Bellwether has three plans: Starter, Pro, and Studio. All three include the editor, formatting tools, and cover design. They differ on AI credit allowance, number of pen names, retailer access, and priority features. This article covers what's in each, how to switch, and how billing works.

The three plans

Picking a plan

Choose based on the three things that actually differ:

Credits

Starter's 5,000 credits cover light use: inline suggestions, occasional blurb drafts, a cover generation or two. A full manuscript proofread eats most of Starter's monthly allowance. Pro's 20,000 is the sweet spot for active writers. Studio's 75,000 is for writers running multiple books simultaneously or using the assistant heavily during drafting.

If you're unsure, start on Pro. Downgrading is one click if you're not using it. Upgrading from Starter mid-month is also one click but costs a prorated difference.

Retailer access

Starter publishes to KDP only. Pro unlocks Apple Books and Kobo. Studio unlocks IngramSpark for wider print distribution (bookstores, libraries).

If you plan to distribute beyond Amazon, Pro is the minimum. If you want to sell into physical bookstores, you need Studio.

Pen names

Starter allows one pen name; Pro and Studio allow unlimited. Pen names are useful if you write in multiple genres under different brands. If you always publish under your own name, this doesn't matter.

How credits work

See the credits article for a full breakdown. Summary: credits are spent per AI action, scaled by work. Lighter features cost almost nothing; full manuscript passes cost a lot. Unused credits don't roll over.

Switching plans

Go to Settings → Billing → Adjust plan. The panel shows all three plans with a Current badge on yours. Click Switch to this plan on another.

• Upgrade. You're charged a prorated difference immediately. New credit allowance applies right away; you get the difference between the new and old allowance added to your current month.
• Downgrade. Takes effect at the end of your current billing period. You keep the current plan's credits through the end of the period.

Monthly vs annual

Annual saves about 17% on any plan. The full year is billed upfront.

You can switch between monthly and annual at any time. Switching to annual mid-month: you're charged the annual price minus a credit for the unused portion of your current monthly cycle. Switching from annual back to monthly: your annual prepayment continues until the next renewal date; you'll be charged monthly after that.

What happens if I cancel

Cancel at any time under Settings → Billing → Cancel plan. You keep access through the end of your paid period.

After your paid period ends:

• The editor and your manuscripts remain accessible read-only, forever.
• AI features stop working.
• You can't publish new books or update published ones through Bellwether.
• Your published books on retailers stay published. They're separate accounts.

Reactivating picks up where you left off. No data is lost when you cancel.

Payment methods

We accept:

• Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover
• Apple Pay and Google Pay on supported browsers
• Manual bank transfer for annual plans over $500 (contact support)

We don't currently accept PayPal, cryptocurrency, or store credit.

Invoices and receipts

Every payment generates an invoice automatically. Find them under Settings → Billing → Invoices. Each invoice is downloadable as a PDF.

If your accounting requires a specific billing name, VAT number, or address, set it under Settings → Billing → Billing details. This information appears on every future invoice.

Taxes

• US customers. Sales tax is added at checkout if your state requires it. Most don't for SaaS.
• EU customers. VAT is added at the rate for your country. If you're a VAT-registered business, enter your VAT ID under Billing details for the reverse-charge treatment.
• UK customers. VAT at 20%.
• Rest of world. No tax added unless your country requires collection.

Student and educational discounts

Students with a valid .edu email get 50% off any annual plan. Apply at bellwether.app/students.

Institutional discounts are available for MFA programmes, writing schools, and library systems. Contact sales.

Launch discount for first-time authors

If it's your first book on any platform, you qualify for a one-time 30-day Pro trial at no cost. Apply under Settings → Billing → Request Pro trial. You'll need to confirm this is your first book. The trial doesn't auto-convert; it ends with Starter access unless you upgrade.

What about teams?

Current state: each account bills separately. Team features (shared pen names, collaboration on a single book, organisation billing) are on the roadmap for 2026.

If you're a pair of co-authors, the current recommendation is:

• One account owns the book and publishes.
• The other gets added as a collaborator (single-book access, not full account).
• Billing sits on the account owner.

Collaborators don't pay for a plan; they get view/edit access to specific books the account owner shares.

Regional pricing

Our base prices are USD. We localise to the following currencies at checkout based on your billing address:

• GBP (UK)
• EUR (EU)
• CAD (Canada)
• AUD (Australia)
• INR (India, at a lower regional price point)

Local pricing updates at most quarterly to avoid churn on exchange rates. If you're based in a country we don't localise to, you pay in USD.

Common edge cases

I was charged but my plan didn't update. The charge processes faster than the plan change for some card providers. Give it 5 minutes, refresh. If it's still wrong, contact support with the invoice number.

I want to pause my subscription without losing my data. Cancel. Your data is never deleted on cancellation; it's read-only-accessible forever. Reactivate when you're ready.

Can I get a refund for unused credits? Credits don't refund individually. If you cancel within 14 days of a new subscription, contact support for a full refund of the subscription charge.

Team billing. Not yet. Each account bills separately. A team feature is on the roadmap.

My card was declined but I was charged. Often a payment authorisation that hasn't cleared. Check with your card issuer. If the authorisation drops off without becoming a charge (usually within 7 days), no action is needed.

I changed plans mid-month and my credits look wrong. On upgrade, your new allowance applies immediately with a prorated bonus of the difference. On downgrade, your old allowance stays through the period. The Usage page shows which plan your credits came from for the current period.

I can't cancel; the button is disabled. You may have a pending charge that's still processing. Wait 24 hours. If still disabled, contact support.