> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.helpalive.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # HelpAlive pricing: Core and Scale plans > HelpAlive's Core and Scale plans: monthly and annual prices, what each includes, the free trial, changing plans, overage and packs. HelpAlive has two plans, Core and Scale. Each includes a number of assists and chat messages every month. This page lists what each plan includes and costs, and what happens when you start a trial, change plans, or go past your plan. You choose your plan when you sign up, and change it with **Change plan** on **Settings → Billing and usage**. ## Plans at a glance * **Core** is \$99 a month, with 300 assists and 3,000 chat messages each month. * **Scale** is \$399 a month, with 1,500 assists and 15,000 chat messages each month. * Paying yearly costs 10% less, paid upfront. Your allowance still renews every month. * Every new workspace starts with a 7-day free trial, with 50 assists and 1,000 chat messages. * Overage is off unless you turn it on. Packs add more at any time. Prices are in US dollars, plus tax where it applies. ## Core and Scale | | Core | Scale | | - | - | - | | **Monthly** | \$99 a month | \$399 a month | | **Yearly** | \$1,068 a year (\$89 a month) | \$4,308 a year (\$359 a month) | | **Assists each month** | 300 | 1,500 | | **Chat messages each month** | 3,000 | 15,000 | Both plans have the same agent and the same dashboard. Scale includes five times as much use. ## Paying yearly A yearly plan is paid upfront for the whole year at 10% off. Your assists and chat messages still renew every month, so a yearly Core plan gives 300 assists each month, not 3,600 at once. If you cancel a yearly plan, it runs to the end of the year you paid for. The rest of the year is not refunded. ## Free trial A new workspace starts with a 7-day free trial on the plan you pick. You add a card when you sign up. Your plan isn't charged during the trial; only packs you choose to buy are. * The trial includes 50 assists and 1,000 chat messages, on either plan. * There is no overage in the trial. Once the trial's amount and any packs you bought are used, new assists or chat messages stop until your plan starts. * You can switch plans during the trial and keep the trial. The plan you have on the last day is the one that starts and is charged then. * Cancel before the last day and your plan is never charged. * Packs can be bought during the trial. They are charged at once and stay when your plan starts. See [Free trial](/dashboard/billing#free-trial) for what the dashboard shows during the trial. ## Changing plans | Change | When it happens | What you pay | Your usage and dates | | - | - | - | - | | **Core to Scale** | At once | The difference for the rest of your current month, or of your year on a yearly plan, today | What you used stays counted, and your allowance grows to Scale's. Your billing date stays the same. | | **Scale to Core** | On your renewal date | Nothing today | Scale stays until then. You can undo the change before that date. | | **Monthly to yearly** | At once | The year, less the unused part of this month | Your billing date restarts that day, with a fresh month of assists and chat messages. | | **Yearly to monthly** | On your renewal date | Nothing today | The yearly plan stays until then. You can undo the change before that date. | ## Overage Overage lets your users go past your plan's monthly amount instead of stopping at it. It is off unless you turn it on. * Turn it on with **How far over your plan** on **Controls**, up to 100% of your plan, separately for assists and for chat messages. * Each assist past your plan costs \$0.25, and each chat message \$0.015. * Overage is billed on your next monthly invoice. * There is no overage during the free trial. See [How far over your plan](/dashboard/usage#how-far-over-your-plan). ## Packs A pack adds assists or chat messages on top of your plan, at once. | Pack | Price | | - | - | | 100 assists | \$25 | | 1,000 chat messages | \$15 | Packs are used after your plan's own amount runs out. They carry over from month to month while you stay subscribed, and end when your subscription ends. See [Packs](/dashboard/billing#packs). ## What counts * A chat message counts when the agent answers one. * An assist counts once, when HelpAlive completes its first step. * Tests, failed or retried answers, refused messages and the chat's opening greeting never count. See [How we count](/dashboard/usage#how-we-count). ## Next Subscribe, buy packs and get your invoices. How assists and chat messages are counted. Daily limits and how far over your plan. This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.