Why This Matters
Pay As You Go is a real plan, not a “trial with a paywall”. Plenty of operators run a small handful of events a year and pay less on PAYG than they would on Pro. Plenty of others stay on PAYG longer than the math justifies, paying hundreds of dollars in credits when a $200 Pro subscription would have unlocked everything they actually wanted. This page is the honest comparison so you can decide for yourself.The One-Sentence Decision Rule
Stay on Pay As You Go if you only need the Photos product and you don’t process huge volumes. Move to Pro the moment you need the creative tools, a custom domain, or your annual credit spend gets close to or exceeds the Pro subscription fee. Everything below this line is the detail behind that sentence.Side-by-Side Comparison
| Pay As You Go | Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual subscription | None | $200 / year |
| Per-credit cost | Same | Same |
| Minimum top-up | 1,000 credits | 1,000 credits |
| Credits included with the plan | None | Verify on Credits → Purchase Credits (Pro is sold as subscription + separate credit packs) |
| 9Pic Photo (FaceFind, BibTrack, watermark) | Yes | Yes |
| 9Pic Certify (certificates) | No | Yes |
| 9Pic Flow (AI video reels) | No | Yes |
| 9Pic Select (client proofing) | No | Yes |
| 9Pic Buzz (frames & badges) | No | Yes |
| 9Pic Motion (selfie + BIB videos) | No | Yes |
| 9Pic Checkout (sell photos online) | No | No (Enterprise only) |
Custom domain (photos.yourbrand.com) | No | Yes |
Branded subdomain (yourbrand.9pic.ai) | No | Yes |
| Setup Wizard (guided website customisation) | No | Yes |
| Public events allowed | Yes | Yes |
| Default domain for events | app.9pic.ai | Custom domain or app.9pic.ai |
| Plan expires? | Never | After 365 days (manual renewal) |
| Support response | Same | Same |
When Pay As You Go Is the Right Plan
Stay on Pay As You Go if all of the following are true:- You run only a handful of events a year (rough rule: under 10).
- You only need the Photos product — galleries with face / BIB search are enough.
- You’re fine with attendees seeing your event at
app.9pic.ai/<event-slug>(no custom branding). - You don’t need certificates, AI video reels, frames/badges, video clipping, or client proofing.
- You don’t want a yearly commitment.
When Pro Pays Back Quickly
Move to Pro if any of the following is true:1. You want any of the creative tools
Certify, Flow, Select, Buzz, or Motion. None of these are unlockable on Pay As You Go at any price — only the Pro subscription unlocks them. If you’ve ever wished for AI video reels of your race, certificates for your finishers, or proofing for your wedding clients, that’s $200 well spent.2. You want a custom domain
If “photos.yourbrand.com” matters to you (for trust, marketing, or brand consistency), the Pro subscription is the only PAYG-or-better way to get it. Enterprise is the other option but is significantly more expensive.3. Your annual credit spend is approaching the Pro subscription fee
The cleanest way to think about it: the Pro $200/year fee is the price of admission to creative tools and the custom domain. It is not a discount on credits — credits cost the same per-unit on either plan. If you’re spending hundreds of dollars per year on credits anyway, paying $200 more to unlock the creative tools and the branded domain is a small marginal cost relative to your existing spend.4. You want the Setup Wizard to brand your site once and forget about it
Pay As You Go customers configure event-level branding (cover image, watermark, etc.) but cannot run the website-customisation Setup Wizard. The wizard handles theme color, logo, favicon, footer text, social links, contact form, and header CTA in one guided flow. If you want to look more polished without piecing it together, Pro is the path.A Simple Worked Decision
| Operator profile | Yearly events | Photos / event | AI search needed? | Need creative tools or custom domain? | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freelance wedding photographer, internal galleries only | 6 | 1,500 | No | No | Pay As You Go (zero credit spend if AI is off) |
| Freelance race photographer, public galleries | 5 | 4,000 | Yes | No | Pay As You Go (~20,000 credits/year) |
| Marathon organiser, public galleries with branded site | 8 | 6,000 | Yes | Yes (custom domain, certificates) | Pro |
| Photo studio running weekly events | 50 | 800 | Mixed | Yes (proofing for clients) | Pro |
| Race series running 30+ events with original photo sales | 30+ | 8,000 | Yes | Yes (Checkout) | Enterprise — see Talk to Us |
How to Self-Audit Once a Year
Open Credits → Monthly Usage Summary
Add up the last 12 months of credit usage. Multiply by your per-credit cost (visible on the Credits balance card → Show).
Compare to the Pro subscription fee
If your annual credit spend is approaching the Pro $200 fee — or your event needs have shifted toward needing the creative tools / custom domain — Pro is worth a look.
Decide based on features, not just spend
Even if your credit spend is well below $200, if you’ve been wanting Certify or a custom domain for months, that’s the actual signal. The features are the value, not the credit pricing.
If Pro is the call, see Upgrade to Pro
See Upgrade to Pro for the exact dashboard flow.
What Happens When You Upgrade
Switching from Pay As You Go to Pro is non-destructive:- Existing events stay exactly where they are — same data, team, settings, public links.
- Your credit balance carries over — no credits are reset.
- The creative tools (Certify, Flow, Select, Buzz, Motion) appear in event navigation immediately, on every event in the organisation.
- Custom domain becomes available — connect it in Settings → Domain & Region.
- The Setup Wizard appears in the sidebar — run it once to brand your site.
Common Questions
If I stay on Pay As You Go, will I be reminded or pushed to upgrade?
If I stay on Pay As You Go, will I be reminded or pushed to upgrade?
The sidebar shows a highlighted Upgrade button for Pay As You Go accounts — it’s always there. We don’t email you to upgrade. The button is the only nudge.
Can I downgrade from Pro back to Pay As You Go?
Can I downgrade from Pro back to Pay As You Go?
Once your Pro subscription expires (after 365 days) and you don’t renew, your account moves back to a paid-credits-only state similar to Pay As You Go. To explicitly downgrade earlier, email support@9pic.ai — we’ll help case by case.
Do I lose creative-tool access if I downgrade?
Do I lose creative-tool access if I downgrade?
Yes. Once your Pro term ends without renewal, the creative tools become unavailable on new events. Existing events that already used them keep their generated outputs.
Is there a discount if I commit to multiple years of Pro?
Is there a discount if I commit to multiple years of Pro?
Pro is sold as a 365-day subscription. For multi-year commitments or volume deals, contact support@9pic.ai or see Talk to Us.
What if I need Checkout (selling photos online)?
What if I need Checkout (selling photos online)?
Checkout is Enterprise only — it’s not unlocked by Pro. If selling photos through 9Pic is part of your model, jump straight to Talk to Us.
Next Steps
Upgrade to Pro
The exact dashboard flow.
Talk to Us
For Enterprise, Checkout, or custom volume deals.
Pro Guide
The full operator playbook for the Pro plan.
What's Included
Refresher on what Pay As You Go gives you today.