BookHero is built so you can start without a card and without a rush. The Free plan is there for you to experiment with real clients and decide whether the tool fits your day. When you need unlimited bookings, more bookable seats, or WhatsApp reminders, you upgrade in a click. And when you no longer need it, you cancel through the Stripe portal without losing any history.
This guide walks through every piece of the puzzle: what each plan includes, how the trial works, how the upgrade flows update your account in seconds, and the important difference between cancelling your subscription and deleting your business (which is NOT the same thing).
The four plans side by side
BookHero has four tiers. The first three (Free, Starter, Pro) are self-serve: you subscribe yourself from inside the app or from the /pricing page. The fourth (Enterprise) is sales-led for teams with 10+ bookable practitioners, white-label, or custom requirements.
| Free | Starter | Pro | Enterprise | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bookable practitioners included | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10+ |
| Extra bookable practitioner | - | +€8/mo | +€8/mo | Included |
| Bookings per month | 30 | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Public booking page | ||||
| Email confirmation | ||||
| Email reminder | - | - | ||
| WhatsApp reminder | - | - | ||
| WhatsApp cancellation | - | - | ||
| Full reports | ||||
| 14-day trial | - | Included | ||
| Support | Priority 24h | Dedicated SLA |
Pricing: Starter is €17.99/mo (€14.99 on annual). Pro is €29.99/mo (€24.99 annual). On both paid plans, every extra bookable practitioner adds €8/mo on top of the first included seat. Prices shown exclude VAT - Stripe computes VAT from your billing country at checkout time.
The Free plan: what it really gives you
Not a disguised trial. Free is a full plan, with no expiry, that runs an actual small business. You get the calendar, the public booking page, email confirmations and reminders, client files, full reports, and checkout. What you don't get: unlimited bookings (capped at 30/month), WhatsApp, or more than one bookable practitioner.
How the 14-day trial works
When you first pick Starter or Pro (during onboarding or in Settings), BookHero starts a 14-day free trial of the plan you chose. The card is collected upfront in Stripe Checkout, but it's only charged at the end of the trial (if you don't cancel). Stripe sends a heads-up email before the first charge - no surprises.
When the 14 days are up and you haven't cancelled, the first charge runs automatically on the same card. From then on you follow the cycle you chose (monthly or yearly). You get an invoice in your email and in the Customer Portal.
How to upgrade from Free to a paid plan
There are two places in the app where you can upgrade: onboarding (step 6, during initial setup) and, after that, in Settings > Plan. Both flows take you to Stripe Checkout.
Open Settings > Plan
Only the business owner (the 'owner' role) sees and manages the plan card. Managers and team members don't see it - billing is reserved for whoever owns the business.
Pick the plan and the cycle
Click 'Change plan' or 'Upgrade'. A modal opens with Starter and Pro side by side and a monthly/yearly toggle. Each option shows the per-month equivalent price and how many bookable seats you'll get.
Confirm the bookable seat count
If your team already has more than one bookable practitioner, the system pre-fills the quantity. You can reserve more seats ahead of time (future capacity) - each extra seat above the first costs €8/mo.
Move to Stripe Checkout
The button opens a new window with Stripe Checkout. You can enter a Tax ID (VAT number), promo code, card, and billing address. Stripe calculates VAT automatically.
Wait for confirmation
After payment, Stripe sends a webhook to BookHero. Your plan becomes active in a few seconds. You're returned to /dashboard/settings with 'billing=success' and the new plan already reflected in the card.
Managing card, invoices, and cancelling: the Customer Portal
The Customer Portal is a page hosted by Stripe where you can see everything happening with your subscription: past invoices, current card, next charge, and the button to cancel. BookHero opens it straight from Settings > Plan > 'Manage subscription'.
Cancelling through the Portal is NOT the same as deleting your business. When you cancel the subscription, you keep full access to the paid plan until the end of the paid period (e.g. you paid monthly on May 15th, you keep Pro until June 15th). After that the business drops automatically to Free. Your whole team, clients, bookings, and history stay put. You only lose access to plan-specific features (WhatsApp, bookable seats above 1, bookings above 30/mo).
Edge cases: past_due, downgrade, and capacity
Three situations deserve a separate note because they can confuse:
- Failed payment (past_due): if the card is declined, Stripe retries for a few days before cancelling. During that window (the 'dunning window'), you keep access to the paid plan. You get emails to update the card in the Portal.
- Downgrade from Pro to Starter: done inline in Settings > Plan. The difference is credited on the next invoice. You don't lose access immediately - you keep Pro until the end of the paid period, then drop to Starter.
- Reducing bookable seats: must be done via the Customer Portal. BookHero only syncs the seat count 'upward' (adding a bookable member auto-bumps Stripe). To release reserved capacity, you go through the Portal. When the subscription seat count drops below the active bookable seats, the system automatically demotes the excess to admin-only (nothing is deleted).
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a card to start?
No. The Free plan doesn't ask for one - sign up and use. The card only comes into play if you decide to upgrade to Starter or Pro, and even then you're only charged at the end of the 14-day trial (unless you cancel before).
What happens when I hit 30 bookings on Free?
It's a hard cap: at 30 bookings your public page shows 'fully booked' and stops taking new bookings (manual bookings in the calendar are blocked too). To keep taking bookings, upgrade to Starter or Pro, which lifts the cap instantly. Otherwise the counter resets to zero on day 1 of the next month.
Can I downgrade from Pro to Starter?
Yes, any time, straight from Settings > Plan. Stripe computes the prorated credit automatically. If you have more bookable seats than the new plan allows or if you want to reduce reserved capacity, that has to go through the Customer Portal.
What happens if my payment fails?
Stripe retries for a few days (between 1 and 2 weeks depending on the configured rules) and emails you. During that window you keep access to the paid plan. If the payment keeps failing, the subscription is cancelled and your account automatically reverts to Free. Data is never lost.
Are the prices VAT inclusive?
No. Prices (€17.99 / €29.99 monthly; €14.99 / €24.99 yearly) exclude VAT. Stripe computes the VAT for your billing country at checkout (23% in Portugal). If you enter a VAT number and you're eligible for reverse charge, that is also applied on the spot.
Can I have multiple businesses on the same account?
Yes. Each business has its own independent Stripe subscription (one Stripe customer per business). You switch between businesses via the account selector at the top of the app. Billing for each business is managed separately in the corresponding business Settings.