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

# Choose a plan

> Start the 7-day free trial, compare the paid plans, and understand what happens when the trial ends.

export const StillStuck = ({topic}) => <div className="ck-callout ck-callout--note" role="note">
    <p className="ck-callout__body">
      <strong>Still stuck{topic ? ` with ${topic}` : ''}?</strong>{' '}
      Check <a href="/platform/help/troubleshooting">Troubleshooting</a> first —
      it covers the failures we see most often. If that does not resolve it,{' '}
      <a href="/platform/help/contact-support">contact support</a> and include
      your workspace name and the time the problem happened, so we can find the
      matching entry in your audit log.
    </p>
  </div>;

export const TaskHeader = ({before, time, after}) => <div className="ck-task">
    {before ? <div className="ck-task__cell">
        <div className="ck-task__title">Before you start</div>
        <p className="ck-task__body">{before}</p>
      </div> : null}

    {time ? <div className="ck-task__cell">
        <div className="ck-task__title">Takes about</div>
        <p className="ck-task__body">{time}</p>
      </div> : null}

    {after ? <div className="ck-task__cell">
        <div className="ck-task__title">When you're done</div>
        <p className="ck-task__body">{after}</p>
      </div> : null}
  </div>;

export const Path = ({steps = []}) => <span className="ck-path">
    {steps.map((s, i) => <span key={i} className="ck-path__step">
        {i > 0 ? <span className="ck-path__sep" aria-hidden="true">
            ›
          </span> : null}
        {s}
      </span>)}
  </span>;

export const Availability = ({editions = ['all'], plans, roles, note}) => {
  const list = editions.includes('all') ? ['clinic', 'pharmacy', 'lims'] : editions;
  return <div className="ck-avail" role="note" aria-label="Feature availability">
      <span className="ck-avail__label">Available in</span>

      {list.map(e => <span key={e} className={`ck-pill ck-pill--${e}`}>
          {EDITION_LABELS[e] || e}
        </span>)}

      {plans ? <span className="ck-avail__label">Plan</span> : null}
      {plans ? <span className="ck-pill ck-pill--plan">{plans}</span> : null}

      {roles ? <span className="ck-avail__label">Who</span> : null}
      {roles ? <span className="ck-pill ck-pill--role">{roles}</span> : null}

      {note ? <span className="ck-avail__note">{note}</span> : null}
    </div>;
};

<Availability editions={['clinic']} plans="Free, Starter, Essential, Team" roles="Owner" />

Step 6 of the [setup checklist](/practice/get-started). The step completes when your clinic is on a paid plan that is **active** or **trialing** — so starting the free trial ticks it.

<Path steps={['Sidebar', 'Get Started', 'Choose a paid subscription plan']} />

<TaskHeader before="Owner access to the clinic. No card is needed to start the trial" time="2 minutes" after="A clinic on a trial or a paid plan, with every feature unlocked" />

## Start the free trial

Most new clinics meet this first as the page reading **Let's get your clinic set up** — "You've got full access for 7 days — no card needed" — with a single **Start for free** button and **No credit card required** under it.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Select Start for free">
    The button reads **Setting up…** while it works. You land on **Get Started** with "You're in! 🎉 Full access for 7 days — let's set up your clinic."
  </Step>

  <Step title="Or start it from the plans page">
    If you are already past that screen, open the plans page and use **Start 7-Day Free Trial** in the **Try ClinikEHR Free for 7 Days** block — "Full access to all features", "Unlimited patients", "Priority support", "No setup fees".
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Warning>
  The trial is once per clinic. Once it is used you see **Trial Already Used** — "This clinic has already used its free trial period." — and the only route onward is a paid plan.
</Warning>

## Compare and choose a paid plan

Select **Or compare plans** from the welcome screen, or open the plan step from the checklist. The page is headed **Choose Your Plan** (or **Manage Your Subscription** if you already have one).

<Steps>
  <Step title="Choose the billing period">
    The **Monthly** / **Yearly** toggle sits above the cards, with the yearly discount badge next to it. The cards restate it — "Billed annually at \{total}/yr" or "Billed monthly • Cancel anytime".
  </Step>

  <Step title="Compare the three paid plans">
    **Starter**, **Essential** and **Team** are on the page; **Essential** carries the **Most Popular** badge. Your current plan's card shows the **Current Plan** badge and its button is disabled.

    The differences that matter most day to day are how many client records you may hold, how many staff seats you may fill, and whether the AI features are included. Full breakdown in [Plans overview](/platform/plans/overview).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select the plan">
    The button reads **Upgrade to \{Plan}** if you are on the free plan, or **Select \{Plan}** otherwise, then **Processing...** while the payment session opens.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Pay">
    You are handed to the payment provider — "Redirecting to Payment / Setting up secure payment...". Complete it there and you return to your clinic.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  Activating a paid plan while a trial is running ends the trial immediately: "Your trial will end immediately after payment." If you want the full seven days, wait.
</Note>

## What happens when the trial ends

Nothing is deleted. Your clinic moves to the free plan, which holds a limited number of records and drops the premium features — AI-assisted notes among them. Upgrading at any point restores everything, including the records you created during the trial.

## Check it worked

* The banner at the top of the plans page reads **Active \{Plan} Plan** with an **Active** or **Trial** badge, and either **Next billing: \{date}** or **Trial active until \{date}**.
* The **Get Started** checklist ticks **Choose a paid subscription plan**, and the step's own line changes to "You are currently on the \{Plan} plan" — with **(Trial Mode)** appended while the trial runs.
* The hero on Get Started no longer offers **Try Essential free for 7 days**.

## If something goes wrong

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="'Trial temporarily unavailable'">
    Payments are not configured for the environment you are on. This is on our side, not yours — [contact support](/platform/help/contact-support).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="I paid but the plan has not changed">
    Payment confirmations arrive within a minute or two. Reload the plans page once; if the banner still shows the old plan after five minutes, [contact support](/platform/help/contact-support) with the time of payment.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="My plan shows '(Past Due)'">
    A renewal payment failed, and staff capacity is restricted until it clears. Use **Fix Payment** to update the card — "Your subscription payment is past due."
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="I need more staff seats, not more features">
    Seats are capped by plan, and each billable seat is charged monthly. Some roles — supervisor, biller and scheduler — neither count toward the cap nor cost anything. See [Staff seats](/platform/plans/seats).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Someone other than me needs to pay">
    Only the owner can change the plan. A manager sees the plans page but not a working checkout.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

<StillStuck topic="plans and billing" />

Full plan comparison, downgrades and cancellation live in [Plans overview](/platform/plans/overview) and [Change your plan](/platform/plans/change-plan).