# Zulip Cloud billing

This page answers some frequently asked questions about [Zulip Cloud plans and
pricing](https://zulip.com/plans/). If you have any other questions, please
don't hesitate to reach out at [sales@zulip.com](mailto:sales@zulip.com).

## Upgrade to a Zulip Cloud Standard or Plus plan

{start_tabs}

{tab|zulip-cloud-standard}

{relative|gear|plans}

1. Under the **Cloud Standard** pricing plan, click **Upgrade to Standard**.

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

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

1. Click **Purchase Zulip Cloud Standard**.

{tab|zulip-cloud-plus}

{relative|gear|plans}

1. Under the **Cloud Plus** pricing plan, click **Contact sales**.

{end_tabs}

## Manage billing

{start_tabs}

{tab|desktop-web}

{relative|gear|billing}

{end_tabs}

## Cancel paid plan

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

{start_tabs}

{tab|desktop-web}

{relative|gear|billing}

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

1. Click **Downgrade** to confirm.

{end_tabs}

## Apply for sponsorship

{start_tabs}

{tab|request-sponsorship}

1. Click on the **gear** (<i class="zulip-icon zulip-icon-gear"></i>) icon in
   the upper right corner of the web or desktop app.

1. Click the **Request sponsorship** link at the top of the gear menu.

1. Fill out the requested information, and click **Submit**.

{tab|request-education-pricing}

1. Click on the **gear** (<i class="zulip-icon zulip-icon-gear"></i>) icon in
   the upper right corner of the web or desktop app.

1. Click the **Request education pricing** link at the top of the gear menu.

1. Fill out the requested information, and click **Submit**.

{end_tabs}

## Differences between Zulip Cloud plans

### How does having 10,000 messages of search history on Zulip Cloud Free work?

Only the most recent 10,000 messages can be viewed and searched on the Zulip
Cloud Free plan. Older messages are still stored and will become available
again if the organization is upgraded to Zulip Cloud Standard.

### Will you switch to limiting Zulip Cloud Free history to messages sent in the last 90 days (like Slack has)?

**No.** As discussed in [this blog
post](https://blog.zulip.com/2022/08/26/why-slacks-free-plan-change-is-causing-an-exodus/),
a time-based limit to message history is simply a bad model for a collaboration
tool.

## Payment methods

### Can I pay by credit card and/or invoice?

You can always use a credit card to pay. If you would like to pay by invoice,
you will need to sign up for an annual plan.

### What is the difference between automatic and manual billing?

With automatic billing, you automatically purchase a Zulip license for each user
in your organization at the start of each billing period (month or year).
[Deactivating a user][deactivate-user] frees up their license for reuse.
Additional licenses are purchased automatically as needed.

With manual billing, you choose and pay for a preset user limit. If
he limit is reached, no more users can join until licenses are manually
added.

In general, selecting automatic billing is highly recommended unless you
have a specific reason to do otherwise.

#### Manually manage licenses

If you organization is on a manual billing plan, you can manage the number of
licenses on your organization's billing page.

{start_tabs}

{tab|desktop-web}

{relative|gear|billing}

1. Modify **Number of licenses for current billing period** or **Number of
   licenses for next billing period**, and click **Update**.

!!! tip ""

    You can only increase the number of licenses for the current billing period.

{end_tabs}

## Temporary users and guests

### How will I be charged for temporary users (e.g. limited-time clients)?

Users [can be deactivated][deactivate-user] any time. Deactivating a user frees
up their license for reuse.

### How are guest accounts billed? Is there special pricing?

For an organization with N other users, 5*N [guest users](/help/guest-users)
are included at no extra charge. After that, you will be charged at 1/5 of
your regular per-user pricing for each additional guest.

## Related articles

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

[deactivate-user]: /help/deactivate-or-reactivate-a-user#deactivate-a-user