Subscription & Licensing

Learn about InboxZebra’s pricing, trial, and how to activate your license.

Pricing Tiers

InboxZebra offers 3 plans:

Free Tier

Price: $0/forever

Perfect for:

  • Freelancers just starting out
  • Testing InboxZebra before committing
  • Managing a single client email account

Includes:

  • 1 email account
  • 9 default + 3 custom categories
  • Basic newsletter management
  • Limited learning (3 examples per category)
  • Database encryption
  • Data export/import

Pro Tier — Most Popular

Price: $10/month or $96/year (save $24)

Perfect for:

  • Established freelancers with multiple clients
  • Solo founders managing various inboxes
  • Consultants processing high email volume

Includes everything in Free, plus:

  • Unlimited email accounts
  • Unlimited custom categories
  • Global custom rules
  • Per-account custom instructions
  • Custom & secondary labels
  • Full learning system (10 examples)
  • Advanced newsletter features
  • Priority email support

Business Tier

Price: $25/month or $240/year (save $60)

Perfect for:

  • Startup founders managing team inboxes (support@, hello@)
  • Agencies handling shared client mailboxes
  • Companies with custom AI infrastructure
  • Consultants with on-premise AI requirements

Includes everything in Pro, plus:

  • Unlimited shared mailboxes (support@, sales@, etc.)
  • Cloud-based AI processing (Gemini) with your API key
  • Advanced analytics dashboard
  • Custom LLM endpoints (use your own AI)
  • Priority support

14-Day Free Trial

What You Get

Every new user gets:

  • 14 days of full access
  • ALL Pro + Business features
  • No credit card required
  • No automatic billing

During your trial, you can:

  • Connect unlimited accounts
  • Process unlimited emails
  • Try shared mailboxes
  • Test custom LLM endpoints
  • Use all labels and categories
  • Evaluate if InboxZebra works for you

Trial Countdown

A banner at the top of InboxZebra shows your trial status:

  • Blue banner: 8-14 days remaining
  • Orange banner: 3-7 days remaining (time to decide)
  • Red banner: 1-2 days remaining (last chance)

You can dismiss the banner by clicking the X. It will reappear the next day as a reminder.

After Trial Expires

You’ll automatically move to the Free tier:

  • Your account stays active
  • Limited to 1 account and 3 custom categories
  • Premium features lock (show lock icon 🔒)

To unlock features again, purchase Pro or Business.

Purchasing a License

How to Buy

Option 1: From the App

  1. Click the “Upgrade” button in the trial banner
  2. Or click a locked feature (🔒 icon)
  3. Choose your plan (Pro or Business)
  4. Choose billing (monthly or yearly)
  5. Click to open checkout in your browser
  6. Complete payment on Paddle’s secure checkout

Option 2: From Website Visit inboxzebra.com/pricing (or wherever you distribute)

What Happens After Purchase

  1. Paddle processes your payment
  2. You receive a license key via email
  3. License key format: Looks like XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX
  4. Keep it safe! You’ll need it to activate InboxZebra

Activating Your License

Step 1: Open Subscription Settings

  1. Open InboxZebra
  2. Go to Settings (Cmd+,)
  3. Click Subscription tab

Step 2: Enter Your License

In the “Activate License” section:

  1. License Key field: Paste your license key from the email
  2. Email Address field: Enter the email you used for purchase
  3. Click “Activate License”

Step 3: Features Unlock!

You’ll see:

  • “License activated successfully!”
  • Your plan changes from Free to Pro (or Business)
  • Lock icons disappear
  • Features are now available

That’s it! Your license is active and will work as long as your subscription is active.

Managing Your License

Checking License Status

In Settings → Subscription:

  • See your current plan (Free, Pro, or Business)
  • View activation status
  • See feature limits (if on Free tier)

Device Limit (2 Devices)

Your license can be active on up to 2 devices simultaneously.

This means you can:

  • Use InboxZebra on your MacBook and iMac
  • Share between your work and home Mac
  • Keep a backup device ready

If you try to activate on a 3rd device:

  • You’ll see an error: “Device limit reached (2 devices maximum)”
  • Deactivate on one device to free up a slot
  • Then activate on the new device

Deactivating License

To free up a device slot or move to a new Mac:

  1. Go to Settings → Subscription
  2. Click “Deactivate on This Device”
  3. Confirm the deactivation
  4. Your license is removed from this Mac
  5. The device slot is freed immediately
  6. You can now activate on another device

What happens when you deactivate:

  • This Mac reverts to the Free tier
  • Your license can be reactivated on this Mac anytime
  • The device slot is available for use elsewhere

Switching to a New Mac

  1. On your old Mac: Deactivate the license (Settings → Subscription → Deactivate)
  2. On your new Mac: Install InboxZebra
  3. Activate: Enter your license key and email
  4. Done! All your premium features are available

License Validation

InboxZebra automatically validates your license:

  • Checks daily in the background (you won’t notice)
  • Requires internet once per day for validation
  • Offline grace period: 10 days without internet
  • After 10 days offline: Requires internet to revalidate

This ensures your subscription is current and detects cancellations.

Getting Support

Need help with your subscription?

