentality of SaaS as a moderating factor to understand how individual evaluations of provided services might lead to purchases of premium services. We empirically examine the proposed SaaS success model with data from 638 active SaaS users. The results indicate that SaaS users’ intentions to pay and actual purchase behaviors are shaped by their perceived value of and satisfaction with the provided services, moderated by price consciousness. Furthermore, the fit between perceived value and user needs has an important, contingent role in influencing users’ intentions to pay and purchase behaviors.

免费增值策略代表了云授权服务的一种流行的商业模式，在这种模式下，供应商免费提供基本服务，并寻求通过优质服务获利。免费增值模式的经济可行性取决于供应商将免费服务用户转化为付费客户的能力。与以往主要考察用户支付意愿的研究不同，本研究通过扩展信息系统成功模型提出软件即服务 （SaaS） 成功模型，考察用户的支付意愿和他们的实际购买行为。我们提出的模型强调两个特定于免费增值的、面向用户的因素：（1） 所提供服务的感知价值与作为或有因素的用户对优质服务的需求之间的契合度，以及 （2） SaaS 的免费心态导致的价格意识作为调节因素，以了解对所提供服务的个人评估如何导致购买优质服务。我们使用来自 638 名活跃 SaaS 用户的数据实证研究了拟议的 SaaS 成功模型。结果表明，SaaS 用户的支付意向和实际购买行为受他们对所提供服务的感知价值和满意度的影响，并受到价格意识的调节。此外，感知价值与用户需求之间的契合度在影响用户的支付意愿和购买行为方面起着重要的偶然作用。