DemandLoop DemandLoop | Help Center

Plan Limits & Upgrades

Manage Free plan limits, understand upgrade triggers, and learn how to switch between plans smoothly

Learn how Free plan limits work, what happens when you reach them, and how to upgrade or downgrade seamlessly.

Free Plan Limits Overview

Three Core Limits

1. Active Subscriptions: 500

  • Maximum customers waiting at once
  • Resets as notifications send

2. Email Notifications: 200/month

  • Maximum emails sent per calendar month
  • Resets 1st of each month

3. Push Notifications: 200/month

  • Maximum web push sent per calendar month
  • Resets 1st of each month

What's unlimited on Free:

  • Products/variants
  • Restock events
  • Dashboard access
  • Analytics (basic)
  • Widget displays

Active Subscriptions Limit (500)

How It Works

What counts as "active":

Customer subscribed, product still out of stock
↓
Status: Active
↓
Counts toward 500 limit

What doesn't count:

Customer notified, product restocked
↓
Status: Completed
↓
Freed from limit (back to capacity)

Real-World Example

Scenario 1: Normal Flow

Monday:
- 400 active subscriptions
- 100 slots available

Tuesday: Product restocks
- 100 notifications sent
- 100 subscriptions completed
- 300 active subscriptions
- 200 slots available

Scenario 2: Hitting Limit

Week 1:
- Growing to 480 active subscriptions
- 20 slots remaining

Week 2:
- Reached 500 subscriptions
- Limit hit
- New subscriptions paused

What Happens at Limit

Customer experience:

When they click "Notify Me":

[Modal shows]

Subscription limit reached

We're currently at capacity for this product. 
Please check back later or upgrade to notify all customers.

[Close]

Merchant dashboard:

Warning banner appears:

Free plan limit reached (500/500 subscriptions)

New subscriptions are paused. Upgrade to Growth for unlimited subscriptions.

[Upgrade Now] [Dismiss]

Widget behavior:

  • Widget still displays on storefront
  • New subscriptions rejected
  • Existing subscriptions remain active
  • Capacity frees as notifications send

Freeing Up Capacity

Natural reduction:

As products restock and notifications send, capacity returns:

Current: 500/500 (full)
↓
5 products restock → 75 notifications sent
↓
New capacity: 425/500
↓
Can accept 75 new subscriptions

Manual cleanup:

Cancel old subscriptions to free space:

Dashboard → Subscriptions → Select old ones → Cancel

Useful for:

  • Subscriptions older than 60 days
  • Discontinued products
  • Test subscriptions

Email Notification Limit (200/month)

How It Works

What counts:

  • Every email successfully sent
  • Delivered to customer inbox
  • Failed deliveries (count toward limit)

What doesn't count:

  • Queued but not sent
  • Subscription confirmations
  • Unsubscribe pages

Reset timing:

January 1, 12:00am UTC → Counter resets to 0
February 1, 12:00am UTC → Counter resets to 0

Monthly Usage Tracking

View your usage:

Dashboard → Overview

Email Notifications This Month
136 / 200 sent (68% used)

[View Details]

Detailed breakdown:

Dashboard → Notifications → History

[Filter: This Month]

Jan 1-15: 136 emails sent
Jan 16-31: 64 remaining

What Happens at Limit

When you reach 200 emails:

1. Notifications pause automatically

Queue status: Paused (limit reached)
Pending: 47 notifications waiting
Resume: February 1st

2. Dashboard warning

Monthly email limit reached (200/200)

Email notifications paused until next month.
Upgrade to Growth for unlimited notifications.

[Upgrade Now] [Learn More]

3. Existing subscriptions safe

All subscriptions remain active:

  • Customers stay subscribed
  • Widget continues collecting
  • Notifications resume next month

Managing Email Limits

Strategic batching:

Use Fair Queue to control send rate:

Dashboard → Settings → Fair Queue

Batch size: 20 emails
Batch delay: 2 hours

= 10 emails per hour maximum
= 240 emails per day maximum

Lower batch size = slower sending = longer monthly capacity.

Prioritize high-value products:

Focus on products that convert best:

Dashboard → Analytics → Top Products

Disable notifications for:
- Low-margin items
- Slow-selling products
- Test products

Plan ahead for restocks:

If expecting major restock:

100 waiting customers
× 1 restock
= 100 emails needed

Check: 150 already sent this month
Remaining: 50 ← Not enough!

