Plain shows three plans: Foundation and Horizon with per-user figures billed annually, and Frontier on custom terms. AI agents run on credits that sit on top of the seat figures, as of Nov 2026.
Plain is a customer support platform for teams that ship, with Slack, email and in-app channels and AI agents built in. Its pricing has two parts, and you'll want both in view: what each member seat costs, and how many AI credits your agents get through.
Plain's three plans side by side
| Plan | Price as shown | Billing basis | Main limit | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foundation | $45 per user per month (shown with $55 struck through and a 'Save 20%' label) | Billed annually | Member seats: up to 5; 1,000 credits/month | Great for small teams getting started with support |
| Horizon | $99 per user per month | Billed annually | Member seats: minimum 3, up to 10; 2,500 credits/month | Perfect for growing teams with more complex workflows |
| Frontier | Custom ('Flexible pricing, suited to you') | Billed annually | Custom member seats and custom credits | For larger organizations who require advanced governance and control |
All figures are as shown on the page, as of Nov 2026. Viewer seats are unlimited on every plan, so colleagues who only read conversations don't add to the member seat count.
The surprise in the credit allowance
The per-user figure isn't the whole bill, because Plain's AI agents run on credits. Foundation includes 1,000 credits a month, and Customer Agent uses 100 credits per resolution. That means the included allowance covers about ten resolutions before you need top-ups, at $10 per extra 1,000 credits.
Two more details sit next to it. The $45 figure is billed annually, not month to month. And Foundation is limited to 5 member seats, so a team that grows past that moves to Horizon at $99 per user, which has a 3-seat minimum. If you're a team of six, that's the step to plan for.
What changes between Plain's three plans
- Seats: Foundation up to 5 member seats; Horizon a minimum of 3 and up to 10; Frontier custom.
- Credits: 1,000 a month on Foundation, 2,500 on Horizon, then custom on Frontier.
- Channels and limits: Foundation has Slack 25 channels, email 2 addresses, 1 Knowledge Base, 1 customer inbox and 1 business-hours schedule. Horizon has email 10 addresses and unlimited Slack channels, Knowledge Bases and business-hours schedules. Frontier has email 25 addresses.
- Reporting history: 7 days on Foundation, all time from Horizon.
- Horizon adds: Microsoft Teams, SLAs and business hours, escalation paths, CRM integrations, reporting themes and AI suggested responses.
- Frontier adds: multiple workspaces, custom contracting, advanced security, SSO and SCIM, HIPAA, white glove onboarding and a dedicated customer success manager.
Every plan includes Sidekick Agent, Customer Agent, AI workflows, Slack, email and in-app channels, issue tracker integrations, and a help center and knowledge base.
Top-ups and how each agent uses credits
Top-ups are listed in four sizes: +1,000 credits $10.00, +2,000 credits $20.00, +5,000 credits $50.00 and +10,000 credits $100.00. How fast you use them depends on which agents you run. Customer Agent uses 100 credits per resolution. Sidekick Agent uses 15 to 300+ credits depending on effort. Connected Agent uses 15 credits per assignment plus 15 credits per discussion.
So the credit line on your bill depends far more on how many conversations the AI resolves than on team size. It's worth estimating your monthly resolutions before you compare Plain with anything else. Our guides to AI chatbots for customer service and Help Scout alternatives show how other tools approach the same job.
Trial and the startup offer
There's no free plan shown. The page offers a 7-day free trial with no credit card required, and 50% off through a startup program. If you qualify, that's the first thing to ask about.
If you're still working out what to look for in a support tool, our guide on comparing live chat providers is a useful checklist.
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My advice on reading Plain's page
The page shows tiers separated by member seats, included credits, channel limits and reporting history, with SSO, SCIM, HIPAA and multiple workspaces held for Frontier, which is a custom conversation. The paid figures are billed annually, and AI agent use is billed in credits on top of seats.
So there are two numbers to bring to the page: how many people answer customers, and how many conversations you expect the AI to resolve each month. Everything else follows from those.
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Frequently asked questions
Does Plain have a free plan?
No free plan is shown. There's a 7-day free trial with no credit card required, as of Nov 2026, and 50% off through a startup program.
Is Plain billed monthly or annually?
The page shows Foundation, Horizon and Frontier as billed annually.
How many credits does Customer Agent use?
Customer Agent uses 100 credits per resolution. Foundation includes 1,000 credits a month.
How much are extra Plain credits?
Top-ups start at +1,000 credits $10.00, up to +10,000 credits $100.00.
How many seats can Foundation have?
Foundation allows up to 5 member seats. Horizon has a minimum of 3 and up to 10. Viewer seats are unlimited.
