Pricing & Plans

Simple, transparent pricing designed for startups. Pay only for what you use.

Pricing Model

LiteStartup uses a pay-per-email model instead of per-contact pricing. This means you can import unlimited contacts and only pay for the emails you actually send.

Why Pay-Per-Email?

• Save Money: Import 100K contacts, pay only for emails sent
• No Surprises: Predictable costs based on actual usage
• Scale Freely: Grow your contact list without increasing costs
• Fair Pricing: Only pay for what you use

Plan Comparison

AI is billed separately from your plan. Plan limits cover email, publishing, and collaboration. AI Gateway usage is charged in USD by actual consumption — see AI Gateway Pricing below.

Plans

Free Plan

$0/month

Perfect for getting started and testing the platform.

Includes:

• 5,000 sent emails per month (200 per day)
• 5,000 received emails per month
• 3,000 contacts
• 1 domain and 20 domain emails
• 1 team with 3 members
• 1 GB storage and 1 GB bandwidth
• Basic email templates
• Email tracking (opens & clicks)
• Basic automation
• API access
• AI Website Builder
• Ticket & Live chat
• AI Content Assistant
• $1 one-time AI trial credit for AI Gateway
• Community support

Limitations:

• 5,000 sent emails/month, 200/day
• 30-day data retention
• Basic features only
• Community support only

Best for:

• Startups just getting started
• Testing the platform
• Small newsletters

Pro Plan

$20/month

For growing startups and small businesses.

$20/month, or $200/year (save $40)

Includes:

• 50,000 sent emails per month, unlimited per day
• Unlimited received emails
• Unlimited contacts and tag groups
• 10 domains and 200 domain emails
• 10 teams with unlimited members
• 20 GB storage and 10 GB bandwidth
• 100-day data retention
• All email templates
• Advanced email tracking
• Advanced automation & workflows
• Subscription forms
• Waitlist management
• AI Content Assistant
• An extra $5 one-time AI trial credit on your first upgrade
• Priority support
• Custom domain support
• API access
• Webhooks

Additional:

• $0.40 per 1,000 sent emails over limit
• Overage billing only when needed

Best for:

• Growing startups
• Active marketing campaigns
• Multiple team members

Enterprise Plan

Custom pricing

For large-scale operations and enterprises.

Includes:

• Unlimited emails per month
• Unlimited contacts
• Unlimited workmail accounts
• Dedicated account manager
• Custom integrations
• SLA guarantee (99.99% uptime)
• Advanced security features
• Custom branding
• White-label options
• Priority support (24/7)
• Advanced analytics
• Custom workflows

Best for:

• Large enterprises
• High-volume senders
• Custom requirements

Billing

How Billing Works

1. Monthly Cycle: Billing period runs from the 1st to the last day of each month
2. Base Charge: Your plan's monthly fee is charged on the 1st of each month
3. Overage Charges: Additional charges for emails sent over your plan limit
4. Invoice: Detailed invoice sent at end of month
5. Payment: Charged to your credit card automatically

Overage Pricing

Pro Plan: $0.40 per 1,000 sent emails over 50,000/month

Examples:

• 60,000 emails sent = $20 + $4 (10K overage) = $24
• 90,000 emails sent = $20 + $16 (40K overage) = $36
• 150,000 emails sent = $20 + $40 (100K overage) = $60

Payment Methods

We accept:

• Credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express)
• Debit cards
• PayPal
• Bank transfer (Enterprise only)

Invoices

• Invoices are generated monthly
• Available in your dashboard
• Sent to your billing email
• Can be downloaded as PDF

Refunds

• Monthly subscriptions: No refunds
• Upgrade: Prorated credit applied
• Downgrade: Prorated refund or credit applied

AI Gateway Pricing

AI Gateway is billed in USD by actual usage, independently of your plan. There are no AI quotas and no monthly AI allowance — you pay for exactly what you generate.

Two wallets

How a request is charged

1. The cost of the request is deducted from your trial credit first.
2. When the trial credit is exhausted, the remainder is charged to your balance.
3. A single request may draw on both — if $0.10 of trial credit is left and the request costs $0.30, you are charged $0.10 of trial credit and $0.20 of balance.
4. If neither wallet can cover it, the request is rejected with 429 and you are prompted to top up.

Rates

Every model publishes its own rate, billed per token, per image, per second, or per request depending on the capability. See the model list for current rates, or call GET /ai/models to read them programmatically.

Topping up is available on every plan, including Free. You do not need to upgrade to Pro to keep using AI Gateway after the trial credit runs out.

Frequently Asked Questions

Billing & Pricing

Q: Can I change my plan anytime? A: Yes! You can upgrade or downgrade your plan anytime. Changes take effect immediately.

Q: What happens if I exceed my email limit? A: You'll be charged $0.40 per 1,000 additional sent emails. You can continue sending without interruption.

Q: Is AI included in my plan? A: No. AI Gateway is billed by actual usage in USD, separately from your plan. Every account starts with a $1 trial credit, plus $5 the first time you upgrade to Pro. After that, AI usage is charged to your pay-as-you-go balance.

Q: Does the AI trial credit reset every month? A: No. It is a one-time trial fund, not a monthly allowance. It never expires and is never topped back up — once spent, AI usage continues from your balance.

Q: Can Free users pay for AI? A: Yes. Topping up your balance is available on every plan, so you can keep using AI Gateway without upgrading.

Q: Do I pay for bounced emails? A: Yes, bounced emails count toward your monthly limit. We recommend maintaining a clean contact list.

Q: Can I get a discount for annual billing? A: Contact our sales team for annual billing discounts and custom pricing.

Q: Is there a setup fee? A: No, there are no setup fees or hidden charges. You only pay for the plan and emails sent.

