Downgrading, pausing or cancelling your subscription, and deleting your account

Which option do I need?

	Pause	Downgrade	Cancel subscription	Delete
Billing	Monthly plans only. $0 for 1–3 months, starting when your current period ends, then billing resumes automatically at your locked-in rate	You pay for a smaller paid plan from your next renewal	Stops at the end of your billing period; no renewal charge. Your rate isn't locked: you pay current pricing if you subscribe again	Your account must be on the Free plan first
Your data	Kept exactly as it is	Kept; you must be within the new plan's stored-entry allowance	Kept, as long as you log in at least once every 18 months. On Free you can view and export your first 200 entries; everything returns when you upgrade	All data, including campaigns, lists, analytics and entries, permanently deleted after 30 days
Live campaigns	Keep collecting entries, but you can't publish or republish	Stay live, within the new plan's limits	Stay live until the period ends, then run under Free plan limits	Become inaccessible
Can you undo it?	Yes. Resume any time in one click	Yes. Upgrade at any time	Yes. Upgrade at any time	Only within 30 days, through support

Choose by how long you'll be away:

• You run one campaign a year: cancel when it ends and upgrade again next year. Your login and data are still there, as long as you log in at least once every 18 months.
• You're taking a break of up to 3 months on a monthly plan, or you run a campaign every quarter: pause.
• You still run campaigns but need fewer views or entries: downgrade.
• You're leaving for good and want your data removed: cancel, then delete your account once it has moved to the Free plan.

Getting there

Downgrading, pausing, cancelling and deleting all start on the Billing settings page. In ShortStack, go to Settings › Billing. From there:

• To downgrade: in the Plan Overview tab, click Change Plan.
• To pause or cancel: open the pause or cancel option. A dialog walks you through choosing between the two.
• To delete your account: click Delete Account.

Downgrading to a smaller plan

1. In the Plan Overview tab, click Change Plan in the Current Plan section.
2. Choose Monthly or Annual using the links at the top of the pop-up.
3. Select the plan you want.
4. Check the change and tick the box acknowledging the downgrade.
5. Click the red Downgrade Account button.

The downgrade takes effect at your next renewal date. You keep your current plan's allowances and features until then. Upgrades, by contrast, take effect immediately.

While a downgrade is scheduled, you can't cancel or pause your subscription. If you want to do either, cancel the scheduled downgrade first.

If the plan you want is greyed out

You're storing more entries than that plan allows. To make it available:

1. Export the entries you want to keep.
2. Delete entries in the Entries Manager until you're within the plan's stored-entry allowance.
3. Go back to Change Plan and select the plan.

If your account is paused

You can't downgrade a paused account yourself without reactivating it at your current plan's price. Email support@shortstack.com and we can switch your plan for you. The new plan's price applies when your pause ends.

If you'd rather move a paused subscription to the Free plan, see cancelling your subscription: from a paused account, that takes effect straight away.

If you're on a grandfathered plan

Older plans, such as Pro and Elite, don't count monthly campaign views. You don't have to switch. If you do move to Launch, Build, Scale or Max, you move to current pricing, which has a monthly views limit. Check the limits on the pricing page before you switch.

Pausing your account

A pause puts a monthly paid plan on hold so you aren't charged:

• Length: 1, 2 or 3 months. Three months is the maximum.
• When it starts: when your current billing period ends. Until then you keep full access and pay nothing more.
• Your rate: locked in. When billing resumes, you pay the same price as before.
• While you're paused: your campaigns, data and settings stay exactly where you left them, and live campaigns keep collecting entries. But you can't publish or republish a campaign, team members lose access, and campaign emails stop going out until you resume.
• When it ends: your subscription renews automatically. We email you reminders 8 days and 2 days beforehand. To resume early, log in and resume at any time; billing starts again straight away.
• Between pauses: at least one paid month.
• Annual plans: pausing is for monthly plans. On an annual plan you can switch to monthly, which takes effect when your annual period ends, and pause after that. Or cancel instead if you'd rather not wait.
• Scheduled downgrade: cancel it first. You can't pause while a downgrade is scheduled.

