> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.9pic.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Welcome to PAYG

> What changed when you bought your first credit pack, and what to expect now

## Why This Matters

Pay As You Go is the simplest paid plan 9Pic offers — no annual fee, no commitment, just credits. But because it sits between the trial and Pro, a lot of new PAYG customers come in expecting features that aren't included. This page exists so the rest of the guide doesn't surprise you.

## What Just Happened to Your Account

You got to Pay As You Go in one of two ways:

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Upgraded from the trial">
    You were on the **Trial** plan, you opened **Credits → Purchase Credits**, and you kept **Pay as you go** selected instead of choosing the Pro Subscription. The moment that purchase finalised:

    * Your plan badge in the sidebar flipped from **Trial** to **Pay As You Go**.
    * Your default event subdomain changed from `trial.9pic.ai` to **`app.9pic.ai`**.
    * Existing trial events stayed exactly where they were — same data, same team, same settings.
    * Your trial-era free credits combined with the credits you just bought into one balance.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Onboarded straight into PAYG">
    You signed up, picked **Pay As You Go** during onboarding, and bought your first credit pack. Your account was created on the trial plan and immediately upgraded to Pay As You Go on the first successful credit purchase.
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## Where Pay As You Go Sits Between Trial and Pro

|                                                      | Trial                   | **Pay As You Go** | Pro                          | Enterprise |
| ---------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------- | ----------------- | ---------------------------- | ---------- |
| Annual subscription fee                              | None                    | **None**          | \$200 / year                 | Custom     |
| Pay per credit                                       | n/a (free credits only) | **Yes**           | Yes (after included credits) | Custom     |
| Public events allowed                                | No (forced private)     | **Yes**           | Yes                          | Yes        |
| Default event domain                                 | `trial.9pic.ai`         | **`app.9pic.ai`** | Custom or `app.9pic.ai`      | Custom     |
| Photos product (FaceFind, BibTrack)                  | Yes                     | **Yes**           | Yes                          | Yes        |
| Creative tools (Certify, Flow, Select, Buzz, Motion) | No                      | **No**            | Yes                          | Yes        |
| Sell event photos online (Checkout)                  | No                      | **No**            | No                           | Yes        |
| Custom domain (`photos.yourbrand.com`)               | No                      | **No**            | Yes                          | Yes        |
| Setup Wizard for branding                            | No                      | **No**            | Yes                          | Yes        |

The short version: **Pay As You Go gives you the trial's product set as a real paying customer.** You can run real public events on `app.9pic.ai` and process as many photos as your credit balance covers. The creative tools, custom domain, and Setup Wizard stay locked behind the Pro subscription.

## What's the Same as the Trial

* **The Photos product is identical.** Upload, sync, process, brand, and search photos exactly as you did on the trial.
* **9Pic FaceFind** (selfie search) and **9Pic BibTrack** (BIB number search) work on every event you run.
* **Team invites work.** Add admins and operators from **Account & Team → Teams**.
* **Support is the same.** PAYG customers get the same email response as Pro and Enterprise.
* **The Upgrade button stays in the sidebar.** Your sidebar still shows a highlighted **Upgrade** button. The dashboard treats Pay As You Go as upgradable to Pro — see [When to Upgrade](/pay-as-you-go-guide/when-to-upgrade) before you click it.

## What's Different from the Trial

* **You're paying per processed photo now.** No free credits cushion. Every photo you sync with AI search enabled draws against your balance.
* **Events can be public.** The **Platform Visibility** setting on **Create New Event** is no longer locked to Private — you can make any new event public and share the link.
* **Default domain is `app.9pic.ai`.** Old trial events pointing at `trial.9pic.ai` are migrated automatically; new events default to `app.9pic.ai`.
* **There's no expiry on your plan.** Pay As You Go doesn't expire. Only the credit balance moves up and down.

## What's Different from Pro

* **No Pro creative tools.** Certify, Flow, Select, Buzz, and Motion stay greyed out in the event navigation. Photo product only.
* **No custom domain.** You stay on `app.9pic.ai`. To use `photos.yourbrand.com`, you need Pro.
* **No Setup Wizard.** The website-customisation Setup Guide (logo, theme color, favicon, footer, contact form, header CTA) is for Pro and Enterprise. PAYG has the Settings page, but no guided wizard.
* **No annual fee.** That's the whole point. You pay only for the credits you use.

<Note>
  Pay As You Go is intentionally a "small operator" plan — perfect for someone running a handful of events a year and unwilling to commit to an annual subscription. If you start running larger, more frequent events, the per-credit math eventually flips in favour of Pro. See [When to Upgrade](/pay-as-you-go-guide/when-to-upgrade) for the honest comparison.
</Note>

## What to Expect Day One

<Steps>
  <Step title="Your credit balance is visible everywhere">
    Open **Credits** in the sidebar. The big number at the top is your starting balance from the credit pack you just bought.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Your sidebar shows an Upgrade button">
    The sidebar shows a highlighted **Upgrade** button — clicking it goes to the Pro upgrade flow, not "upgrade to Pay As You Go" (you're already on it).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Your event-level features are unchanged from the trial">
    Open any existing event. The dashboard, photo gallery, sync, and processing flows look exactly the same. The only thing that changed is **Platform Visibility** is no longer forced to Private.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Common Questions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Did I lose my trial credits when I went to Pay As You Go?">
    No. Any unused trial credits stay in your balance and combine with the credits you bought.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Will my old trial events disappear?">
    No. Trial event data, team members, and settings carry over. The only thing that changes is the default domain — `trial.9pic.ai` events are migrated automatically.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Why does the sidebar still have an Upgrade button if I'm already a paying customer?">
    Pay As You Go is treated as upgradable to **Pro**, not as the top of the ladder. The Upgrade button takes you to the Pro upgrade flow. You can ignore it indefinitely if PAYG fits your volume — see [When to Upgrade](/pay-as-you-go-guide/when-to-upgrade).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I switch back to the trial?">
    No. Once your account is on a paid plan, the trial restrictions don't apply anymore. There's nothing to switch back to.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I switch to Pro later?">
    Yes, anytime. Open **Credits → Purchase Credits** and pick **Pro Subscription**. Your existing credit balance carries over. See [Upgrade to Pro](/pay-as-you-go-guide/upgrade-to-pro).
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="What's Included" icon="list-check" href="/pay-as-you-go-guide/whats-included">
    The full list of what Pay As You Go gives you and what's gated.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Run an Event" icon="flag-checkered" href="/pay-as-you-go-guide/run-an-event">
    The end-to-end event flow on Pay As You Go, with credit costs.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Manage Credits" icon="chart-line" href="/pay-as-you-go-guide/manage-credits">
    Watch your balance, top up, and download invoices.
  </Card>

  <Card title="When to Upgrade" icon="scale-balanced" href="/pay-as-you-go-guide/when-to-upgrade">
    The honest comparison with Pro.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>