InboxZebra makes it easy to get support directly from the app:

  1. Go to Settings → Subscription
  2. Click “Manage Subscription”
  3. Click “Contact InboxZebra Support” to open a pre-filled email

What information is shared:

  • Your license email address
  • Your current plan (Free, Pro, or Business)

For your security:

  • Your license key is never included in support emails
  • Support can look up your subscription using just your email address
  • Keep your license key private and secure

Changing Plans

Upgrading (Free → Pro or Pro → Business)

  1. Go to Settings → Subscription
  2. Click “View Pricing & Purchase”
  3. Choose higher tier
  4. Purchase
  5. Enter new license key
  6. Features unlock immediately

Downgrading

To downgrade from Pro to Free or cancel:

  • Click “Manage Subscription” in Settings → Subscription to open the Paddle customer portal
  • Or email support@inboxzebra.com
  • After cancellation, you’ll revert to Free tier at end of billing period

Billing & Payments

Secure Checkout

All payments processed by Paddle (paddle.com):

  • Secure, PCI-compliant
  • Supports all major credit cards
  • PayPal accepted
  • Automatic VAT/tax handling worldwide

InboxZebra never sees your payment information.

Payment Methods

  • Credit/Debit cards (Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Discover)
  • PayPal
  • Apple Pay (where available)

Billing Cycle

Monthly:

  • Billed on the same day each month
  • Cancel anytime
  • Pro-rated refunds available

Yearly:

  • Billed once per year
  • 20% discount vs monthly
  • Cancel anytime, refund for unused time

Receipts & Invoices

Automatic Email Receipts: Paddle sends you a receipt via email after each payment. Keep these for your records and expense reporting.

Full Billing History & Invoices: For detailed invoices, past receipts, or to update your payment method, access the Paddle customer portal:

  1. Open InboxZebra
  2. Go to Settings (Cmd+,) → Subscription tab
  3. Click “Manage Subscription”
  4. Enter your email address when prompted
  5. Click “Send link” to receive a secure magic link
  6. Check your email and click the link to log in

Once logged in to the portal, you can:

  • View your complete billing history
  • Download invoices and receipts as PDF
  • Update your payment method
  • Change your billing details
  • Cancel your subscription

Troubleshooting

”Invalid License Key”

Possible causes:

  • Typo in license key (copy/paste exactly from your email)
  • Extra spaces at the beginning or end
  • Wrong email address entered

Solution:

  1. Copy the license key directly from your purchase email
  2. Make sure you’re using the same email address you purchased with
  3. Check for extra spaces before/after the key

”Device Limit Reached (2 Devices Maximum)”

Cause: Your license is already active on 2 other devices.

Solution:

  1. Go to one of your other Macs with InboxZebra
  2. Settings → Subscription → “Deactivate on This Device”
  3. Return to the new device and try activating again

Don’t have access to the other devices? Contact support@inboxzebra.com and we can help reset your device activations.

”Email Doesn’t Match This License”

Cause: The email you entered doesn’t match the email used to purchase the license.

Solution:

  1. Check your purchase confirmation email from Paddle
  2. Use the exact email address shown there
  3. If you’ve changed emails, contact support to update your license

”License Registered to Different Device”

Cause: You’ve reinstalled macOS or changed hardware, and the device fingerprint has changed.

Solution:

  1. Contact support@inboxzebra.com
  2. We can help transfer your license to the new hardware configuration

”Subscription Has Expired”

Cause: Your subscription renewal payment failed or was cancelled.

Solution:

  1. Check your email for payment failure notices from Paddle
  2. Update your payment method in the Paddle customer portal (access it via “Manage Subscription” in Settings → Subscription)
  3. Once payment is processed, your license will reactivate automatically

”License Validation Failed”

Causes:

  • No internet connection
  • License validation server temporarily down

Solution:

  • Check your internet connection
  • Try again in a few minutes
  • InboxZebra works offline for 10 days if previously validated

Features Still Locked After Activation

Solution:

  1. Check Settings → Subscription shows your plan (Pro or Business)
  2. If it shows “Free”, try reactivating your license
  3. Restart InboxZebra
  4. If still locked, deactivate and reactivate license

Can’t Deactivate License

If deactivation fails:

  • Check your internet connection
  • Try again in a few minutes
  • If it keeps failing, contact support to manually free your device slot

Questions?

Q: Can I try before buying? A: Yes! 14-day trial includes all Pro + Business features.

Q: Do I need a credit card for the trial? A: No! Trial starts immediately, no payment info required.

Q: Can I cancel anytime? A: Yes, cancel through Paddle. You’ll keep access until end of billing period.

Q: Can I use my license on multiple Macs? A: Yes! Your license works on up to 2 devices simultaneously. You can use it on your MacBook and iMac, or work and home computers.

Q: How do I switch to a new computer? A: Deactivate on your old Mac (Settings → Subscription → Deactivate), then activate on your new Mac. The device slot is freed immediately.

Q: What if I lose my license key? A: Check your purchase confirmation email from Paddle, or contact support@inboxzebra.com with your purchase email.

Q: Is my license key shared when I contact support? A: No! For your security, your license key is never included in support emails. Support can look up your subscription using just your email address. Always keep your license key private and secure.

Q: What happens if I’m offline for a while? A: InboxZebra continues working offline for up to 10 days. After that, you’ll need an internet connection to revalidate your license.

Q: How do I get a receipt or invoice? A: Paddle emails a receipt after each payment. For invoices or full billing history, click “Manage Subscription” in Settings → Subscription to access the Paddle customer portal. See the Receipts & Invoices section above for step-by-step instructions.

Q: Are there refunds? A: Yes, contact Paddle support within 30 days for refund requests.

Next Steps