Pause your account

1. In Settings › Billing, open the pause or cancel option.
2. Click Pause my subscription. The dialog compares pausing with downgrading to Free.
3. Choose 1 month, 2 months or 3 months. Each option shows the date your subscription renews.
4. Click Confirm pause.

Need a longer break?

Three months is the maximum pause. For anything longer, and especially if you run only one campaign a year, we recommend cancelling your subscription instead; the pause dialog offers Downgrade to Free instead. Cancelling doesn't delete your account: your data is kept, and it comes back when you upgrade.

If you'd still rather stay paused, support can extend a pause. Email support@shortstack.com to ask.

Need your entries while paused?

Email support@shortstack.com and we can export entries for you without reactivating your account. To export analytics, you need to reactivate.

Cancelling your subscription

Cancelling stops future payments without deleting your account. You don't need your password: choose a reason and confirm.

• When it takes effect: at the end of your current billing period. Until then you keep full access and your campaigns stay live. There's no renewal charge after that, but overages up to that date are still billed.
• If your account is paused: cancelling takes effect straight away. Your subscription ends that day and your account moves to the Free plan at once. No refund or credit is issued, and the confirmation screen tells you this before you finish.
• Your plan: your account moves to the Free plan. In the dialog, this option is called Downgrade to Free (cancel subscription).
• Your rate: not locked. If you subscribe again later, you pay the pricing current at that time.
• Your data: downgrading deletes nothing. Entries, lists and campaigns are kept. Upgrade to a paid plan at any time to get full access again.
• Entries on Free: the Free plan stores 200 entries. If you have more, you can view and export only your first 200 in the Entries Manager, and filters don't get around that. You can still delete entries.
• Statements: you still have access to your old statements on the Free plan.
• Live campaigns: after the billing period ends they run under Free plan limits (500 views a month and 200 stored entries), and new entries fail once you're over the limit. Unpublish any campaigns you're no longer running.
• Team members: lose access to assets the account owns.
• Before you start: you don't need to delete entries, remove team members or unpublish campaigns first. The one thing to sort out beforehand is a scheduled plan downgrade: cancel that first.

1. Download your statements

In Settings › Billing, open the Statements tab and download or print any statements you need. You'll still have access to your old statements after your account moves to the Free plan, but you lose them if you later delete the account. If you need an invoice after cancelling, email support@shortstack.com.

2. Export your entries

Export any entries you want a copy of, especially if you have more than 200.

3. Cancel

1. In Settings › Billing, open the pause or cancel option.
2. Click Downgrade to Free (cancel subscription).
3. Choose the main reason you're downgrading and click Continue.
4. Depending on your reason and plan, you may see a suggestion before you finish. It might be a one-month 50% discount, help from our team, a way to tell us about a feature you'd like, or an evergreen contest template. Accepting a suggestion keeps your plan as it is. To carry on with cancelling, click Continue to downgrade. The discount is offered on public monthly plans that aren't paused and don't already have it, so you may not see it.
5. On Confirm your downgrade to Free, check the date your plan stays active until and how many entries will be locked on Free. Click Export all entries (CSV) if you want a full copy: we email it to your account address, and it includes every entry whatever filters you had set.
6. Click Downgrade to Free.

Your subscription stays active until the end of the billing period, then your account moves to the Free plan.

If something goes wrong

What you see	Why	What to do
Cannot cancel subscription with a pending downgrade	A plan downgrade is scheduled for your next renewal	Cancel the scheduled downgrade first, then cancel or pause. Email support@shortstack.com if you'd like a hand.
You click the pause or cancel option, or Delete Account, and nothing opens	Your paid account may not have a card on file	Email support@shortstack.com and we'll help you finish.
There's no option to cancel	Your account is probably past due (see below)	Email support@shortstack.com.
Pausing isn't available	Pausing is for monthly plans, and isn't available if you're already paused, have a pause scheduled, or are past due	On an annual plan, switch to monthly first. Otherwise, email support.

