Billing & Subscription Management

The Billing section helps you manage your Skycloak subscription, track usage, view invoices, and update payment methods. Understanding your billing is crucial for optimizing costs and ensuring uninterrupted service.

Understanding Skycloak Billing

Billing Model

Skycloak uses a hybrid billing model:

• Base Plan Fee: Monthly subscription for features and resources
• Usage-Based Charges: Additional fees for exceeding plan limits
• Add-ons: Optional features and services

Billing Cycle

• Bills generated monthly on your signup date
• Usage calculated at end of billing period
• Payment processed automatically
• Invoices available immediately

Accessing Billing Information

Navigation

1. Click Billing in the main sidebar — it’s a standalone item, no need to go through Settings

Permissions

• workspace:owner: Full billing access and subscription management
• workspace:billing: View and manage all billing aspects
• workspace:admin: View billing information only
• cluster:admin: No billing access
• cluster:viewer: No billing access

Subscription Management

Current Plan Overview

Your billing dashboard shows:

• Plan Name: Developer, Launch, Business, or Enterprise
• Monthly Cost: Base subscription fee
• Billing Period: Current cycle dates
• Payment Status: Active, Trial, or Past Due

Plan Features

View what’s included in your plan:

• Number of clusters allowed
• Available regions
• Support level
• Feature access

Usage Metrics

Monitor your current usage:

• Active Users: Unique users who signed in this period — informational only, never billed or capped
• Cluster Hours: Resource consumption
• Storage Used: Database and file storage
• API Calls: If applicable

Usage Alerts

Set up alerts to avoid overages:

1. Click “Configure Alerts”
2. Set thresholds (e.g., 80% of cluster resource usage)
3. Choose notification method
4. Save alert preferences

Upgrading Your Plan

When to Upgrade

Consider upgrading when:

• Approaching usage limits
• Need additional features
• Require better support
• Planning for growth

Upgrade Process

1. Verify your email address if you haven’t already - a verified email is required to subscribe
2. Click “Change Plan”
3. Select new plan
4. Review feature comparison
5. Confirm changes

Proration

When upgrading:

• Immediate access to new features
• Prorated charge for current month
• Credit for unused time on old plan
• New rate starts next billing cycle

Example (30-day billing cycle, 15 days remaining):

Current Plan: Developer ($29/month)
Upgrade to: Launch ($149/month)
Days left in cycle: 15 of 30

New plan charge for remaining 15 days:  $149 × (15/30) = $74.50
Credit for unused time on old plan:      $29 × (15/30) = $14.50
-----------------------------------------------------------
Amount due today:                        $74.50 - $14.50 = $60.00

Downgrading Your Plan

Before Downgrading

Check compatibility:

• Current usage within new limits
• Features you’ll lose access to
• Data retention policies
• Active configurations

Downgrade Process

1. Review current usage
2. Reduce resources if needed
3. Select lower plan
4. Acknowledge feature changes
5. Confirm downgrade

Grace Period

When downgrading:

• 30-day grace period for adjustments
• Warnings for exceeding limits
• Automatic resource limiting after grace period

Payment Methods

Adding a Payment Method

1. Go to Payment Methods section
2. Click “Add Payment Method”
3. Enter card details or bank information
4. Set as default if desired

Supported Payment Types

• Credit Cards: Visa, MasterCard, Amex
• Debit Cards: With recurring payment support
• Bank Transfer: Enterprise only
• ACH/SEPA: For qualified accounts

Managing Payment Methods

• Set default payment method
• Remove outdated cards
• Update billing address
• Enable backup payment method

Invoices and Receipts

Invoice Access

All invoices available in billing section:

• PDF download option
• Email delivery
• Detailed line items
• Tax information included

Invoice History Table

The Invoice History table at the bottom of the Billing page lists every invoice on your workspace, newest first:

Column	What it shows
Invoice	The invoice number
Date	The date the invoice was issued
Amount	The amount charged
Status	Whether the invoice is paid or still open
Receipt	A link to the receipt for the payment, when there is one

The last column of each row has a PDF button that downloads the invoice itself.

