> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.cubby.pro/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Pricing and Billing

> Cubby pricing tiers, trial system, and billing details

# Pricing and Billing

Cubby uses a 4-tier pricing model. All billing is handled through Stripe.

## Pricing Tiers

|              | Free               | Starter    | Builder                 | Pro                      |
| ------------ | ------------------ | ---------- | ----------------------- | ------------------------ |
| **Price**    | \$0                | \$4.99/mo  | \$9.99/mo               | \$19.99/mo               |
| **Apps**     | 1 (trial only)     | 3          | 6                       | 15 (max 20 with add-ons) |
| **Database** | SQLite             | SQLite     | SQLite or Neon Postgres | SQLite or Neon Postgres  |
| **Sharing**  | 2/app (trial only) | 2/app      | 8/app                   | 50/app                   |
| **Annual**   | -                  | \$49.99/yr | \$99.99/yr              | \$199.99/yr              |

Annual plans save roughly two months of billing.

## 30-Day Trial

Every new user gets a 30-day trial. Here's how it works:

* **Trial starts on your first deploy**, not on signup. Creating an account does not start the clock.
* During the trial: **1 app**, SQLite database, share with **2 people**
* After the trial expires: your existing app **keeps running**, but you cannot create new deploys or share your app
* **No credit card required** for the trial

If you haven't deployed yet, you can always deploy your first app -- the trial starts at that point.

<Tip>
  Subscribe to any paid plan before your trial expires to keep deploying and sharing without interruption.
</Tip>

## Database Access

**SQLite** is available on all tiers, including the free trial. It's the simplest option and works well for most small apps.

**Neon Postgres** requires a Builder ($9.99/mo) or Pro ($19.99/mo) plan. Neon provides serverless Postgres with features like branching and snapshots.

Database management commands (`cubby db export`, `cubby db branch`, `cubby db snapshot`) also require a Builder or Pro plan.

See the [Neon tutorial](/tutorials/neon-apps) for getting started with Postgres, or the [db CLI reference](/cli-reference/db) for all database commands.

## Sharing Limits

Sharing is per-app: each app has its own share count, independent of your other apps.

| Tier           | Shares per App |
| -------------- | -------------- |
| Free (trial)   | 2              |
| Free (expired) | 0              |
| Starter        | 2              |
| Builder        | 8              |
| Pro            | 50             |

Sharing requires a Starter (\$4.99/mo) plan or higher. After your trial expires, sharing is disabled on the free tier.

## App Limits

How app limits work:

* **Redeploys** (same app name) are always allowed, regardless of your plan limit. You can always update an existing app.
* **New app deploys** check against your plan's app limit. If you've reached the limit, you need to upgrade or delete an existing app.
* **Pro tier** is hard-capped at **20 apps total** (15 base + up to 5 add-on slots).
* **Extra App add-on** available for Builder and Pro tiers to extend your app limit.

## Upgrading and Downgrading

**Upgrading** takes effect immediately. Your new plan limits apply right away.

**Downgrading** works as follows:

* Excess apps are **stopped** at the end of the billing period (not deleted)
* Stopped apps retain their data -- SQLite databases are preserved
* If you re-upgrade later, your apps and data are still there
* No data is deleted on downgrade

When apps are stopped during a downgrade, the earliest-created apps are kept running and newer apps are stopped first.

## Managing Your Subscription

Manage your subscription from the [dashboard billing page](https://app.cubby.pro/billing):

* View current plan and usage
* Upgrade or downgrade your tier
* Add Extra App slots
* View billing history
* Cancel your subscription

## Related

* [Building with Neon Postgres](/tutorials/neon-apps) - Neon Postgres tutorial
* [`cubby db`](/cli-reference/db) - Database management commands
* [App Sharing](/platform/sharing) - How sharing works