SimpleScrumTools

Plans and billing

Plans and billing

The Free, Pro and Enterprise plans, what each cap means, and how seats are counted.

The three plans

Every organization starts on the Free plan. The Free plan includes 1 portfolio, 1 Scrum Team, 1 project and 5 members, and it is ad-supported.

The Pro plan includes 5 portfolios and 10 projects in each portfolio. It has no cap on Scrum Teams or members. The Enterprise plan has no cap at all. Neither paid plan shows ads.

Stripe bills Pro and Enterprise per member, every month or every year. An administrator buys either plan on the Billing screen. The product offers a plan and a billing period only when the server has a price for them.

An organization's first Pro or Enterprise subscription starts with a 30-day free trial, and no card is needed to start it. See Free trials.

What a cap does

A cap is the number of portfolios, Scrum Teams, projects or members a plan includes. The Billing screen calls a cap a limit. The product counts the live portfolios, Scrum Teams, projects and members at the moment you create one. A deleted portfolio, Scrum Team or project does not count. If you delete one, its place is free again.

When a count is at its cap, the product refuses the next one and nothing else. An organization can also be over a cap, and it keeps everything it has. See When a paid plan ends. For example, a Free organization with 2 or 3 projects from before the Free cap changed from 3 to 1 keeps them.

On the Pro plan, the project cap counts one portfolio, not the organization. The product checks it when you create a project in a portfolio and when you move a project into a portfolio. A full portfolio refuses the next project, and a portfolio with room still takes one.

See a cap before you reach it

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The organization overview warns about the project cap. On the Free plan, above the portfolios, it shows one line with the plan name, the count and a link.

  • Below the cap: Free plan 0 of 1 project Billing.
  • At or over the cap: Free plan 1 of 1 project, the pill no more projects on this plan and the link Billing.

Both links open the Billing screen. The line shows projects only. Portfolios, Scrum Teams and members have no line on the overview. The Billing screen shows all four counts. The line is absent on the Pro and Enterprise plans and for people without this bundle.

On the Pro plan, each portfolio heading shows its own count against the cap, as in 3 of 10 projects. A full portfolio also carries the pill no more projects in this portfolio. People without this bundle see the plain count, as in 3 projects.

Reach a cap

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A cap stops the next project, portfolio or Scrum Team. When the plan refuses one, the dialog replaces its form with a panel. The panel is not an error.

New portfolio and New project are at the top of the organization overview. New Scrum Team is at the top of the Scrum Teams screen. To open that screen, click Teams in the organization rail.

New project on the Free plan
This plan includes 1 project, and it is in use. and then Deleting a project also frees its place. Nothing you typed was lost — go back to keep it.
New project on the Pro plan
This plan includes 10 projects in each portfolio, and this portfolio is full. and then Go back to choose another portfolio, or move a project out of this one. Nothing you typed was lost.
New portfolio
On the Free plan: This plan includes 1 portfolio, and it is in use. and then Nothing you typed was lost — go back to keep it. Signup makes the one portfolio the Free plan includes, so the product always refuses a second one. On the Pro plan the sixth portfolio gets This plan includes 5 portfolios, and all 5 are in use. and the same second sentence.
New Scrum Team
This plan includes 1 Scrum Team, and all 1 are in use. and then Deleting a team also frees its place. Nothing you typed was lost — go back to keep it.

The panel offers two choices.

  • Click Back to return to the form. What you typed is still there.
  • Click See plans to open the Billing screen.

A move can also reach the Pro project cap. On the project screen, a move into a full portfolio shows a line, not an error: The Pro plan includes 10 projects in each portfolio, and this portfolio is full. Choose another portfolio, or upgrade to add another. The link See plans follows it. The project stays in its portfolio. See Projects.

The member cap and invitations

Needsa sign-in as the invited address, and no bundle

A seat is one member of the organization. A pending invitation does not use a seat. The product checks the member cap when the invitee accepts, never when the administrator sends the invitation. The cap never stops an administrator from sending an invitation.

The member cap stops the invitee. When a Free organization already has 5 members and the invitee clicks Accept invitation, the page shows This organization has no free seat. Ask whoever invited you to make room, then open this link again — the invitation is still good.

The invitation stays valid. After somebody removes a member, the invitee opens the same link and clicks again. The cap never refuses a person who is already a member. See Invitations.

