Explore the pricing options and subscription methods available on Channel.io, and select a plan that suits the needs of your business.

Billing&Subscription

The Operation add-on streamlines processes by automating repetitive tasks and offers valuable insights for business growth through chat analysis.

Operation

Decrease time spent on routine customer inquiries and prioritize meaningful conversations using Channel.io's Support bot.

Support Bot

Initiate communication with your customers through the powerful and user-friendly marketing feature of Channel.io.

Marketing

A successful CRM strategy begins with understanding your customers. Easily locate and manage your regular customers using the Contacts feature on Channel.io.

Simplify customer service and internal collaboration by using Channel.io's Team Chat for both customer interactions and team communication.

Team Chat

NaverTalk

Streamline customer support by connecting your email inbox to Channel.io, allowing you to manage inquiries in a single platform. And to provide a personalized experience, you change the sender's email address through email DNS settings.

Mail

Kakao

Link your Instagram to handle direct messages from customers and promote your brand with new Instagram posts through Channel.io.

Instagram

Streamline customer interactions across multiple platforms by integrating external services with Channel.io.

Integrations

Customize the Channel.io plugin and chat lounge to reflect your brand and connect with customers.

General Settings

Basic chat settings are gathered here. You can create a greeting message or set your operating hours.

Chat Settings

Apply your company's existing team structure to Channel.io as well. Invite team members to the channel, group them according to purpose, and enhance communication efficiency.

Teammates

Learn how to set up Channel.io, from channel profile to security settings.

Settings

Channel.io can be easily installed on your homepage. Simply follow the provided installation guide to set up the Channel.io plug-in and start communicating with your customers.

Installation

Effective communication with customers is key to growing your business. Discover how to connect with them using Channel.io.

Live Chat

Are you new to Channel.io? This article is just for you!

Getting Started

meet-call

When subscribing to Channel.io, you have three payment options to choose from: (1) payment through credit card, (2) payment through balance, or (3) payment through credit. The subscription fee and text messages will be deducted in the following order: credit → Balance → credit card.Credit cardTo pay for your Channel.io subscription using a credit card, you can enter your card details on the registration screen for the first subscription. Make sure to provide a valid email address for payment notifications, as we will send you an email to confirm successful or unsuccessful payments.Channel.io uses Stripe as its payment processing platform.If you use Shopify, all payments for Channel.io can be made with the payment method registered on Shopify.Change payment cardTo change your payment card, follow these steps:Go to [Channel Settings] - [Billing] - [Payment] - [Add a payment method].To use the new card for future payments, select [Make default]. With the new card set as default, payments will be charged automatically from the next payment date.BalanceBalances act like a bankbook where you can use the amount deposited through account transfer within Channel.io.When it is difficult to pay by card, you can charge the deposit through account transfer and use it as a payment method.Any excess payment above the available balance will be charged to the registered card.In the event of a refund, a 10% refund fee will be applied, but if the balance has not been utilized, no fee will be charged.CreditA credit is a coupon that can be charged with credit that can be used like cash within Channel.io.To add a credit, go to [Channel Settings] - [Billing] - [Payment] - [Credit].The usage fee deducted from the credit does not include tax (10%).Example) If you have 35 USD in your Balance and 35 USD on your registered card, and need to pay 70 USD, the system deducts 35 USD from your Balance and charges the remaining 35 USD to your card. The total amount paid is 38.5 USD(Taxes only apply to card payments).Receipts(Invoice)You can check it in the Receipts tab of [Channel Settings] - [Billing] - [Payment] - [Receipts], and you can select it from the list of receipts and print it right away.FAQI am using Shopify, but I cannot change my payment card.When linking Shopify with Channel.io, payment is made using the payment method registered directly with Shopify.If you need to change the payment method, delete the existing payment method in Shopify&#39;s [Settings] - [Billing] and then go to [Channel Settings] - [Billing] - [Payment] then register your payment information. Afterwards, you must press the [Confirm] button in the Subscription approval required pop-up on the Channel.io screen to complete the change.