If there's no option to cancel

Your account is probably past due, for example after a "Your ShortStack Payment Failed" email. A past-due account can't cancel its subscription or delete the account. Email support@shortstack.com and we can cancel it for you once we've verified the card on file.

Deleting your account

Your account must be on the Free plan before you can delete it. You can't delete it while a paid plan is active or while a cancellation is still pending, so cancel first and wait until your billing period ends and the account moves to Free. Deleting closes your account immediately and signs you out. Then:

• For 30 days, support can restore your account. Email support@shortstack.com.
• After 30 days, all your data, including campaigns, lists, analytics and entries, is permanently deleted, and personal information is scrubbed from your user record. The account can't be restored.

Before you delete

• Unpublish your campaigns. They become inaccessible and may show promotional messages.
• Export your data. Export entries, lists and analytics you want to keep.
• Download your statements. They won't be accessible once the account is deleted.

Delete your account

1. Make sure your account is on the Free plan. If you have a paid subscription, cancel it and wait for the billing period to end.
2. In Settings › Billing, click Delete Account.
3. Select your reason for deleting and click Continue.
4. Add any details, type DELETE ACCOUNT, and click Confirm.

You'll be signed out and taken to the login screen. To undo it, email support within 30 days.

We recommend deleting the account yourself while signed in. If you can't, support can delete it for you on request: email support@shortstack.com. If your account is past due, the delete option isn't available until support has cancelled your subscription.

FAQs

Will I be charged again after I cancel?

No renewal charge is made after you cancel. Cancelling takes effect at the end of your current billing period, so the charge for that period stands, and any overages up to that date are still billed. For refunds, see the Billing FAQs.

Do I need my password to cancel?

No. To cancel, choose a reason and confirm. Deleting your account is a separate step with its own confirmation.

I run one campaign a year. Should I pause or cancel?

Cancel. Subscribe to a monthly plan when you're ready, run your campaign, then cancel when it ends. Your account moves to the Free plan and keeps your data. Next year, sign in with the same login and upgrade to get everything back. Pausing suits a break of up to 3 months, such as running a campaign every quarter.

Can I pause for longer than 3 months?

Each pause lasts 1–3 months. For a longer break, we recommend cancelling instead, especially if you run only one campaign a year: your data is kept and comes back when you upgrade. Support can extend a pause if you need it; email support@shortstack.com to ask.

What happens to my entries when I cancel?

They're kept. On the Free plan you can view and export only your first 200 entries, and filters don't get around that. You can still delete entries. Upgrade to a paid plan and you get full access to all of them again.

What happens if I cancel while my account is paused?

Your subscription ends that day and your account moves to the Free plan straight away, instead of at the end of a billing period. No refund or credit is issued, and the confirmation screen tells you so before you finish. If you'd rather keep your plan, resume your subscription instead.

Why can't I see the option to cancel or delete my account?

Your account is probably past due. A past-due account can't cancel its subscription or delete the account. If it's only the delete option that's missing, check that your account is on the Free plan: you can't delete it while a paid plan or a pending cancellation is still running. Email support@shortstack.com and we'll help.

Why does cancelling say "Cannot cancel subscription with a pending downgrade"?

You have a plan downgrade scheduled for your next renewal. Cancel that scheduled downgrade first, then cancel or pause your subscription. If you need a hand, email support@shortstack.com.

Can I get my account back after deleting it?

Yes, for 30 days. Email support@shortstack.com within 30 days of deleting and we can restore it. After that, all your data is gone for good and the account can't be restored.

Related resources

Upgrading your plan

Exporting entry data

Statements

ShortStack's Pricing Page

Plan & Billing (Help Doc)

Archiving & Deleting Your Content (Help Doc)