Downloading a Receipt

Select Receipt on any paid invoice row. The receipt for that payment opens in a new tab, where you can print it or save it as a PDF.

Rows that show Not available instead of a link have no receipt yet: a receipt only exists once a payment has been collected, so open, draft, and cancelled invoices do not have one. The invoice PDF is still available for those rows.

You only ever see invoices and receipts belonging to the workspace you are signed in to.

Invoice Details

Each invoice includes:

• Workspace information
• Billing period
• Base subscription fee
• Usage charges (if any)
• Credits or adjustments
• Tax calculation
• Total amount

Tax Handling

• Automatic tax calculation based on location
• VAT support for EU customers
• Tax exemption certificates accepted
• Updated rates automatically applied

Free Trial Management

Trial Overview

All new accounts start with:

• 21-day free trial (7 days on the Expert path)
• Full feature access
• No credit card required
• Automatic conversion option

Trial Limitations

During trial:

• Realm path (default, 21 days): a managed realm on the Shared Cluster — no dedicated cluster
• Expert path (7 days): 1 dedicated Small cluster, provisioned immediately
• US region only
• Standard support
• No custom domains

Converting from Trial

Options when trial ends:

1. Auto-convert: Add payment method for seamless transition
2. Manual upgrade: Choose plan and add payment
3. Extend trial: Earn extra days by completing actions such as a feedback survey, a public review, or a sales call
4. Downgrade: Move to free tier (if available)

A verified email address is required to subscribe.

What happens to your trial realm: after payment, a cluster setup wizard provisions your dedicated cluster, then asks whether to Move your trial realm onto it or Delete it and start fresh. Moving is the default and carries over all users, credentials, and configuration; your issuer URL is unchanged. After a Move, the old shared realm remains available for 14 days before it is decommissioned - a banner and sidebar indicator show the countdown.

Managing Costs

Cost Optimization Tips

1. Right-size Clusters

   • Use small clusters for development
   • Scale up only for production
   • Shut down unused clusters

2. Match Cluster Size to Load

   • Review authentication traffic trends in Insights
   • Downsize clusters that consistently run under capacity
   • Upgrade size only when latency or load calls for it

3. Optimize Features

   • Disable unused features
   • Consolidate applications
   • Review integration usage

Budget Alerts

Set spending limits:

1. Define monthly budget
2. Configure alert thresholds
3. Set up notifications
4. Review spending trends

Billing Support

Common Billing Issues

Payment Failed

• Check card expiration
• Verify billing address
• Confirm sufficient funds
• Update payment method

Invoice Questions

• Review usage details
• Check billing period
• Verify tax calculations
• Contact support

Plan Confusion

• Compare plan features
• Review usage patterns
• Calculate projected costs
• Get personalized recommendation

Getting Help

For billing support:

• 📧 Email: billing@skycloak.io
• 💬 Chat: Available in dashboard
• 📞 Phone: Enterprise customers
• 🎫 Tickets: Via support portal

Enterprise Billing

Custom Pricing

Enterprise customers receive:

• Volume discounts
• Custom contracts
• Flexible payment terms
• Dedicated account management

Invoice Processing

Enterprise features:

• Purchase orders accepted
• NET 30/60/90 terms
• Custom billing cycles
• Consolidated invoicing

Compliance

Supporting requirements:

• SOC 2 reports available
• Custom security assessments
• Vendor questionnaires
• Procurement support

Accessing Billing Information

All billing and subscription management is handled through the Skycloak dashboard. For automated billing needs or enterprise requirements, please contact our support team.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I pause my subscription?

Yes, contact support for temporary suspension options.

Do you offer refunds?

14-day money-back guarantee for new customers.

Can I change billing currency?

Currency is set based on location but can be changed by support.

Are there setup fees?

No setup fees for standard plans. Enterprise may have onboarding fees.

Can I pay annually?

Yes, annual payment offers 2 months free. Contact sales.

Next Steps

• Review subscription plans in detail
• Set up usage alerts to avoid overages
• Optimize your costs with best practices
• Contact sales for enterprise pricing