Solution: Wait until next month or upgrade

Push Notification Limit (200/month)

How It Works

What counts:

  • Every push notification sent
  • To all user's devices
  • Successful or failed delivery

What doesn't count:

  • Push permission requests
  • Test notifications
  • Service worker registrations

Reset: 1st of each month, 12:00am UTC

Same as Email

Push notifications match email limits for simplicity:

  • Instant delivery
  • Higher visibility (device notification)
  • Higher engagement (open rates 3-5x email)
  • More valuable (immediate action)

Most Free plan stores use 50-100 push notifications per month, making 200 a comfortable limit.

What Happens at Limit

When you reach 200 push:

1. Push sending stops

Push notifications: Disabled
Email continues: Still active
Subscriptions: Still collecting

2. Customers see email-only option

[Subscription Modal]

Email: [email protected]
Also send push notifications (unavailable)

"Push notifications paused. Upgrade for unlimited."

3. Dashboard notification

Push notification limit reached (200/200)

Push notifications paused until next month.
Email notifications continue normally.

[Upgrade to Growth]

Upgrade Warning System

Progressive Alerts

We notify you before limits hit—never surprises.

At 80% capacity:

Approaching limit

Email notifications: 160/200 (80%)

You have 40 emails remaining this month.
Consider upgrading to avoid disruptions.

[Upgrade] [Dismiss]

At 90% capacity:

Limit almost reached

Email notifications: 180/200 (90%)

Only 20 emails left this month.
Upgrade now for unlimited notifications.

[Upgrade Now] [View Usage]

At 100% capacity:

Limit reached

Email notifications: 200/200 (100%)

Notification queue paused.
Upgrade to Growth to resume immediately.

[Upgrade Now] [Learn More]

Where Alerts Appear

1. Dashboard banner

  • Top of every page
  • Can be dismissed (reappears daily)
  • Action buttons included

2. Relevant pages

  • Subscriptions page
  • Notifications page
  • Queue status page

3. Email notifications

  • Sent at 90% and 100%
  • Includes usage details
  • Direct upgrade links

4. In-app modals

  • On critical actions
  • When limit blocks operation
  • Clear next steps

Upgrading to Growth

When to Upgrade

Clear signals you need Growth:

Hitting limits regularly

Subscriptions: Hit 500 twice this month
Emails: Reached 200 for 3 months straight
Push: Using full 200 each month

Missing opportunities

47 customers can't subscribe (limit full)
Queue paused for 15 days (email limit)
Products restocking but can't notify

Need attribution data

Want to know which emails drive sales
Need ROI visibility
Planning inventory based on demand

Growing faster than Free allows

Traffic increasing monthly
More products going out of stock
Customer base expanding

Upgrade Process

Step 1: Choose trial or direct

Option A: Start 14-day trial (recommended)

Dashboard → Billing → Start 14-day trial

✓ Free for 14 days
✓ Full Growth features
✓ Cancel anytime
✓ No charges during trial

Option B: Subscribe directly

Dashboard → Billing → Upgrade to Growth

✓ Skip trial
✓ Instant activation
✓ Charged $19 immediately
✓ Cancel anytime after

Step 2: Instant activation

Growth features unlock immediately:

  • Limits removed
  • Attribution starts tracking
  • Advanced analytics accessible
  • Usage dashboard available

Step 3: Use unlimited features

Before: 500 subscription limit
After: ∞ Unlimited

Before: 200 emails/month
After: ∞ Unlimited

Before: 200 push/month
After: ∞ Unlimited

Timing Your Upgrade

Best time to upgrade:

Early in month:

Date: January 5th
Remaining: 26 days in month
Logic: Full month of unlimited usage

Before major restock:

Expected: 2,000 customers waiting
Free limit: 500 emails/month
Solution: Upgrade before restock event

After hitting limit:

Status: Limit reached, queue paused
Effect: Upgrade resumes notifications immediately
Benefit: No lost opportunities

Worst time to upgrade:

Date: January 28th
Remaining: 3 days in month
Better: Wait until February 1st

Downgrading to Free

How to Downgrade

Step 1: Open Billing

Dashboard → Billing & Plans

Step 2: Click "Downgrade to Free"

Confirmation modal appears:

Downgrade to Free Plan?