Payment Methods

Channel.io SubscriptionsUnlike some other platforms, Channel.io does not charge per counselor or agent. This means that there is no limit on the number of consultations or team members who can be invited to the channel, as we believe that cost should not be a barrier to communication with customers.While the subscription fee increases with the number of MAUs, there is a limit to the maximum fee. Even if your MAU increases infinitely, the cost will not increase without bounds. For instance, if your MAU exceeds 200,000 and you use all the available functions, the maximum subscription fee is $2,100 which is less than the salary of one intern. This pricing model allows businesses to scale their communication with customers without worrying about costs.What is MAU?MAU, or Monthly Active Users, is a metric used to measure user engagement on Channel.io. It refers to the number of users whose customer information has been updated on the platform within the last 31 days. If a user revisits the platform multiple times during this period, they are counted as a single active user without additional counting. To better understand the concept of user, please refer to the user classification guide.If you have questions about MAU, check out these frequently asked questions:Q: What is meant by &#34;Customer Information Update&#34; or &#34;User Update&#34;?A: In general, we consider a user to be active if they visit a site, update their information, or are uploaded to Channel.io as a customer.Q: What happens after Unification?A: When two customers&#39; information is unified, they are recognized as the same person. For more information on the unification process, please refer to our Unification Guide.Q: How is Channel.io&#39;s MAU metric different from Google Analytics (GA)?A: Channel.io uses advanced technology to comprehensively analyze usage information, including access device, browser, cookie value, and session data. This allows us to accurately determine whether the information of two customers should be integrated into a single customer profile. As a result, we count one customer as one MAU. While we cannot say exactly how GA aggregates user data, there may be differences between our metrics.Difference between the free and paid plansThe free plan allows you to chat with both customers and colleagues without any cost. However, if you need more advanced customer management features, you&#39;ll need to subscribe to a paid plan. These paid plans come with powerful add-ons like operations, support bots, and marketing tools that can help you manage your business more effectively. Here&#39;s a more detailed breakdown of the features and benefits offered by each:Free planThe free plan offers unlimited chat features, including team chat, at no cost.You can link your Channel.io account to Kakao info-Talk, Naver Talk Talk, and Line for free.You can view the history of your consultations with customers for the past 30 days.You can view each customer&#39;s event history for the past 7 days. (For more information on events, see the Events section.)Paid planWith a paid plan, you can check, modify, and use customer information in real time.You can search and review the history of past consultations with customers without any time limits.You can search up to 90 days of your past event history.You can download your conversation history and profile data with customers as an Excel or JSON file.Add-onsChannel.io offers add-ons that can be subscribed to in addition to the paid plan. These add-ons are designed to enhance the use of customer profiles and event data on the platform. Here are the different add-ons available:OperationsChat automation rules: allows automatic messaging based on pre-set rules.Chat tags: allows efficient management by tagging each chat type.Chat Goal: enables the measurement of performance based on customer actions after chat.Analytics: provides chat statistics for issue management and chat efficiency.Chat Auto Assignment: automatically assigns chats to the appropriate team member.Support botMultiple-choice response type support bot: improves consultation efficiency by resolving simple and repetitive inquiries.Supportbot Form: acquires sales opportunities and customer data by initiating conversation with customers.MarketingOne-time messages: sends group messages to targeted customers.Campaigns: encourage customer loyalty with targeted, automated one-time messages.White labelThis feature allows businesses to highlight their brand. The display can also be hidden while using Channel.io.Free trialExperience all the features of Channel.io with our 14-day free trial! You can access all functions by simply clicking the [Free Trial] button without having to register your card details.To set it up, go to [Channel Settings] - [Billing] - [Subscription].The 14-day free trial is available once per channel and can only be accessed after completing the tutorial.During the trial period, you can enjoy all the features without any payment method registration, and there won&#39;t be any automatic payment charged once the trial ends.Reserve subscriptionIf you wish to continue using the paid features of Channel.io after the free trial period, you can reserve a subscription. By reserving a subscription, you will be automatically charged for the chosen paid plan and any additional services at the end of your trial.You can select the plan that best fits your MAU and choose the additional services you need.After you register your payment method, your subscription will be reserved and payment will be made for the chosen plan the day after your free trial ends.Upon registering a payment method, &#39;Auto-recharge&#39; for SMS is enabled to ensure smooth usage of follow-up notifications and marketing text pushes. If you prefer not to make automatic payments, you can turn off the &#39;Auto-recharge&#39; in the &#39;Recharge SMS&#39; tab.You have the option to change or cancel your subscription reservation at any time.FAQWhy can&#39;t I click the free trial button?You can only access the free trial after completing the tutorial. Please ensure that you have finished all the tutorial steps.Is the free trial limited to one-time use only?Yes, the free trial is offered once per channel and cannot be used more than once.

