zulip/help/self-hosted-billing.md

# Self-hosted Zulip billing

This page describes how to manage your self-hosted plan, and answers some common
questions about plans and billing for self-hosted organizations. Please refer to
[Self-hosted Zulip plans and pricing](https://zulip.com/plans/#self-hosted) for plan
details.

The topics covered include:

* [Logging in to manage billing](#log-in-to-billing-management)
* [Upgrading to a paid plan](#upgrade-to-a-paid-plan)
* [Managing billing](#manage-billing)
* [Canceling a paid plan](#cancel-paid-plan)
* [Applying for a free Community plan](#apply-for-community-plan)
* [Applying for a paid plan discount](#apply-for-a-paid-plan-discount)
* [Manual license management](#manually-update-number-of-licenses)

If you have any questions not answered here, please don't hesitate to
reach out at [sales@zulip.com](mailto:sales@zulip.com).

## Paid plan details and upgrades

For businesses with up to 10 Zulip users, the **Free** plan is a good option, and
includes free access to Zulip's [Mobile Push Notification Service][push-notifications].

For businesses with more than 10 Zulip users, both the **Basic** and **Business**
plans include unlimited access to Zulip's Mobile Push Notification Service.

The **Business** plan also includes commercial support for dozens of features and
[integrations](/help/integrations-overview) that help businesses take full advantage
of their Zulip implementation. The minimum purchase is 25 licenses.

If your organization requires hands-on support, such as real-time assistance during
installation and upgrades, help with advanced deployment options, development of
custom features or integrations, etc., please contact
[sales@zulip.com](mailto:sales@zulip.com) to discuss pricing.

!!! warn ""

    **Note**: For 8.0+ servers hosting more than one organization, commercial support
    for any server-wide configurations requires upgrading the organization with the
    largest number of users.

Paid plan discounts are available in a variety of situations; see
[below](#paid-plan-discounts) for details.

## Log in to billing management

{!self-hosted-billing-multiple-organizations.md!}

{start_tabs}

{tab|v8}

{!self-hosted-billing-admin-only.md!}

{!register-server.md!}

{!self-hosted-log-in.md!}

{tab|all-versions}

{!legacy-log-in-intro.md!}

{!register-server-legacy.md!}

{!legacy-log-in.md!}

{end_tabs}

Once you are logged in, you can [upgrade to a paid
plan](#upgrade-to-a-paid-plan), [manage billing](#manage-billing), [cancel a
paid plan](#cancel-paid-plan), or [apply for a free Community
plan](#apply-for-community-plan) or a [paid plan
discount](#apply-for-a-paid-plan-discount).

## Upgrade to a paid plan

### Do I have to upgrade my server first?

While upgrading your Zulip server to version 8.0+ makes it more convenient to
manage your plan, you do not have to upgrade your Zulip installation in order to
sign up for a plan. **The same plans are offered for all Zulip versions.**

In addition to hundreds of other improvements, upgrading to Zulip Server 8.0+ lets
you:

- Easily log in to Zulip plan management, without an additional server
  authentication step.

- Separately manage plans for all the organizations hosted on your server.

- Upload only the [basic metadata][basic-metadata] required for the service,
  without also [uploading usage statistics][usage-statistics].

If you upgrade your server after signing up for a plan, you will be able to
transfer your plan to an organization on your server. If your server only
hosts one organization, this will happen automatically. Otherwise, contact
[support@zulip.com](mailto:support@zulip.com) for assistance.

### Start a free trial

**New customers** are eligible for a free 30-day trial of the **Basic** plan.
An organization is considered to be a new customer if:

- It was not registered for Zulip's [Mobile Push Notification
  Service][push-notifications] prior to December 12, 2023, and

- It has never previously signed up for a self-hosted Zulip plan (Basic,
  Business, Community or Enterprise).

{start_tabs}

{tab|by-card}

{!self-hosted-billing-log-in-step.md!}

1. On the page listing Zulip's self-hosted plans, click the **Start
   30-day trial** button at the bottom of the **Basic** plan.

1. Click **Add card** to enter your payment details.

1. *(optional)* Update the billing details included on receipts so that
   they are different from the information entered for the payment method,
   e.g. in case you would prefer that the company's name be on receipts
   instead of the card holder's name.

1. Click **Start 30-day trial** to start your free trial.

!!! tip ""

    Once you start the trial, you can switch between monthly and annual
    billing on your organization's billing page.

