Founding rates

A founding rate is our promise about our own behaviour: your price can't move for five years, and after that it can't rise more than 25% in a year. It's offered to a fixed number of early businesses, and a place isn't reopened once it's taken.

The places

• Pro: the first 250 Pro businesses keep $500 a year. That is also today's list price for Pro; the founding place is what stops it rising for you.
• Studio, first batch: the first 200 Studio businesses pay $1,290 a year ($129 a month).
• Studio, second batch: the next 300 pay $1,390 a year ($139 a month).
• After that, Studio is $1,999 a year ($199.90 a month).

When founding places are open, the Studio card on Billing shows the founding price with the list price struck through and the words founding rate. The note under the plans says the rate is locked for 5 years, then never up more than 25% in a year.

How you get one

You don't apply. If places remain when you check out, the price you're shown at checkout is the founding price, and it's the one you're charged and the one that's locked. For Studio, your place is held while you're in checkout and handed back if you leave without paying. For Pro, the place is claimed once the payment goes through.

What the lock means

• Five years from the day you claim it, your price doesn't change: not at renewal, not on a general price rise, not at all.
• After five years, your price may change like anyone else's, but we won't raise it more than 25% in any twelve-month period, and you get notice before any increase applies to you.

The three things that end it

• It needs a continuous subscription. If you cancel, or a payment fails and isn't fixed within the time we allow, the rate ends. Rejoining is at the price of the day, and your place isn't held for you.
• It doesn't move between plans. It belongs to the plan you claimed it on. Moving from Pro to Studio means Studio's price, or Studio's own founding rate if places remain.
• It isn't transferable. If your business is sold, merged or changes hands, the rate doesn't pass to the new owner.

These terms are in the Vendor Terms, under The founder rate.

Good to know

• The portal and the /business page show today's price, never how many places are left.
• If your card fails, fix it quickly under Billing, Manage subscription so you don't lose the rate. See Change or cancel your plan.