The Billing screen

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Click Billing in the organization rail. It is the last entry, after Settings. The entry is absent for people without this bundle. If such a person types the address by hand, the product shows the not-found page. There is no read-only Billing screen.

The screen opens with What this organization’s plan includes, and how much of it is in use. Counts are read live, so they are never stale. The product reads all four counts when the page loads.

Current plan

A band labeled Current plan shows Free, Pro or Enterprise. One line under the band warns you about a cap.

  • When no count is at its cap, the line reads Nothing is at its limit.
  • When one count is at its cap, the line names it, as in Projects is at its limit — the next one will be refused.
  • On the Pro plan, when a portfolio is full and no count is at its cap, the line reads One portfolio is full — the next project there will be refused.
  • When two or more counts are at their caps, the line reads 2 limits reached — the next portfolio, team, project or member will be refused. The first number counts the resources at their caps. Full portfolios add one to it.

Usage

The screen shows four rows in this order: Portfolios, Scrum Teams, Projects, Members. Each row reads the count and the cap, such as 3 / 5. A resource with no cap reads the word Unlimited, as in 7 / Unlimited.

On the Pro plan the Projects row adds the cap for each portfolio, as in 14 / Unlimited, up to 10 in each portfolio. When a portfolio is full, the row carries the pill one portfolio is full, or a count such as 2 portfolios are full.

A row at its cap carries the pill at the limit. A row past its cap carries the pill over the plan limit. Both pills are a warning. Neither asks you to delete anything.

Plans

The screen shows three cards, Free, Pro and Enterprise. The current one carries the pill current.

  • Free: 1 Portfolio, 1 Scrum Team, 1 Project, 5 Members, Ad-supported.
  • Pro: 5 Portfolios, Unlimited Scrum Teams, 10 Projects in each portfolio, Unlimited Members, No ads.
  • Enterprise: Unlimited Portfolios, Unlimited Scrum Teams, Unlimited Projects, Unlimited Members, No ads.

Below the cards, the screen shows the upgrade buttons, the subscription status with Manage billing, or a sentence that says you cannot upgrade yet.

Upgrade from Free

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On the Free plan the screen shows one button for each plan the server sells: Upgrade to Pro, and Upgrade to Enterprise when the server sells Enterprise. The caption reads Billed per member, monthly, through Stripe. Every member counts as a seat; the invoice follows the member list. You must confirm your own email address first.

When the server sells a plan annually, the buttons Monthly and Annual come first. Monthly is selected. Annual shows only the plans sold annually, and the caption then says annually. When the organization has a trial to use, the screen also shows Starts with a 30-day free trial. No card is needed to start. and Have a trial code? See Free trials.

The first person who opens checkout gives the organization its billing email address. Stripe sends receipts and billing notices to that address. A later checkout by another administrator keeps the same address. The product has no control that changes it.

  1. Open the Billing screen.
  2. Click Upgrade to Pro or Upgrade to Enterprise. The product disables the buttons while it asks Stripe for a checkout page.
  3. Finish Stripe's checkout page. During a trial it asks for no card. The quantity is the organization's current member count.
  4. After Stripe returns you to the Billing screen, read the notice.
  5. After Stripe confirms the checkout, reload the Billing screen. The band then shows the plan you bought.

While the organization is still on the Free plan, the screen shows Checkout complete. The plan updates as soon as Stripe confirms it — usually within a minute. Reload to check. The upgrade buttons stay until then. When Stripe confirms the checkout before you return, the screen shows the new plan and no notice. If you leave the checkout page and do not pay, the screen shows Checkout was cancelled. Nothing changed.

After the plan changes, the product shows no ads. On Enterprise every cap reads Unlimited. On Pro the portfolio cap reads 5, and the Projects row adds the cap for each portfolio. The screen shows the pill active, or free trial during a trial, and Manage billing.

What blocks a checkout

  • An unconfirmed address. The screen shows Verify your email address before adding a payment method. Receipts and billing notices go there. and the button Resend verification email.
  • A missing bundle: You do not have permission to perform this action.
  • An organization that moved to a paid plan while your screen was open: This organization is already on Pro. Change the plan from the billing screen. The message names the plan the organization is on. The screen shows no upgrade button on a paid plan, so only a stale screen reaches this message.
  • A plan the server does not sell at the billing period you chose, as in The Enterprise plan is not available annually yet. The screen shows no button for it, so only a stale screen reaches this message.
  • A trial code that the product refuses. See Free trials.

