Billing and plans

Jootle’s pricing is built around the resources an instance consumes: how many users, how much storage, how many connected channels, and so on.

This chapter is a plain-language tour. The authoritative pricing list and feature matrix is on jootle.com/pricing.

What you’re paying for

When you provision an instance, you’re paying for:

The server it runs on. A dedicated virtual server in our cloud provider. Different plans get differently-sized servers.
The Jootle platform. Updates, support, the library of toolkits, the control plane that manages your instance.
Operational overhead. Backups, monitoring, security updates, the rest of what running an always-on service costs.

You are NOT paying for AI usage from us. AI provider costs (Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, DeepSeek, etc.) are billed by the provider directly to you, through whichever account you connected (see AI providers and routing).

This split is deliberate. We don’t take a margin on top of AI usage. You pay the provider what the provider charges; we pay for the platform.

Plan tiers

At launch, four tiers, summarized roughly. Check the pricing page for current limits and prices.

Starter. A small instance for individuals. One user, modest storage, three connected channels. Suitable for “Jootle for me personally” use cases.

Pro. A larger instance for power users or very small teams. Multiple users, more storage, all channels available.

Business. For small businesses. Multiple users, all channels, more storage, priority support, and access to features like SSO and advanced routing.

Enterprise. Custom. Higher capacity, dedicated support, optional dedicated infrastructure, and specific compliance posture (e.g., HIPAA, SOC 2 lift) on top.

Pricing tiers are designed to overlap usefully with how customers grow. Most individuals start on Starter, upgrade to Pro within a few months if they want more, and Business is the right choice for small teams (3-10 people).

Upgrading

From Settings → Billing, click Upgrade plan. The flow:

Choose the new tier.
Review what changes (capacity increases, features unlocked).
Confirm the new price.
Your card is charged the prorated difference; the new tier activates immediately.

You don’t lose anything when upgrading. All your data, settings, integrations, and history move with you.

Downgrading

Downgrading is also self-service, with one caveat: if your instance has more usage than the lower tier supports, you’ll be asked to reduce usage first.

For example:

You’re on Business (10 users) and want to downgrade to Pro (3 users). You’ll need to remove users to get to 3 or fewer first.
You’re on Pro (50GB storage) and want Starter (10GB). You’ll be asked to archive or delete data to fit.

The system tells you what’s over the limit and offers to walk you through it.

Billing cycle

By default, plans bill monthly. Annual billing is available with a discount (usually 15-20%, see pricing page).

Billing happens on the day-of-month you provisioned. The first month is prorated if you didn’t start on day 1.

Payment methods

We accept credit and debit cards through Stripe. The card is stored as a Stripe payment method on file. You can update it from Settings → Billing → Payment method.

For Business and Enterprise plans, invoiced billing (NET-30 on PO) is available. Ask sales.

Receipts and invoices

Every charge produces a receipt that’s emailed and stored in Settings → Billing → Receipts. Receipts include line items for the plan, any add-ons, and applicable tax.

Tax is calculated automatically based on the billing address. For US customers, sales tax applies in the states where it’s collected. For international customers, VAT applies where applicable.

Add-ons

Add-ons live on top of the plan tier:

Extra users. Beyond the included user count.
Extra storage. Beyond the included GB.
Premium support. Faster response SLAs.
Compliance add-ons. HIPAA, SOC 2 attestation, etc.

Add-ons are month-to-month and prorated. You can add or remove them at any time.

What happens when a payment fails

If a card is declined:

We retry, in line with Stripe’s retry schedule.
You get an email after the first failure asking you to update the payment method.
After several failures, the instance is suspended (still running, but you and your team lose login access until billing is resolved).
After an extended grace period, the instance is paused and eventually archived.

We give a lot of leeway here. Nobody’s data gets deleted because of a billing hiccup. But access does get gated to prompt resolution.

Canceling

You can cancel from Settings → Billing → Cancel plan. Cancellation:

Stops further charges.
Lets you continue using the instance until the end of the current paid period.
After the period ends, the instance is paused (not deleted).

A paused instance can be reactivated by re-subscribing. Your data is preserved for an extended period (currently 90 days; check the policy page for exact terms).

If you want to truly delete the instance, that’s a separate, explicit action in Settings → Instance → Delete. It’s irreversible after a short grace period.

Refunds

We’re reasonable about refunds for plan time you didn’t use. Email support, briefly state the situation, and we’ll process it. We don’t make you fight for it.

For annual prepaid plans, partial refunds for the remaining months are usually available.

Multi-instance accounts

If you have multiple Jootle instances under the same email (rare for individuals, common for some agencies or developers), each is billed separately. You’d see them grouped in your account view, but the charges are per-instance.

Tax forms and W-9s

Need a W-9 from us for your accounting, or want to claim Jootle as a business expense? Email support. We turn around standard forms within a few business days.