Payments
Subscription & Billing
Last updated 19 May 2026
Subscription & Billing
TL;DR
- OpenChair has two plans, Free ($0) and Pro (per-seat, monthly cap). Every new venue starts on a 14-day Pro trial with no credit card required.
- Pro pricing is per seat with a monthly cap, an AU venue with 10+ seats never pays more than $199/month regardless of team size.
- All billing management (upgrade, cancel, payment methods) is at Settings → Billing on the web app, the mobile app shows a read-only billing summary.
- If a Pro payment fails, Pro access stays active while Stripe retries the charge for up to 7 days.
Manage your OpenChair subscription at Settings → Billing. The Billing page shows your current plan status, wallet balance, and Sparks usage, and gives you access to plan upgrades, seat management, and your invoice history. Only venue Owners can access the Billing page.
Subscription Plans
OpenChair offers two plans, Free and Pro, so you can start without commitment and unlock advanced features when your venue is ready.
| Free | Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly price | $0 | From $34.95 AUD / $24.95 NZD / £19.95 GBP |
| Transaction fees | 3.0% + $0.50 | 1.8% + $0.30 |
| Included SMS | None | 100/month base + 50/seat (AU/GB) |
| Included email | None | 1,000/seat (max 10,000) |
| Sparks credits | Pay-as-you-go | 500/active seat per month (max 5,000) |
| Trial access | - | All new venues start on a 14-day Pro trial |
Note
Every new OpenChair venue begins with a 14-day Pro trial: no credit card required. Your wallet is pre-loaded with $5 in Sparks credit to cover pay-as-you-go AI usage during the trial. At the end of the trial, go to Settings → Billing to subscribe to Pro or continue on Free.
For the full feature comparison, see Free and Pro Plans.
Pricing and Seats
Pro is priced per seat (billable team member) with a monthly cap so your bill never grows beyond a set maximum.
| Region | Monthly from | Per additional seat | Monthly cap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | $34.95 AUD | $20.00 AUD | $199 AUD |
| New Zealand | $24.95 NZD | $20.00 NZD | $199 NZD |
| United Kingdom | £19.95 GBP | £10.00 GBP | £99 GBP |
Tip
Annual billing saves approximately 17%, a Save ~17% badge appears when you toggle to Yearly on the Plans page. Annual subscribers also receive 2 bonus months of Sparks, SMS, and email allocations.
Keeping your seat count up to date
Your seat count is the number of active team members at your venue. When you add or remove staff, a "Team size has changed" notice appears on the Billing page. Click "Update Seats" to sync the count with your Stripe subscription. Stripe prorates any adjustment for the remainder of the billing period.
Upgrading to Pro
To subscribe to Pro, go to Settings → Billing and click "Upgrade to Pro". If your trial has ended, the button reads "Subscribe to Pro" instead.
- On the Billing page, click "Upgrade to Pro", or go to Settings → Billing → Plans to view the full pricing table.
- You land on the dedicated checkout page at
/settings/billing/checkoutwith a mobile-collapsing summary. - Toggle between Monthly and Yearly billing. Adjust your team size using the seat stepper. Seat count and billing interval are inline-editable; the URL is the source of truth so refreshing keeps your selections.
- Complete payment. You're returned to Settings → Billing once Stripe confirms the subscription.
- The UpgradeRestorationOverlay appears: a quiet 2-second confirmation that PRO is on and your salon is restored.
Pro features (AI Concierge, Intelligence analytics, Engage, recurring bookings, etc.) unlock immediately after the subscription is confirmed. If you were on FREE (post-trial), all of your above-cap services, products, photos, and team members restore in the same instant — no re-config, no re-import.
Upcoming invoice & seat proration preview
Before you commit a seat change, the Billing page shows what your next invoice will look like:
- The new seat count
- The proration credit or charge for the remaining days in the current billing period
- The full next-period charge
Stripe calculates the proration; OpenChair surfaces it inline so there are no billing surprises.
Settings → Plan vs Settings → Billing
Settings → Plan is the narrative home for tier state — what you're on, what changes if you don't upgrade, and the buttons for trial extension and the trial-ending wizard. See Free and Pro Plans and When Your Trial Ends.
Settings → Billing is where the Stripe transaction happens — subscribe, change seats, change interval, update payment method, cancel. All in-app upgrade CTAs target Settings → Billing.
Managing Your Subscription
All subscription management is handled through the Stripe Customer Portal, which opens when you click "Manage Billing" on the Billing page.
Updating your payment method
- Go to Settings → Billing.
- Click "Manage Billing".
- In the Stripe Customer Portal, update your card details.
- Save and return to OpenChair.
Cancelling Pro
To cancel your Pro subscription:
- Go to Settings → Billing.
- Click "Change Plan".
- A "Before you go…" confirmation lists the Pro features you will lose, including AI Concierge, SMS campaigns, recurring bookings, Smart Waitlist, custom forms, resource scheduling, and the lower processing fee.
- Click "Continue to cancel" to proceed, or "Keep Pro" to stay on Pro.
- Your Pro access continues until the end of the current billing period.
Note
Cancelling Pro does not delete your data. Recurring series, forms, resources, and other Pro-only content become inactive but are preserved. If you resubscribe to Pro later, everything becomes active again immediately.
Plan status badges
The Billing page shows a status badge reflecting your current subscription state.
| Badge | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Free | No Pro subscription, on the Free plan |
| Trial | 14-day Pro trial is active |
| Active | Pro subscription is active and paid |
| Cancelling | Pro is active but set to cancel at period end |
| Past Due | A payment has failed. Stripe is retrying |
| Cancelled | Pro subscription has ended |
Past-due payments
If a Pro payment fails, OpenChair keeps your Pro access active while Stripe automatically retries the charge, typically over up to 7 days. The Billing page shows a "Past Due" badge during this window. Update your payment method via "Manage Billing" before the retry window closes to avoid any interruption.
