Plans & billing
Downlink has three plans — Free, Pro, and Max. Free is a real trial: you can plan and fly a full mission before you ever pay. Pro runs your whole operation; Max scales it across a crew. Plans are billed per business through Stripe, and you can move up (or down) whenever you like.
Where to find it #
Sidebar → Business → Upgrade
The Plans & billing page shows the plan for the business you're currently focused on, a live Gallery storage meter, a Messaging & credits card, the three plan cards, and a Manage subscription panel. A badge up top reads current: Free / Pro / Max so you always know where this business stands.
Each business you run in Downlink carries its own subscription — see Businesses & teams. This page always manages the business in focus; switch businesses from the account switcher at the bottom of the sidebar to bill a different one. Only that business's owner or admins can change its plan.
What each plan includes #
| Free | Pro | Max | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $0 | $64/mo ($52 annual) | $99/mo ($79 annual) |
| Clients | 1 | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Gallery storage | 5 GB | 500 GB | 2 TB — expandable with packs |
| Included texts / month | — | 250 | 1,000 |
| Planner | Lawnmower grids, terrain-following, GSD solver, KMZ export | + Crosshatch & boundary KML import/export | Everything in Pro |
| Ops & money | Airspace check, flight-window scheduler, signed checklists | Equipment & compliance vault, quotes → invoices, delivery galleries, comms hub, photogrammetry | Everything in Pro |
| Teams & automation | — | — | Multi-pilot seats, client portal, website builder, job profitability, audit pack, webhooks + Zapier |
Locked features aren't hidden — they show in place with a padlock and an upgrade prompt, so you can see exactly what a higher plan unlocks before you commit. Free includes 1 client plus a taste of every Pro tool; Clients becomes unlimited on Pro.
Upgrade a business #
- Open the page — Business → Upgrade. Make sure the business you want to bill is the one in focus.
- Pick a plan — on the Pro or Max card, click Upgrade to Pro / Upgrade to Max. Downlink opens Stripe checkout in a new tab, pre-filled with your email and tagged to this business.
- Pay in Stripe — choose monthly or annual, enter card details, and confirm. Everything is handled by Stripe; Downlink never sees your card.
- Back to the app — you'll see “Payment received 🎉” and the plan flips within a few seconds. If it lags, hit Refresh plan status under Manage subscription.
Choosing annual at checkout drops Pro to $52/mo and Max to $79/mo (billed once a year). Same features, lower rate — worth it if you're past the trial and staying.
Messaging credits #
Texting is a metered layer that sits on top of your plan and stays off until you connect a number, so planner-only pilots never pay for it. Each paid tier includes a monthly text allotment — 250 on Pro, 1,000 on Max. Beyond that, texts draw from a prepaid wallet at $0.02/text and $0.05/call-minute; a number costs about $2/mo. Top the wallet up in $20 / $50 / $100 packs, charged to your card on file. Email is always free and never metered.
Manage the subscription #
Under Manage subscription, click Open Stripe customer portal to update your card, switch between monthly and annual, download invoices, or cancel. Cancelling drops the business back to Free at the end of the paid period — your data stays put, just some tools re-lock. Refresh plan status re-reads your current plan on demand.
Owner Riley Chen has outgrown Free — Skyward Aerial Co. now bills three regular clients (Bluebird Realty, Northgate Construction, Cedar Ridge HOA) and wants invoicing and delivery galleries.
| Field | Example value | Why / Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Business in focus | Skyward Aerial Co. | Plans are per business — checkout bills this one. |
| Who's upgrading | Riley Chen (owner) | Only the owner or an admin can change the plan. |
| Plan chosen | Pro | Unlimited clients & jobs, invoices, delivery galleries, comms hub. |
| Billing cadence | Annual — $52/mo | Billed yearly; ~20% off the $64 monthly rate. |
| Checkout email | riley@skywardaerial.example | Pre-filled into Stripe; where receipts are sent. |
| Gallery storage | 500 GB | Up from 5 GB on Free — watch the storage meter. |
| Texting number | (865) 555-0188 | Connected on the messaging card; ~$2/mo, 250 texts included. |
| Prepaid wallet | $20 top-up | Covers overage texts beyond the 250 included. |
Everything you've built — clients, missions, galleries, invoices — stays in your account regardless of plan. Downgrading or cancelling only re-locks the paid tools; nothing is deleted. Head back to the planner and keep flying.