To confirm your address from the Billing screen, click an upgrade button. After the refusal, click Resend verification email, open the link in the email, then sign out and sign in again. An open sign-in keeps the old state. For the full steps and the limit on these emails, see Get a new confirmation link in Getting started.

When you cannot upgrade

When paid plans are not on sale, or Stripe is not connected to the product, there is no button. Below the plan cards the screen shows Upgrading is not available yet. The usage rows and the plan cards still show, and the band still names the plan the organization has.

The subscription on a paid plan

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On the Pro and Enterprise plans the screen shows one status pill. When Stripe reports a billing period, a date follows the pill. The product shows the date in your own timezone.

active
The subscription is paid and continues. The line reads Renews on and the date.
free trial
The trial runs, and Stripe charges nothing yet. The line gives the end date. See Free trials.
cancelled
Somebody canceled the subscription in the billing portal. The line names the plan and gives the date, as in Pro ends on or Enterprise ends on. The organization keeps its plan until that date. Then it moves to the Free plan.
payment past due
A payment fails and Stripe retries the card. The organization keeps its plan while Stripe retries. When Stripe stops and marks the subscription unpaid, the organization moves to the Free plan.

Switch between Pro and Enterprise

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On a paid plan the screen shows Switch to Enterprise on Pro, or Switch to Pro on Enterprise. The button is absent when the server does not sell the other plan, and when the organization has no billing account.

A switch moves every seat to the other plan at once. Stripe charges or credits the difference for the rest of the billing period. No Stripe page comes between the click and the charge, so the first click asks you to confirm. During a trial, the note says the trial continues and nothing is charged before it ends.

A switch keeps the billing period, so an annual subscription stays annual. When the server does not sell the other plan at that period, the product refuses the switch, as in The Enterprise plan is not available annually yet.

  1. Open the Billing screen.
  2. Click Switch to Enterprise. The screen shows Moves every seat to Enterprise now. Stripe charges or credits the difference for the rest of this period. The product sends nothing yet.
  3. To confirm, click Switch to Enterprise again. To stop, click Keep Pro.
  4. Read the notice Switching to Enterprise. The plan updates as soon as Stripe confirms it — usually within a minute. Reload to check.
  5. Reload the Billing screen. The band then shows Enterprise.

The same steps move an Enterprise organization to Pro, with Switch to Pro and Keep Enterprise. After the notice, the screen offers no second switch until you reload it.

Manage billing

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On a paid plan the screen shows Manage billing and the caption Invoices, the card on file and cancelling are in the billing portal. The product has no screen of its own for any of these, and no control that cancels a paid plan. To leave Pro or Enterprise for the Free plan, cancel in the portal.

  1. Click Manage billing. The button reads Opening….
  2. In Stripe's billing portal, do the one thing you came for.
  3. Click the portal's return link. The Billing screen opens.

A change in the portal reaches the product through Stripe's confirmation, not at once. On the next load the screen shows the pill cancelled and the line that says when the plan ends. The button is absent when the organization has no billing account yet. A checkout makes one.

When a paid plan ends

An organization that moves from Pro or Enterprise to Free keeps every portfolio, Scrum Team, project and member. The product refuses only a new portfolio, Scrum Team, project or member past the Free caps. A usage row past its cap reads over the plan limit. The Free plan is ad-supported, so a server that shows ads shows them again. See Ads and cookie choices. The same rule applies to a switch from Enterprise to Pro: a portfolio with more than 10 projects keeps them, and a sixth portfolio stays.

The screen shows the upgrade buttons again. The organization keeps its billing account, so a new checkout uses the same one.

How seats follow membership

On Pro and Enterprise, the product sets the subscription quantity to the member count, with a minimum of 1. It sends the count to Stripe at checkout, after every accepted invitation and after every removed member. Stripe prorates a seat change. A switch between Pro and Enterprise keeps the quantity. See Members.

The product saves the membership first and sends the count after, so a Stripe outage never undoes an accepted invitation. If the product cannot reach Stripe, the hourly job sends the count again. That job also sets the quantity back to the member count after a change in the portal.

The product sends no email about seats, payments or cancellations. Stripe sends its own receipts and notices to the organization's billing email address.