Q: Can I get an invoice? A: Yes, invoices are automatically generated and available in your dashboard.

Free Plan

Q: How long can I use the free plan? A: Indefinitely! The free plan has no time limit.

Q: Can I upgrade from free to pro? A: Yes, you can upgrade anytime. Your account will be upgraded immediately.

Q: What happens to my data if I don't upgrade? A: Your data remains safe. You can continue using the free plan or upgrade whenever you're ready.

Q: Are there any limitations on the free plan? A: The free plan includes 5,000 sent emails per month (200 per day) and 5,000 received emails. Other features are limited to basic functionality.

Pro Plan

Q: What's included in the Pro plan? A: 50,000 sent emails/month, unlimited received emails, unlimited contacts, 10 domains, 200 domain emails, automation, AI Content Assistant, and more.

Q: Can I add more domain emails? A: The Pro plan includes 200 domain emails across 10 domains. Contact support if you need more.

Q: Is there a contract? A: No, all plans are month-to-month with no long-term commitment.

Features

Q: What's included in the AI Content Assistant? A: Subject line generation, email copy suggestions, A/B test variations, and tone adjustment.

Q: Can I use custom domains? A: Yes, custom domains are available on Pro and Enterprise plans.

Q: What automation features are included? A: Welcome series, re-engagement campaigns, win-back campaigns, abandoned cart recovery, and more.

Q: Can I create custom workflows? A: Yes, you can create custom workflows with triggers, conditions, and actions.

Technical

Q: Is there an API rate limit? A: Yes, rate limits depend on your plan. Free: 60 req/min, Pro: 300 req/min.

Q: Can I use webhooks? A: Webhooks are available on Pro and Enterprise plans.

Q: What's the email delivery rate? A: We maintain a 99.9%+ delivery rate through infrastructure built by AWS & Google Cloud engineers.

Q: Can I schedule emails? A: Yes, you can schedule emails to be sent at a specific time.

Support

Q: What support is included? A: Free plan: Community support. Pro: Priority email support. Enterprise: 24/7 dedicated support.

Q: How fast is support response time? A: Pro plan: 24 hours. Enterprise: 1 hour for critical issues.

Q: Is there a knowledge base? A: Yes, we have comprehensive documentation and code examples.

Upgrade & Downgrade

Upgrade Your Plan

1. Go to Settings → Billing
2. Click "Upgrade Plan"
3. Select new plan
4. Review pricing
5. Click "Upgrade"
6. Changes take effect immediately

Downgrade Your Plan

1. Go to Settings → Billing
2. Click "Downgrade Plan"
3. Select new plan
4. Confirm downgrade
5. Changes take effect at end of billing cycle

Prorated Billing

When you upgrade or downgrade mid-month:

• Upgrade: Pay difference for remaining days
• Downgrade: Receive credit for remaining days

Enterprise & Custom Pricing

For organizations with specific needs:

• High-volume senders: Unlimited emails with custom pricing
• Custom integrations: Dedicated development support
• White-label: Rebrand LiteStartup as your own
• SLA guarantee: 99.99% uptime guarantee
• Dedicated support: 24/7 account manager

Contact Sales

For enterprise inquiries:

• Email: [email protected]
• Phone: Available for enterprise customers
• Website: LiteStartup.com

Cost Calculator

Estimate Your Monthly Cost

Step 1: Estimate monthly emails

• Average emails per month: ___

Step 2: Choose plan

• Free: 5,000 sent emails/month = $0
• Pro: 50,000 sent emails/month = $20

Step 3: Calculate overage (Pro plan)

• Sent emails over 50,000 × $0.40 per 1,000 = Overage cost

Step 4: Add AI usage (optional)

• AI Gateway is billed separately by actual usage, after your one-time trial credit

Example Calculations:

Scenario 1: Small startup

• 4,000 emails/month
• Plan: Free ($0)
• Total: $0/month

Scenario 2: Growing business

• 45,000 emails/month
• Plan: Pro ($20)
• Overage: None
• Total: $20/month

Scenario 3: Active marketing

• 90,000 emails/month
• Plan: Pro ($20)
• Overage: 40,000 × $0.40/1K = $16
• Total: $36/month

Scenario 4: High-volume sender

• 500,000 emails/month
• Plan: Enterprise (Custom)
• Contact sales for pricing

Money-Back Guarantee

We're confident you'll love LiteStartup. If you're not satisfied within 30 days of upgrading to Pro, we'll refund your money. No questions asked.

Conditions:

• Applies to first month of Pro plan only
• Must request within 30 days of upgrade
• Applies to plan fees only (not overages)

Special Offers

Startup Program

Eligible startups get:

• 80% off Pro plan for 6 months
• Priority support
• Free consultation

Requirements:

• Founded within last 1 year
• Annual income below $50,000
• Valid business registration

Nonprofit Discount

Nonprofits receive:

• 50% off all plans
• Unlimited support
• Free custom domain

Educational Discount

Students and educators get:

• Free Pro plan
• Valid .edu email required

You can apply for the Startup Program, Nonprofit Discount, or Educational Discount by contacting [email protected].

Billing Support

Common Billing Issues

Q: My credit card was declined A: Check your card details, expiration date, and billing address. Contact your bank if issues persist.

Q: I want to cancel my subscription A: You can cancel anytime in Settings → Billing. Your access continues until end of billing period.

Q: How do I update my billing information? A: Go to Settings → Billing → Payment Method to update your card details.

Q: Can I get a receipt? A: Yes, receipts are available in your dashboard under Billing → Invoices.

Contact Billing Support

• Email: [email protected]
• Response time: 24 hours
• Available: Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm UTC