{tab|by-invoice}

!!! warn ""

    Only [manual license
    management](#how-does-manual-license-management-work) is available
    when paying by invoice.

{!self-hosted-billing-log-in-step.md!}

1. On the page listing Zulip's self-hosted plans, click the **Start
   30-day trial** button at the bottom of the **Basic** plan.

1. Select **pay by invoice**.

1. Select your preferred option from the **Payment schedule** dropdown.

1. Select the **Number of licenses** you would like to purchase for your
   organization. You can adjust this number to update your initial invoice any
   time during your trial.

1. Click **Update billing information** to enter your billing details, which
   will be included on invoices and receipts.

1. Click **Start 30-day trial** to start your free trial.

{end_tabs}

### Upgrade directly to a paid plan

{start_tabs}

{tab|by-card}

{!self-hosted-billing-log-in-step.md!}

1. On the page listing Zulip's self-hosted plans, click the button at the bottom
   of the plan you would like to purchase.

{!plan-upgrade-steps.md!}

{tab|by-invoice}

!!! warn ""

    Only [manual license
    management](#how-does-manual-license-management-work) is available
    when paying by invoice.

{!self-hosted-billing-log-in-step.md!}

{!pay-by-invoice-steps.md!}

{end_tabs}

## Manage billing

{!manage-billing-intro.md!}

{start_tabs}

{!self-hosted-billing-log-in-step.md!}

{end_tabs}

## Cancel paid plan

If you cancel your plan, your organization will be downgraded to the
**Free** plan at the end of the current billing period.

{start_tabs}

{!self-hosted-billing-log-in-step.md!}

1. At the bottom of the page, click **Cancel plan**.

1. Click **Downgrade** to confirm.

{end_tabs}

## Free Community plan

Zulip sponsors free plans for over 1000 worthy organizations. The following
types of organizations are generally eligible for the **Community** plan.

- Open-source projects, including projects with a small paid team.
- Research in an academic setting, such as research groups, cross-institutional
  collaborations, etc.
- Organizations operated by individual educators, such as a professor teaching
  one or more classes.
- Non-profits with no paid staff.
- Communities and personal organizations (clubs, groups of
  friends, volunteer groups, etc.).

Organizations that have up to 10 users, or do not require mobile push
notifications, will likely find the **Free** plan to be the most convenient
option. Larger organizations are encouraged to apply for the **Community**
plan, which includes unlimited push notifications and support for many Zulip
features.

If you aren't sure whether your organization qualifies, submitting a sponsorship
form describing your situation is a great starting point. Many organizations
that don't qualify for the **Community** plan can still receive [discounted paid
plan pricing](#paid-plan-discounts).

### Apply for Community plan

These instructions describe the **Community** plan application process for an
existing Zulip server. If you would like to inquire about eligibility prior to
setting up a self-hosted server, contact [sales@zulip.com](mailto:sales@zulip.com).

{start_tabs}

{!self-hosted-billing-log-in-step.md!}

1. On the page listing Zulip's self-hosted plans, scroll down to the
   **Sponsorship and discounts** area, and click **Apply here**.

1. Fill out the requested information, and click **Submit**. Your application
   will be reviewed for **Community** plan eligibility.

!!! tip ""

    Organizations that do not qualify for a **Community** plan may be offered a
    discount for the **Basic** plan.

{end_tabs}

## Paid plan discounts

The following types of organizations are generally eligible for significant
discounts on paid plans. You can also contact
[sales@zulip.com](mailto:sales@zulip.com) to discuss bulk discount pricing for a
large organization.

- [Education organizations](#education-pricing) and [non-profit
  organizations](#non-profit-pricing).

- Discounts are available for organizations based in the **developing world**.

- Any organization where many users are **not paid staff** is likely eligible
  for a discount.

If there are any circumstances that make regular pricing unaffordable for your
organization, contact [sales@zulip.com](mailto:sales@zulip.com) to discuss your
situation.

### Education pricing

Organizations operated by individual educators (for example, a professor
teaching one or more classes) are generally eligible for [the Community
plan](#free-community-plan).

Departments and other institutions using Zulip with students are eligible for
discounted education pricing. Other educational uses (e.g., by teaching staff or
university IT) may qualify for [non-profit pricing](#non-profit-pricing).

- **For-profit education pricing**:
    - **Basic plan**: $0.50 per user per month
    - **Business plan**: $1 per user per month with annual billing
    ($1.20/month billed monthly) with a minimum purchase of 100 licenses.

