Plan
The fifth setup step: what a first Project chooses here, which kinds of additional Project pay before setup instead, and what completes the step.
On this page
For a first Project the plan step sits in the middle of setup rather than at the beginning. Up to here nothing has been generated at volume; from here the Project needs an allowance to work inside.
That ordering is not universal. Some additional Projects reverse it, and which ones do depends on what the workspace already runs. This page covers each case.
If this is your first Project
The step is a real choice rather than a formality. It shows the plans, and, if your account was marked eligible for it, the Free opt-in alongside them. Which of those your account holds was decided once at first signup. See the trial and the Free grant.
Payment comes after the website scan and the Strategy, not before them, so nothing is charged for a Project you have not yet seen produce anything.
If this is an additional Project
A Project that carries no signup benefit never receives a second Free grant and never receives a trial. Beyond that, where payment sits in the order depends on what the workspace is already running. The second row below is a first Project rather than an additional one, and it is here because it behaves like these.
| Your workspace | Where the plan step sits |
|---|---|
| Still running its Free Project, adding a paid one beside it | Before setup. The plan step is the only step reachable until a billable plan is on the Project, so payment precedes the website scan. |
| A new workspace, opened after your account already spent its one Free grant | Before setup, for the same reason. The Project also starts with its blog unpublished. |
| Already on a paid subscription, adding another Project | After the Strategy, in the same position a first Project uses. The scan and Strategy run first. |
| Invoiced directly rather than through self-serve checkout | Nowhere to choose. The step shows an "invoiced directly" panel, because what the Project costs lives on a negotiated invoice. |
Choosing
Plans differ in how many posts, topics and images a Project may produce in a billing period, how many revisions a post may have, and how many competitors it may track. Current numbers are on the pricing page.
The plan belongs to this Project. If your workspace already runs another Project, this choice does not change what that one pays. Each priced Project is its own line, and the multi Project discount is worked out per Project from its position rather than applied to the subscription as a whole.
If your account holds the trial
Accounts assigned the trial check out here and start a three day trial on the plan they chose. The plan is real from the first moment: it is what you will be charged for, and it is what the billing page and the price quote show. During the trial a smaller allowance applies over the top of it. Exact numbers are in the trial.
Starting it is also what ends the Free option, if your account had one. The two are alternative answers to this step, not a sequence.
What completes the step
A plan delivered for this Project, or a Free grant active on it. On an upgrade the plan counts once the charge is confirmed rather than the moment you confirm it, which is set out in changing a plan.
Next
Topics, which is the first step that consumes the allowance you just set up.