Subscription & Billing

Audience: This article is for church administrators.

TimelyChurch uses a tiered subscription model that grows with your church. Whether you are just getting started or running a large multi-campus ministry, there is a plan that fits your needs. This guide covers how to view your plan, understand your usage, and manage your subscription.

Accessing Subscription & Billing

1. At the bottom of the left sidebar, click Church Setting. (Or open your account menu -- your name at the bottom of the sidebar -- and click Manage subscription →.)
2. Click the Billing & Plans tab.

Only church administrators see the Billing & Plans tab. It is also hidden inside the TimelyChurch phone app: there it shows only a short "Your church plan" note with no plans, prices or checkout, so manage your plan from a web browser.

Subscription Plans

TimelyChurch offers three self-serve plan tiers that you can choose and subscribe to directly from the Billing & Plans tab — Starter, Growth, and Pro.

(Two higher Multi-Campus tiers exist for associations managing several campuses, but they are set up with you personally rather than self-serve, so they do not appear on the Billing & Plans tab. If you run a multi-campus ministry, contact support.)

Starter (Free)

Core features to get your church started with digital management:

• People & Families
• Classes
• Schedules
• Attendance
• Events
• Calendar
• Team Management
• Settings
• Messaging
• Sermons

Limits (defaults): 5 team members, 2 classes, 100 MB storage, 100 people, 3 groups, 3 forms, 10 events, 10 lessons, 1 check-in kiosk, 25 volunteers, 5 custom fields. No bulk email, SMS or Q&A sessions on Starter.

Growth ($49/mo or $488/yr — save ~17%)

Everything in Starter, plus:

• Follow-Ups
• Lesson Library
• Check-In
• Forms
• Volunteers
• Serving Teams
• Announcements
• Groups
• Website Builder
• Live Q&A
• Songs & Music (including importing song documents)

Limits (defaults): Unlimited team members, 5 classes, 500 MB storage, 500 people, 10 groups, 20 forms, 50 events, 50 lessons, 100 songs, bulk email to up to 500 people a day, 100 SMS/mo, 3 check-in kiosks, 100 volunteers, 20 website pages, 15 custom fields, 3 Q&A sessions.

Pro ($129/mo or $1,290/yr — save ~17%)

Founding rate: The first 25 churches to subscribe to Pro lock in the founding price of $129/mo for the life of their subscription. After those slots fill, the list price for new subscribers is $149/mo. The Billing & Plans tab shows your current applicable price, with a Founding rate badge while founding spots remain.

Everything in Growth, plus:

• Rooms & Facilities
• Email Templates / Campaigns / Automations
• Tasks
• Giving & Donations
• Funds
• Giving Statements
• Reports & Analytics
• Pledges
• Budgets
• Accounting
• Service Plans
• Audio Analysis (BPM/Key Detection)
• Song Sync (Desktop Chart Sync)
• Import & Export
• Custom Fields
• Push Notifications
• Custom Branding (church logo)
• Custom Domain
• Priority Support

Limits: Unlimited team members, classes, groups, forms, events, people, lessons, songs, rooms, volunteers, website pages, custom fields, and Q&A sessions. 5 GB storage, bulk email to up to 1,500 people a day, 500 SMS/mo.

Note: Pro is the highest tier you can subscribe to yourself. The only plans above Pro are the Multi-Campus tiers described above.

Bulk Email on Your Plan

Emailing many people at once -- email campaigns, email automations, and emails to a whole group or event -- needs a paid plan:

• On a trial, you can write, design and save campaigns and set up automations, but sending waits until you upgrade. The Email Campaigns page shows "Sending requires a paid plan."
• On a paid plan, there is a daily limit that counts people, not messages: Growth up to 500 people a day, Pro up to 1,500. One email to 400 members counts as 400. If a send would pass what is left for the day, TimelyChurch tells you before it goes out.
• A quick review for some messages. A church's first large send after it starts paying, and any message that looks like phishing, can be held before it goes out. You'll see "Your message is being reviewed — usually within an hour. Nothing has been sent." It goes out as soon as it is approved, or you can click Withdraw this message.

See Trial and Plan Selection for more.

Billing Cycles

TimelyChurch offers two billing options:

• Monthly — Pay month-to-month with the flexibility to cancel anytime.
• Yearly — Pay annually and save about 17% versus paying monthly for 12 months. (For example, Pro is $1,290/yr instead of $1,548, and Growth is $488/yr instead of $588.)

Use the Monthly / Yearly toggle near the top of the plan grid on the Billing & Plans tab to compare costs before subscribing. Switching the toggle to Yearly shows a Save 17% badge and displays each paid plan's effective monthly rate along with the total annual charge ("Billed $…/yr").

Understanding Your Current Usage

The Billing & Plans tab displays usage cards for Team Members and File Storage. Each card shows a circular progress ring with your current count in the center and your plan's limit below it. The ring changes color as you approach your limit:

• Indigo — Normal usage (under 70%)
• Amber — Approaching limit (70-89%)
• Red — At or near limit (90%+)

If a resource is unlimited on your plan, the card shows "Unlimited on your plan" instead of a percentage.

