How to Upgrade or Downgrade Your MerchantFlow Plan

MerchantFlow plan changes let you switch between Starter, Pro, and Plus tiers and between monthly and annual cadences at any time. Plan changes are owner-managed and the process depends on whether your workspace uses Stripe or Shopify billing.

Available Plan Changes

You can change two things independently:

1. Tier - Starter ($49/mo), Pro ($89/mo), or Plus ($149/mo)
2. Cadence - monthly or annual (annual is 20% off)

Common transitions:

How to Change Plans on Stripe Workspaces

For standard web workspaces billed through Stripe:

1. Go to Settings > Billing
2. Click Change Plan
3. Select the target tier and cadence
4. Confirm the change

How Prorations Work

If the workspace already has an active Stripe subscription, MerchantFlow updates the subscription in place and uses Stripe prorations:

• Tier upgrade (e.g. Starter to Pro) - Stripe prorates the unused portion of the current tier and applies it as a credit toward the new tier; new features unlock immediately.
• Tier downgrade (e.g. Pro to Starter) - the change takes effect on the current billing terms; features tied to the higher tier (Flow AI, scheduled reports, MCP access, etc.) become unavailable.
• Monthly to annual - prorated credit for the remaining monthly period applied to the annual charge.
• Annual to monthly - prorated credit for remaining annual period applied to future monthly charges.
• Same plan - no meaningful change occurs.

If No Stripe Subscription Exists Yet

If the workspace does not have a completed Stripe subscription, MerchantFlow creates a Stripe checkout session instead of an in-place update. This is the same flow used during onboarding payment setup.

How to Change Plans on Shopify Workspaces

Shopify-backed workspaces handle plan changes through Shopify billing:

1. The owner initiates the plan change from Settings > Billing
2. MerchantFlow creates a new Shopify AppSubscription approval request for the chosen tier
3. Shopify displays the approval page
4. Approve the new plan in Shopify

If the app is embedded in Shopify admin, MerchantFlow opens the approval flow as top-level navigation so Shopify can complete the change.

What to Check Before Changing Plans

Before switching plans, verify:

• Billing provider - confirm whether your workspace uses Stripe or Shopify
• Workspace owner - only the owner can change plans
• Open billing flows - ensure no pending billing approval is still in progress
• Seat usage - if downgrading from Plus to Pro or Starter, confirm your team is within the new seat limit (10, 3, or 1)
• Feature dependencies - if downgrading, expect Flow AI, MCP access, and other tier-gated features to lock when the new period begins

What Happens After the Change

After the billing provider accepts the change:

• The billing page updates with the new tier, status, and current period dates
• Plan-gated features unlock or lock to match the new tier
• If you changed plans during the trial or early billing window, allow a moment for the billing page to refresh after the provider callback completes

Frequently Asked Questions

Will I lose data if I downgrade?

No. Your historical sync data, COGS, expenses, and reports remain in your workspace. What changes is access to specific features (Flow AI, MCP server, scheduled reports, valuation, viability, etc.) tied to higher tiers.

How does proration work when switching plans?

For Stripe workspaces, Stripe calculates a prorated credit for the unused portion of your current plan and applies it to the new plan. You are only charged the difference. Shopify uses its own approval-based billing flow rather than proration.

Can I change plans during my trial?

Yes. You can switch tier or cadence during your 14-day trial. The plan change takes effect through the same billing provider flow.

Who can change the billing plan?

Only the workspace owner can change plans. Admins do not have billing:manage access.

How do I change plans on a Shopify workspace?

When you initiate a plan change from Settings > Billing, MerchantFlow creates a new Shopify approval flow for the target tier. You will be redirected to Shopify to approve the new plan.

Which plan unlocks Flow AI?

Pro and Plus. Flow AI is not available on Starter. Pro includes 500k tokens/month, Plus includes 2 million tokens/month.

Which plan unlocks the MCP server (Claude, Cursor, Windsurf, VS Code)?

Only Plus. See the MCP Server guide.

Related Pages

• Billing Overview - understand your billing setup
• Pricing Plans - compare plan options and pricing
• Trial Period - 14-day free trial details
• Payment Methods - manage payment details
• Cancel Subscription - end your subscription

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Last updated: April 30, 2026