How Channel.io Subscriptions Work

If you subscribe to a plan with fewer monthly active users (MAUs) than your current usage, certain paid features will be restricted immediately. However, your existing paid subscription will not automatically convert to a free plan. You will need to manually change your subscription to a free plan.How to subscribe to a paid planIf you want to subscribe to a paid plan, follow these steps:Go to [Channel settings] - [Billing] - [Subscription] - [Change subscription].Choose the billing cycle (annual or monthly), select the plan and any additional services you&#39;d like, and click [Change subscription] to finalize your subscription.Subscription settingsBilling CyclesWhen subscribing, you can choose to pay either monthly or annually.If you choose to pay monthly, your payments will automatically be processed on the same date each month.If you select an annual plan, you can benefit from an additional 2 months of service at no extra cost compared to the monthly pricing. Additionally, annual payments will streamline the payment process for you, as you&#39;ll only need to make a single payment per year.Billing dateThe subscription renewal payment date is automatically set to the first payment date.You can select a payment date between the 1st and 27th of the month or choose the end of the month if you prefer to pay after the 27th.If the first payment is made between the 28th and 31st of the month, the subscription date will be fixed to the last day of each month.For example, if the initial payment for the X Small plan was on 7/29,the subscription period will be from 7/29 to 8/30. You will be charged a daily rate for 33 days, which amounts to 39.6 USD (excluding VAT). The calculation is (36 USD/30)*33 = 39.6 USD.From the subsequent payment date of 8/31, a standard monthly subscription (8/31 to 9/30) will be created. You will be charged a monthly subscription fee of 36 USD for each full month of subscription.Change billing dateTo change your subscription&#39;s billing date, go to [Channel settings] - [Billing] - [Subscription] - [Auto payment date].You can choose any date for your subscription renewal billing.After changing the billing date, the subscription renewal timing will be the same as the original payment date.The subscription period will reflect the time until the new payment date.For example, suppose you change the payment date from October 16th to the 26th on October 20th. In that case, the next payment date will be November 16th. You will be charged for the period up to December 25th (a total of 40 days) at that time. Subsequently, a regular subscription from December 26th to January 25th will be created on December 26th.Disable auto paymentsTo disable auto payments, go to [Channel Settings] - [Billing] - [Subscription] - Click [Auto payment date] and toggle off the auto payment button.When you turn off the auto payment button during a subscription period, the subscription will be downgraded to a free plan on the next subscription date after the current subscription period ends.Register email for payment notificationsTo receive payment notifications via email, be sure to register your email address for payment.Go to [Channel Settings] - [Billing] - [Payment], enter your email address under the &#34;Billing email&#34; section, and click &#34;Save&#34; to update your settings.If you don&#39;t register an email for payment, you won&#39;t receive email notifications about successful or failed payments.Apply discount couponA discount coupon provides a discount on your subscription fee, subject to the conditions specified by the coupon.To apply a discount coupon, go to [Channel Settings] - [Billing] - [Subscription] - [Discount Coupons] - [Add new coupon]The coupon&#39;s validity period begins from the registration date, and the discount will be applied to all payments made during that period. Expired coupons cannot be used again.If there are multiple coupons, there is no overlapping discount, and the coupon with the highest discount rate is applied first.Payment through ShopifyIf you link your Shopify website with Channel.io, all payments made through Channel.io will be processed using the payment method you have registered on Shopify.Register payment methodWhen subscribing to a paid plan or registering a payment method on Channel.io, a message will appear indicating that your Shopify account is linked. Click on the &#34;Register payment method&#34; button to be redirected to your linked Shopify store.Add the payment method you want to use on the Shopify screen.Click the &#34;Approve&#34; button at the top right of the screen.Finally, press the purple &#34;Confirm&#34; button on the Channel.io screen.Edit payment limitTo edit your payment limit in Channel.io, go to [Channel settings] - [Billing] - [Payment] and click on the registered card to change the limit amount.The limit amount includes all costs, such as subscriptions, additional services, and text messages billed in Channel.io. You can manually enter the limit amount that is not listed.FAQWhat happens if I upgrade or downgrade my subscription plan while using a discount coupon?Upgrade: The discount rate will be applied up to the maximum available plan.Downgrade: If you switch to a plan lower than the minimum required plan, you may be charged a penalty as the contract is considered terminated.What if my Monthly Active Users (MAU) exceed the subscription plan during my subscription period?Your access to paid features will be immediately restricted. Even if the functionality is limited, your subscription plan will not automatically change to the free plan, and billing will continue as before. If you do not want to be charged, please switch to the free plan manually.

