🧩 MLM compensation plans · Board plan (cycler)
Members take seats on a small board. When every seat fills, the top member cycles out with a bonus, the board splits in two, and they move up to a bigger board. Watch it happen, check the payout maths, then launch it on software with the guardrails built in.
Six ideas explain every board plan. Hover a card.
A small fixed matrix, such as a 2×2 with 7 seats. Every member joins a seat.
When every seat fills, the member at the top 'cycles out' and gets paid.
The full board splits into two new boards, led by the two members from level 1.
The cycled member moves up to the next, higher-value board.
Some plans give a fresh seat back on the same board after cycling.
Seats filled by your upline's recruits help your board fill faster.
Add members one at a time. When the 4th seat on the bottom row fills, the top member cycles out and the board splits into two new boards.
Board 1 has 3 members. 4 empty seats left.
Each cycle moves you up one board with a bigger bonus. Example figures in points, not a real plan.
Enter your board size, joining price and bonuses. See how much comes in per board, how much goes out and how many new members each cycle needs. Use your own figures.
The 50% line is a common rule of thumb, not a legal limit.
Every cycle needs new seats under it. Each level of boards needs twice the members of the one before. That's why late joiners can get stuck. Hover a row.
New members needed to cycle every board in each round of a 2×2 split plan (simplified)
Hover a card to lift it.
A fixed amount when your board fills and you cycle out.
A percentage of the package price of members you personally enrol.
A small percentage on seats filled in the levels under you.
Paid to the sponsor when a downline member gets a re-entry seat.
Product credit released at each board, so value stays tied to products.
A share of what your personal enrolees earn when they cycle.
Boards are simple and fast, but they're the plan most easily turned into a pyramid scheme. Design decides which one you build.
The US FTC says plans that pay mainly for recruiting are pyramid schemes, and 'gifting boards' are a known scam. Tie every seat to a real product and cap payouts. Laws differ by country, so please get legal advice.
Click a plan to see it explained.
| Plan | Width | Paid on | Complexity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Board (cycler) | Small fixed board | Board completion | Low |
| Matrix | Fixed (e.g. 3) | Fixed levels | Low |
| Binary | 2 legs | Matched volume | Medium |
| Unilevel | Unlimited | Level % | Low |
| Stair-step breakaway | Unlimited | Rank differential | High |
| Hybrid | Mixed | Mixed rules | High |
Nine modules we build for board plans. Each links to the related service.
We'll simulate thousands of joins before launch, so you'll see fill speed, stuck boards and payout ratio in advance.
Simulate my board planSee all MLM plansEstimated timeline. Simple boards, tested hard before go-live.
Other plans and the services that power them.
Answers for founders, planners and members.
A board plan, also called a cycler or board cycling plan, places members in small fixed matrices called boards, often 2×2 with 7 seats. When all the seats fill, the member at the top cycles out, earns a completion bonus and moves up to the next board.
A 2×2 board has 1 seat at the top, 2 on level 1 and 4 on level 2. When the 4th seat on level 2 fills, the top member cycles out and the board splits into two new boards. The two level-1 members each become the top of one new board, with two members under them.
Re-entry gives a member a fresh seat on a board after they cycle, so they can cycle again. Some plans make it free, some charge for it and some pay the sponsor a small re-entry bonus.
Most use 3 to 5 boards with rising bonuses, for example a starter board, then bronze, silver and gold. Each board usually has the same shape but a higher bonus.
It depends on how it pays. Regulators such as the US FTC treat schemes that pay mainly for recruiting new members as pyramid schemes, and 'gifting boards' are a known fraud. A board plan needs real products, real customer sales and payouts that don't depend only on new joins. Laws differ by country, so please get legal advice.
Many companies aim to keep total commissions within roughly 40–50% of revenue. This is an estimate, not a rule. Our payout checker shows how fixed board bonuses compare with money coming in.
Spillover is when your upline's recruits are placed in seats on your board. It helps boards fill faster, but it also means your income depends on other people's recruiting.
Usually about 6–8 weeks, including simulation tests with thousands of joins. This is an estimate and depends on the number of boards and extra bonuses.
Yes. A common hybrid uses a unilevel or binary plan for product sales and a board for short promotions or fast-start rewards.
Tell us your board size, levels and bonuses. We'll scope your board MLM software. We reply within 4 business hours and can demo with your own data.