You'll lose:
- Unlimited subscriptions (back to 500)
- Unlimited notifications (back to 200/month)
- Revenue attribution features
- Advanced analytics

You'll keep:
- All existing subscriptions
- Historical data (locked but saved)
- Basic analytics
- Core features

[Downgrade] [Cancel]

Step 3: Confirm downgrade

Effective immediately:

  • Growth features lock
  • Limits apply
  • Usage charges stop
  • No pro-rated refunds

What Happens After Downgrade

Immediate effects:

1. Limits reinstate

Active subscriptions: 623 → Over limit!
New subscriptions: Paused until < 500
Email sends: Subject to 200/month limit
Push sends: Subject to 200/month limit

2. Features lock

Attribution dashboard: Locked (view-only)
Advanced analytics: Locked
Revenue metrics: Locked (preview shown)

3. Data preserved

Attribution data: Saved (can view if re-upgrade)
Historical analytics: Saved
Subscription data: Fully accessible

Managing Over-Limit Situations

If you have > 500 active subscriptions:

Current: 623 active subscriptions
Limit: 500 on Free plan
Over by: 123 subscriptions

What happens:
All 623 remain active
Notifications still send for existing
New subscriptions blocked until < 500

Gradual reduction:

Week 1: Products restock, 100 notify → 523 active
Week 2: More restocks, 50 notify → 473 active
Week 3: Can accept new subscriptions again

Downgrade Timing

End of billing cycle:

If you downgrade mid-cycle:

  • No pro-rated refund
  • Growth features lost immediately
  • Can re-upgrade anytime

Better approach:

Current: January 15th
Billed through: February 14th

Wait until: February 14th to downgrade
Benefit: Use paid features until billing ends

Re-Upgrading After Downgrade

Coming Back to Growth

Easy re-activation:

Dashboard → Billing → Upgrade to Growth

What returns immediately:

  • Unlimited limits
  • Attribution dashboard (with historical data)
  • Advanced analytics (full access)
  • All Growth features

Historical data restored:

Attribution from April-June: Visible again
Advanced analytics: Full history shown
Usage ledger: Complete records

New trial eligibility:

  • No second 14-day trial
  • Can subscribe directly
  • Charged $19 immediately

Limit Best Practices

Maximizing Free Plan

1. Clean up old subscriptions

Monthly task: Cancel subscriptions > 60 days old
Benefit: Free up capacity
Tool: Dashboard → Subscriptions → Bulk Actions

2. Strategic email usage

Prioritize:
High-margin products
Fast-selling items
Proven converters

Deprioritize:
Low-margin clearance
Slow movers
Test products

3. Smart Fair Queue settings

For staying under 200 emails:
Batch size: 15-20 emails
Batch delay: 3-4 hours
Result: ~75-100 emails/month

4. Monitor usage weekly

Every Monday:
- Check subscription count
- Review email usage
- Project end-of-month totals
- Adjust strategy if needed

Planning for Growth

Indicators it's time:

Usage patterns

Month 1: 150 subscriptions, 75 emails
Month 2: 250 subscriptions, 120 emails
Month 3: 400 subscriptions, 180 emails
Month 4: 500 subscriptions ← Time to upgrade

Revenue impact

Estimated attributed orders: 15/month
Average order value: $60
Potential recovery: $900/month
Growth cost: ~$37/month ($19 + 2% of $900)
ROI: 2,333%

Business growth

Traffic: +50% month-over-month
Stockouts: Increasing frequency
Demand: Growing wait lists
Conclusion: Upgrade to capture opportunity

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I upgrade mid-month?

Yes. Upgrade takes effect immediately:

  • Limits removed instantly
  • Pro-rated billing for first month
  • Full month starts from upgrade date

What if I downgrade by accident?

Contact support immediately:

  • Email: [email protected]
  • We can restore Growth within 24 hours
  • Pro-rated charges may apply

Do limits stack month to month?

No. Limits reset monthly:

  • Unused emails don't carry over
  • Each month is fresh 500/100 allocation
  • Can't "save up" capacity

Can I increase Free limits without upgrading?

No. Free limits are fixed:

  • 500 subscriptions
  • 200 emails/month
  • 200 push/month

Only Growth offers unlimited.

What happens to queued notifications when I hit limit?

They pause:

  • Stay in queue
  • Resume next month automatically
  • Or resume immediately on upgrade

Can I temporarily upgrade for busy season?

Yes! Common strategy:

October-November: Upgrade (holiday stockouts)
December-January: Downgrade (post-holiday lull)
February-March: Re-upgrade (spring season)

No penalties for seasonal upgrading.


Getting Help

Questions about limits:

Before upgrading:

Need custom limits:

  • Contact us for enterprise needs
  • We'll review your requirements
  • Custom solutions available

Next Steps

Ready to upgrade? Dashboard → Billing → Start 14-Day Trial