Subscribe to Our Paid Plans

If you switch to a lower-tier plan than your current monthly active user (MAU) count, certain paid features will be restricted immediately. However, please note that your current paid subscription won&#39;t automatically be converted to a free plan. To switch to a free plan, you will need to manually make the change.Plan upgradeScenarios for Upgrading Your PlanYou can upgrade your plan in various situations, including:Moving to a higher-tier plan (e.g., switching from Small Plan to Medium Plan)Adding an add-on to your current plan (e.g., upgrading from Medium Plan to Medium Plan + Operation add-on)Changing from monthly payment to annual paymentSwitching from a free plan to a paid planPayment processWhen you upgrade your plan to a higher tier or switch from monthly to annual payment, the following payment process applies:We prorate the remaining period of your current subscription and refund it to you as a balance.We charge the subscription fee for the upgraded plan for the remaining period. During this process, we first use the refunded deposit and then charge the difference (if any).E.g) When you paid for the [X Small + Operation Function + Marketing Function] plan on March 17th, and on April 6th, you decide to upgrade to the [Small + Operation Function + Marketing Function] plan:Please keep the following in mind when changing your plan:The refund period starts from the next day after the plan change. If you upgrade your plan, the upgraded features will be available immediately, and the subscription fees will apply from the day of the upgrade.Channel.io usage is measured on a daily basis, meaning that if you use it for even just one minute in a day, it counts as usage for that day. If a plan change occurs as a result of this, we will apply the refund from the following day. This usage measurement is standard practice for SaaS services worldwide.Why are refunds given as balance?This is because in a consolidation system, there&#39;s a possibility that the purchase may expire. For instance, if you pay for a subscription to a connection system using a credit card and then cancel it one week before the subscription expires, the system may not be able to cancel the payment that has already been processed on your card. Additionally, as purchase periods may vary depending on the country or region, we issue refunds as a balance to account for these systemic issues and the quick expiration of some purchases.When adding additional add-ons:We calculate the additional subscription fee for the remaining period on a pro-rata basis.For example, suppose you paid for the [Small Plan] on April 3rd and decided to add the [Operation Function] on April 20th. In that case, we will charge you the prorated subscription fee for the [Operation Function] from April 20th to May 2nd (13 days worth).Plan downgradeWhen downgrading your plan, please note that a penalty may be incurred based on the discount rate if any discounts were applied.Scenarios for downgrading your plan:Changing to a lower plan, such as downgrading from the [Medium Plan] to the [Small Plan]Cancelling an add-on, such as unsubscribing from the marketing function when changing from the [Small Plan + Marketing] to the [Small Plan + Operation]Changing from annual payment to monthly payment, such as changing from the [Small Plan] annual payment to the [Large Plan] monthly paymentChanging from a paid plan to a free plan.Payment processWe calculate the remaining period of the subscription on a pro-rata basis and refund it as a balance.For the remaining period, we charge the subscription fee for the downgraded plan. If there is any balance remaining after applying it to the payment, it will be kept as a balance.Example 1) If you downgrade to [X Small] on April 6 after paying for [X Small + Operation + Marketing] on March 17:PenaltyPenalties may be incurred when downgrading a subscription or if there are discounted items from the existing subscription.If a difference refund is requested, the refund amount will be calculated based on the list price before discount and the percentage of days used compared to the entire subscription period according to the cancellation fee regulations. The remaining amount will be refunded as a deposit.For example, if a subscription fee of 1000 USD with a 10% annual payment discount is refunded 6 months after purchase at 900 USD, the refund amount will be calculated as follows:Refund amount = 900 USD - [1000 USD X 50%] = 400 USD refunded.A 10% fee will be charged when withdrawing the balance back into cash.Keep in mind that purchasing a subscription in advance is a contract to use the Channel.io service during that period. Cancelling the transaction incurs a penalty as the refunded amount will be withdrawn in cash.Payment failureIn case of payment failure using the registered payment card for automatic payment, we will make a payment attempt once a day during the 7-day grace period.Please note that this policy does not apply to manual plan upgrades or downgrades.If payment fails completely even after the 7-day grace period, your use of Channel.io will be restricted. Since the payment for the 7-day period is not received, your access will be restricted until you pay the entire unpaid amount.Notification emailWe recommend registering an email address for payment notifications. In the case of payment failure, we will notify you via email, and the team members with owner permissions will also be notified.If you do not register an email address for payment notifications, all team members with owner rights will receive the payment failure email.Settle overdue paymentTo resume using Channel.io after a payment failure, you need to make a repayment for the unpaid period. You can do this by going to [Channel Settings] - [Billing - [Subscription] - [Subscription History] and following the steps to make a payment.Once the repayment is successful, you can use Channel.io immediately without any restrictions. Note that the unpaid fees for the period during which your account was restricted will be charged along with the current subscription fee.FAQWill my subscription date change if I switch from monthly payment to the connection system or vice versa?Yes, your payment date will be updated to the new payment date accordingly.What happens if my monthly active users (MAU) exceed the limit of my current subscription plan during my subscription period?In such cases, the paid features will be immediately restricted. Note that the plan will not be automatically changed to the free version, and you will continue to be billed as before. If you do not want to incur any additional charges, please switch to a free plan on your own.