Team Members

Shows how many team members (admins, teachers, and other staff) you currently have versus your plan's limit, with a "Manage team" link to the Team page. (Paid plans include unlimited team members; the seat cap applies only to the free Starter plan.)

File Storage

Shows how much file storage you are using (lesson attachments, room photos, resource files, song attachments, etc.) versus your plan's limit, displayed in MB or GB. The card offers an Add extra storage link, and a Need more storage? section lower on the tab lets you add a storage add-on without changing tiers -- "Prorated charge on your next invoice. Cancel anytime."

Tip: If a usage ring is consistently in the amber or red zone, it may be time to consider upgrading your plan or, for storage, adding a storage add-on.

Trial Period

When you first create a church on TimelyChurch, you receive a 30-day free trial with access to Pro-level features. During your trial:

• A notice at the top of the Billing & Plans tab shows Trial: N days left and the date it ends
• You have full access to try all Pro features before committing (sending bulk email waits for a paid plan)
• No credit card is required to start

When the trial ends without a paid plan, your church moves to the Starter plan and your data is kept. You can extend the trial once by 15 days (Extend 15 Days), or upgrade at any time. Until you do, the admin area opens only the Dashboard and Church Setting -- see What Happens When the Trial Ends.

Upgrading Your Plan

1. Go to Church Settings → Billing & Plans.
2. Review the available plans (Starter / Growth / Pro).
3. Toggle between Monthly and Yearly to see pricing for each cycle.
4. Click the button on the plan you want: Lock In Pro during your trial, Upgrade for a higher plan, or Downgrade to … for a lower one (you'll be asked to confirm a downgrade).
5. You will be redirected to a secure Stripe checkout page to enter your payment information.

After subscribing:

• Your new plan takes effect immediately
• All features included in the new plan are unlocked
• Your resource limits are updated to the new plan's levels

Heads up: Your TimelyChurch subscription is paid through Stripe's hosted checkout. This is separate from the Stripe account your church connects on the Integrations tab to accept online giving. See Integrations for the giving setup.

Your Renewal Date

On an active paid plan, the Billing & Plans tab shows when your plan renews: "Your [plan] plan renews on [date]. We'll email you a reminder a few days beforehand — no surprises."

Complimentary (Comped) Plans

In some cases, TimelyChurch may grant complimentary access to a paid plan. When that's the case:

• A purple Complimentary [plan] Plan notice on the Billing & Plans tab says "You have been granted free access."
• No payment method is required

When Something Needs Your Attention

• Payment failed (past due). A banner says "Your payment is past due. Please update your payment method to avoid service interruption." with an Update Payment button. Your features stay available for a short grace period; after that, the admin area opens only the Dashboard and Church Setting until the payment is fixed.
• Subscription inactive. If a subscription is cancelled or a payment problem isn't fixed in time, the Dashboard shows Your subscription is inactive with a Reactivate subscription button that opens Billing & Plans.

Cancelling Your Subscription

If you need to cancel your paid subscription:

1. Go to Church Settings → Billing & Plans.
2. Click Manage Billing to open the secure Stripe billing portal, where you can cancel your subscription.
3. When you cancel:
   • You retain access to paid features until the end of your current billing period. The tab shows "Your subscription is set to cancel" with the date, and a Resume your subscription link if you change your mind.
   • After the billing period ends, your church moves to the Starter plan and the admin area opens only the Dashboard and Church Setting until you subscribe again.
   • All your data is preserved -- nothing is deleted (including data from higher-tier modules such as giving history and accounting records)
   • Your donors' recurring gifts are not cancelled. Cancelling your TimelyChurch plan only changes your church's plan; it never cancels the recurring gifts your donors have set up. Giving is part of Pro, so you cannot use the giving tools again until you subscribe.
   • You can re-subscribe at any time to restore access

Payment Methods

Subscriptions are paid by credit or debit card through Stripe. When you subscribe:

• Your payment card information is stored securely by Stripe (TimelyChurch does not store your full card details)
• You can update your payment method at any time with Manage Billing

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What happens to my data if I downgrade? A: Your data is never deleted when you downgrade. Features from higher tiers are locked (you cannot create new items in those modules), and if you are over a limit of the new plan you can't add new items until you trim back or upgrade.

Q: Can I switch between monthly and yearly billing? A: Yes. Use Manage Billing on the Billing & Plans tab to open the Stripe billing portal, or contact support for help switching cycles.

Q: Is there a discount for non-profit organizations? A: TimelyChurch is built specifically for churches and ministries. Contact our support team to learn about any available discounts or special pricing.

Q: What happens if my payment fails? A: Your subscription becomes past due and a banner asks you to update your payment method. Your features stay available for a short grace period. If the payment is still not resolved after that, the admin area is limited to the Dashboard and Church Setting until you update your payment method.

Q: Can I get a refund? A: Please contact TimelyChurch support for refund requests. Include your Church ID and Support PIN (found on the Profile tab) for identity verification.