- **Non-profit education pricing**: The non-profit discount applies to
  online purchases only (no additional legal agreements) for use at registered
  non-profit institutions (e.g., colleges and universities).
    - **Basic plan**: $0.35 per user per month
    - **Business plan**: $0.67 per user per month with annual billing
      ($0.80/month billed monthly) with a minimum purchase of 100 licenses.

### Non-profit pricing

Non-profits with no paid staff are eligible for [the Community
plan](#free-community-plan).

For non-profits with paid staff, volunteers and other unpaid participants in
your community are eligible for free Zulip accounts. Additionally, discounts are
available for paid staff accounts. Contact
[sales@zulip.com](mailto:sales@zulip.com) to arrange discounted pricing for your
organization.

### Guest user discounts

There is no automatic discount for guest users. However, organizations with a
large number of guest users are very likely to be eligible for a discount. If
this is your situation, please apply for a discount or email
[sales@zulip.com](mailto:sales@zulip.com).

### Duplicate accounts

Some servers host multiple organizations, with some individuals having accounts in
several of these organizations. If you have this setup, the ability to
[configure whether guests can see other
users](/help/guest-users#configure-whether-guests-can-see-all-other-users)
(introduced in Zulip 8.0) may allow you to consolidate into a single Zulip
organization.

If you want to maintain a multi-organization setup with duplicate accounts, you
may contact [sales@zulip.com](mailto:sales@zulip.com) to arrange a discounted rate.

### Apply for a paid plan discount

These instructions describe the paid plan discount application process for an
existing Zulip server. If you would like to inquire about paid plan discount
eligibility prior to setting up a self-hosted server, contact
[sales@zulip.com](mailto:sales@zulip.com).

{start_tabs}

{!self-hosted-billing-log-in-step.md!}

1. On the page listing Zulip's self-hosted plans, scroll down to the
   **Sponsorship and discounts** area, and click **Apply here**.

1. Select your preferred option from the **Plan** dropdown.

1. Fill out the requested information, and click **Submit**. Your application
   will be reviewed for discount eligibility.

{end_tabs}

## Payment methods

### What are my payment options?

{!payment-options.md!}

### How does automatic license management work?

{!automatic-billing.md!}

### How does manual license management work?

With manual license management, you choose and pay for a fixed number of
licenses for your organization or server. [Deactivating a
user](/help/deactivate-or-reactivate-a-user) frees up their license for reuse.

If the number of active users exceeds the number of licenses you've purchased,
any paid services included in your plan will be paused until this is addressed.
For example, you will lose access to the [Mobile Push Notification
Service][push-notifications] until you have purchased more licenses or
deactivated enough users.

#### Manually update number of licenses

{start_tabs}

{!self-hosted-billing-log-in-step.md!}

{!manual-add-license-instructions.md!}

{end_tabs}

## How paid plans support the Zulip project

Zulip is proudly independent, with [no venture capital funding][sustainable-growth],
which means that revenue strongly impacts the pace of Zulip’s development. Paid
plans for self-hosted customers help fund improvements in Zulip's self-hosting
experience, and overall product development. Zulip needs the support of
businesses that self-host Zulip in order to thrive as an independent, [100%
open-source](https://github.com/zulip/zulip#readme) project.

You can also learn about [other ways](/help/support-zulip-project) to support
the Zulip project.

## Self-hosting Zulip for free

Zulip is 100% open-source. Organizations that do not require support with their
installation can always use Zulip for free with no limitations. Additionally,
the [Mobile Push Notification Service][push-notifications] is provided free of
charge for organizations with up to 10 users.

You can self-manage your Zulip installation without signing up for a plan. Get
started with the [installation guide][production-install].

## Related articles

* [Trying out Zulip](/help/trying-out-zulip)
* [Zulip Cloud or self-hosting?](/help/zulip-cloud-or-self-hosting)
* [Migrating from other chat tools](/help/migrating-from-other-chat-tools)
* [Contact support](/help/contact-support)

[basic-metadata]: https://zulip.readthedocs.io/en/latest/production/mobile-push-notifications.html#uploading-basic-metadata
[usage-statistics]: https://zulip.readthedocs.io/en/latest/production/mobile-push-notifications.html#uploading-usage-statistics
[push-notifications]: https://zulip.readthedocs.io/en/stable/production/mobile-push-notifications.html
[production-install]: https://zulip.readthedocs.io/en/stable/production/install.html
[sustainable-growth]: https://zulip.com/values/#building-a-sustainable-business-aligned-with-our-values