Manage Subscriptions

Charge methodsWe offer different methods to make charging your account easy and convenient:Pre-charge for texts: Pay for bulk text messages in advance to avoid the hassle of paying for each individual message.Minimum Amount setting: Automatically recharge your account when the remaining balance falls below a certain amount.Recharge amount setting: Set the amount that will be automatically recharged to your account.With these options, you can ensure that your account is always ready for use without any interruptions.PriceAt Channel.io, we strive to offer the most competitive text message pricing. Our current rates are:USA: 0.0079 USD per message up to 140 bytes (approximately 70 characters in Korean or Japanese, and around 160 characters in English).Other countries: The cost varies by country and service provider. For detailed information on the cost of sending a text message to different countries, please click here.Please keep in mind that the final price may vary depending on the destination country and the service provider used.When you sign up for a paid plan, you will receive a monthly allocation of text points worth 10 USD. These points will be used before your text message balance, and they will automatically renew on the 1st of each month. Please note that any unused points will not roll over to the following month. If you are a new subscriber, your points will be applied on the 1st of the subsequent month.How to rechargeTo recharge your account, first ensure that you have registered a payment card. If you have not yet done so, please read the user guide to register your payment card.Once you have registered your payment card, go to [Channel Settings] - [Billing] - [Recharge SMS].Set your desired minimum and charge amounts and save your changes by clicking [Save Changes].You can directly enter the desired recharge amount.For auto-recharge, the minimum amount you can set is 10 USD and the minimum recharge amount is 50 USD. These settings will help ensure that your account remains current and ready for use at all times.Transmission historyTo view the transmission history, go to [Channel Settings] - [Billing] - [Post log].You can filter the history by date to check the details of transmissions sent by month.You can also filter the history by message type, including all transmissions sent to Channel Talk for the month, marketing campaigns, or one-time events.The transmission history can be sorted by sending amount to display the total transfer amount and sending amount by medium that meet the filtering conditions.Finally, clicking on a specific date will allow you to view the transmission history for that date in detail.FAQWhat happens if I disable the SMS auto-recharge feature?If you turn off the SMS auto-recharge feature, text messages won&#39;t be sent successfully and won&#39;t be resent. However, if you have a balance on your SMS wallet, you can still send text messages.

SMS Recharge and Transmission History

Full refundWe want to ensure that you understand our policy regarding refunds. If you haven&#39;t used our services and would like a full refund within 7 days of subscribing to a paid plan, please contact the channel team directly.To be eligible for a full refund, you must meet the following criteria:For the Service plan: No user chat or customer data collection occurred.For the Support bot add-on: You have not used the support bot at all.For the Operation add-on: No automation rules were used and no statistics were queried.For the Marketing add-on: The campaign function was not used, except for a one-time message.Please note that if you have used the Service plan but not the additional services, a full refund is not possible. In such cases, a partial refund will be offered.Partial refundIf you have used a portion of your subscription and would like a refund for the remaining period, we offer partial refunds. Please note that partial refunds are only available for the entire purchased subscription and cannot be applied to specific features.To request a partial refund, please follow these steps:Go to [Channel Settings] and select [Billing].Choose the [Subscription] option.Change your plan to reflect the partial refund.Refund processWhen you request a refund, we will calculate the refund amount based on the portion of your subscription that has been used up until the date of the refund request. The unused portion will be refunded as a balance. Please note that we do not support partial cancellations of the original payment method.If you have received a discount through a coupon or annual payment, the discounted portion will be refunded with a deduction as a penalty. To learn more about the penalty, please refer to the user guide.You can withdraw the refunded amount(balance) at any time. To request a deposit refund, please contact our team directly.