> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.withgauge.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Billing & Plans

> Manage your Gauge subscription, understand the free trial, and see how usage limits and plan-gated features work.

## Billing & Plans

Your Gauge subscription is managed from the **Billing** tab, and payments run through Stripe. This page explains where billing lives, how to manage or upgrade your plan, what the free trial covers, and how usage limits and plan-gated features affect what you can do in the app.

## Managing Your Subscription

Billing lives under **Settings → Billing**. The tab opens with a **Current Plan** card showing your plan, a status badge (for example, **Active** or **Trialing**), and your next renewal date.

From here you can:

* **Billing Portal** — Opens the Stripe billing portal, where you manage payment methods, view invoices, and update or cancel your subscription. When you finish, you return to Gauge.
* **Activate Subscription** — Appears when your organization needs to start a paid plan. It opens a pricing table where you choose a plan and check out through Stripe.
* **Subscribe** — Agency organizations use this to start their subscription through a dedicated Stripe checkout.

If your organization has an active subscription but no billing record yet, you'll instead see a **Manage Billing** link that takes you to the Stripe portal.

<Warning>
  If a payment fails, the Billing tab shows a **Payment Past Due** notice. Update your payment method in the Billing Portal to avoid an interruption in service.
</Warning>

## Free Trial

When your organization is on a trial, a **Free Trial** banner appears at the top of the Billing tab. It shows how many days remain, a progress bar, and a reminder to **add a payment method to continue after your trial ends**. Your trial's end date is also listed on the Current Plan card as **Trial ends**.

To keep access after the trial, open the **Billing Portal** (or use **Activate Subscription**) and add a payment method before the end date.

<Note>
  Whether the free trial is offered on checkout is controlled per organization. If you don't see a trial option and expected one, contact your Gauge representative or [support](mailto:support@withgauge.com).
</Note>

## Usage Limits

Your plan determines how much of Gauge you can use. Limits apply at both the organization level and the individual topic (category) level, and cover:

* **Topics** — how many you can track.
* **Prompts** — how many you can add, either overall or per topic.
* **Content artifacts** — how many pieces of content you can create, counted per topic per month.
* **Chat messages** — how many messages you can send in an [Ask Gauge](/navigating/ask-gauge) conversation.

Some limits are capped and some are unlimited, depending on your plan. When you reach a cap, Gauge stops you from adding more of that resource and points you toward upgrading. Monthly limits reset at the start of each billing period.

## Feature Access

Higher-value areas of Gauge are gated by plan. If your plan doesn't include a feature, Gauge shows an upgrade screen ("Unlock the full power of Gauge") in place of that area, with a button to activate a subscription.

On the free plan, gated areas include the dashboard, [Action Center](/navigating/action-center), content, audits, research, prompts, topics, citations, and ads. Upgrading unlocks these areas and raises your usage limits.

<Tip>
  Not sure which plan fits your needs, or want to change plans? Open the **Billing Portal** from **Settings → Billing**, or reach out to [support@withgauge.com](mailto:support@withgauge.com).
</Tip>