Wallet and Sparks Credits
The Wallet is your balance for AI usage (Sparks) and overage charges. The Wallet card on the Billing page shows your current balance and recent usage.
Sparks
Sparks are the credits used by OpenChair's AI features. 1 Spark costs $0.01 (1 cent).
| Plan | Monthly Sparks allocation |
|---|---|
| Free | None, pay-as-you-go from wallet |
| Pro | 500 Sparks per active seat, up to a maximum pool of 5,000 |
Included Sparks reset at the start of each billing period. When your included Sparks run out, additional usage is billed from your wallet at the pay-as-you-go rate.
Topping up your wallet
The minimum top-up amount is $10. You can top up manually at any time from the Billing page.
Auto top-up: Enable the auto top-up toggle to automatically top up your wallet by $10 whenever your balance falls below $5. This prevents AI features from pausing due to an empty wallet.
Monthly AI Allocations
Pro includes monthly SMS, email, and Sparks allocations that reset each billing period. Overages are billed from your wallet.
| Allocation | Free | Pro AU/GB | Pro NZ |
|---|---|---|---|
| SMS | 0 | 100 base + 50/seat (max 550) | 0 (email only) |
| 0 | 1,000/seat (max 10,000) | 1,000/seat (max 10,000) | |
| Sparks | 0 | 500/active seat (max 5,000) | 500/active seat (max 5,000) |
For SMS overage rates and per-message pricing, see SMS Allocation and Limits.
Invoices and Receipts
The Invoices page (accessed via "View Invoices & Receipts" on the Billing page) shows two separate tables:
- Subscription Invoices: monthly or annual Pro subscription charges
- Wallet Top-Up Receipts: individual wallet top-up payments
Each entry links to a Stripe-hosted document. You can download any invoice or receipt as a PDF.
Billing on Mobile
The mobile app has a read-only "Billing & Wallet" screen accessible from the More tab. It shows:
- Your current plan badge (Free or Pro)
- Wallet balance and recent Sparks usage
- Auto top-up status
- Sparks pricing reference
Subscription upgrades, cancellation, and payment method changes are not available in the mobile app, these actions must be completed at Settings → Billing on the web app.
Note
Billing management is web-only by design. Apple and Google require that digital subscriptions purchased inside an app use their own in-app payment systems. OpenChair manages all subscriptions through Stripe on the web to keep pricing transparent and fair.
Role Access
Only venue Owners can access and manage billing. Managers and Stylists do not have access to the Billing page.
| Action | Owner | Manager | Stylist |
|---|---|---|---|
| View plan status and wallet balance | Yes | No | No |
| Upgrade or subscribe to Pro | Yes | No | No |
| Manage Billing (Stripe portal) | Yes | No | No |
| Update seats | Yes | No | No |
| View invoices and receipts | Yes | No | No |
| Cancel subscription | Yes | No | No |
| Top up wallet | Yes | No | No |
Troubleshooting
| Issue | Solution |
|---|---|
| Billing page shows "Past Due" | A Pro payment has failed. Click "Manage Billing" to open the Stripe Customer Portal and update your payment method. Stripe retries the charge for up to 7 days, update before the window closes. |
| Pro features are locked after trial ended | Your 14-day trial has ended and no Pro subscription is active. Go to Settings → Billing and click "Subscribe to Pro" to restore access. All your data from the trial is intact. |
| "Team size has changed" notice | Your active seat count doesn't match your Stripe subscription. Click "Update Seats" on the Billing page to sync the count and apply the prorated adjustment. |
| Upgrade to Pro button is not visible | The Billing page is only accessible to venue Owners. Ask your venue Owner to complete the upgrade. |
| Can't find billing settings on mobile | Billing management is web-only. Open the web app and go to Settings → Billing. |
| Invoice not received by email | Stripe sends invoices to your account email address. Check your spam folder, or go to Settings → Billing → "View Invoices & Receipts" to download any invoice manually. |
| Wallet balance not updating after top-up | Refresh the page. If the balance still hasn't updated after a few minutes, the payment may not have processed, contact support. |
FAQ
How do I upgrade to Pro?
Go to Settings → Billing and click "Upgrade to Pro". Choose Monthly or Yearly billing, confirm the team size, and complete the embedded Stripe checkout. Pro features unlock immediately and a "Welcome to Pro!" confirmation appears once the subscription is active.
How much does Pro cost?
Pro starts at $34.95 AUD / $24.95 NZD / £19.95 GBP per month for your first seat, plus $20 AUD / $20 NZD / £10 GBP per additional seat, with a monthly cap of $199 AUD / $199 NZD / £99 GBP. Annual billing saves approximately 17%.
What happens if my subscription payment fails?
If a Pro payment fails, OpenChair keeps your Pro access active while Stripe retries the charge for up to 7 days. The Billing page shows a "Past Due" badge during this period. Go to Settings → Billing → "Manage Billing" to update your payment method before the retry window closes.
How do I update my payment method?
Go to Settings → Billing and click "Manage Billing". This opens the Stripe Customer Portal where you can update your card details, download invoices, and manage your subscription. Changes take effect immediately.
What happens to my data if I cancel Pro?
Your data is preserved indefinitely. Recurring series, custom forms, resources, and other Pro-only content become inactive when Pro ends, but nothing is deleted. If you resubscribe to Pro at any point, all Pro-only content becomes active again immediately.