Plain Pricing 2026: Is It Worth It?

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Thinking about using Plain to handle your customer support, but not sure what it’ll actually cost? You’re not the only one.

Once you look closer, you’ll notice strict seat limits and basic features locked behind higher plans and custom quotes.

In this guide, I’ll break down Plain’s 2025 pricing plan by plan and show what you’re really paying for (and where the limits kick in). 👇

Key takeaways

• Three core plans: Launch ($39/user/mo), Grow ($89/user/mo), and Scale (custom)
• Seat limits apply: Launch caps at 5 users, Grow at 10
• Annual billing saves ~10% but you can also pay monthly if you prefer flexibility
• Viewer seats are free across all plans, letting your whole team view support activity without extra cost
• Help Center, workflows, and SLAs are only available on the Grow plan and above
• Startup Program offers a 50% discount on the Grow plan ($5,000/year for 10 seats) for eligible VC-backed startups
• There are many more affordable alternatives, including Featurebase, which provides modern AI-powered support for fast-growing teams.

What is Plain?

Plain is a modern customer support platform built for engineering-heavy, B2B teams that prefer working from tools like Slack, Linear, or Jira instead of traditional help desks.

It connects all your channels - Slack, email, chat, and more - into one shared inbox with deep automation and workflow control. The result is a fast, API-first support tool that fits technical teams perfectly, but might feel rigid or pricey for smaller or non-technical teams.

Plain pricing 2025

Plain’s pricing is split into three plans (Launch, Grow, and Scale) each billed per user, either monthly or annually (with around a 10% discount for annual billing).

All plans include free viewer seats (read-only access), a 14-day free trial, and integrations with Linear and Jira. Let’s break them down. 👇

Launch ($39/user/mo)

Plain’s entry-level plan is designed for early-stage startups or small teams that want to bring some structure to their customer support without heavy configuration. You can have up to 5 support users, with free viewer seats for anyone else on your team who needs visibility.

What’s included:

• Slack integration (up to 25 channels)
• 2 shared email addresses
• Live chat and in-app form
• Linear and Jira integrations
• Customer cards with real-time context

Important to note:

• No Help Center or Discord access
• No workflow automation, SLAs, or advanced reporting (only 7-day history)
• Limited scalability due to the 5-seat cap

Real-world cost example: For 5 users, the Launch plan costs about $195/month or $1,890/year when billed annually.

Grow ($89/user/mo)

The Grow plan is built for teams that have a small dedicated support or success function and need more control, automation, and structured workflows.

This plan allows up to 10 support users, with unlimited free viewer seats. It also unlocks the Help Center, Discord, and workflow automations like SLAs and business hours.

What’s included:

• Everything in Launch
• Unlimited Slack channels + 10 shared email addresses
• Discord and headless support portal
• Workflow rules, SLAs, and business hours
• Slack Discussions for internal collaboration
• Team-level reporting
• Access to Plain’s AI-powered Help Center

Important to note:

• Seat cap at 10 users - you’ll need to upgrade to Scale if you grow further
• No AI-suggested responses or custom channels (Scale-only)

Real-world cost example: For 10 users, the Grow plan costs $890/month or $8,040/year billed annually. If you qualify for the Startup Program, you can get it for a flat $5,000/year - effectively 50% off.

Scale (Custom)

The Scale plan is Plain’s top tier meant for larger support organizations or fast-growing B2B teams that need extensibility, data visibility, and security compliance. It removes all seat limits, offering volume-based or org-wide pricing depending on your company size.

What’s included:

• Everything in Grow
• Unlimited Slack channels and API access
• 25+ shared email addresses
• Microsoft Teams and custom channels
• AI-powered suggested responses
• Product insights and advanced analytics
• Concierge onboarding and implementation support
• SOC2 compliance and service-level agreements

Important to note:

• No public pricing - you’ll need to contact sales for a quote.
• Some enterprise features (like BI integrations and custom data exports) require extra setup time.
• Onboarding handled directly with Plain’s team.

✨ Switch from Plain to save +$1k/mo and get the fastest AI-powered support platform →

Hidden costs & limitations

Plain’s pricing is pretty straightforward, but there are a few caveats that can easily affect your total cost - especially as your team scales or needs more advanced functionality. Here’s what to watch out for:

1. Seat limits

Both the Launch and Grow plans come with hard seat caps - 5 and 10 users respectively. That means even if you only need one extra support agent, you’ll be forced to upgrade to the custom-priced Scale plan.

2. Feature gating

Some of Plain’s most valuable tools - like workflow automations, SLAs, the Help Center, and AI-suggested replies - are locked behind higher plans.

• Launch doesn’t include automation or SLAs
• Grow adds workflows but still lacks AI and custom channels
• Scale is the only plan with advanced AI features, Microsoft Teams, and custom integrations

If your team relies heavily on automation or needs a full omnichannel setup, you’ll likely need Grow or Scale.

3. Reporting limitations

Reporting depth scales with your plan:

• Launch only shows 7 days of data
• Only Grow adds team-level reporting
• Scale unlocks product insights and advanced analytics

If visibility into performance or trends is important, Launch will feel restrictive very quickly.

Other things to keep in mind

Does Plain have a free plan or trial?

Every plan includes a 14-day free trial with no credit card required. Plain does not offer a Free plan.

Does Plain offer monthly billing?

Yes, but annual billing gives you about a 10% discount if you pay upfront for the year.

Are viewer seats free?

Yep. Viewer seats are free and unlimited on every plan. They’re read-only, so they’re ideal for executives or product managers who just need visibility into tickets, not to reply.

Does Plain offer a startup discount?

Yes - the Startup Program gives 50% off the Grow plan ($5,000/year flat). You must be a VC-backed startup with less than $5M in funding and 10 or fewer agents to qualify.

Is Plain suitable for non-technical teams?

Not really. Plain is designed for technical, product-led companies that prefer API-based workflows, not traditional ticketing systems. If your team wants something simpler to set up, you’ll likely find Plain’s configuration and integrations overkill.

What if Plain is too expensive for me?

If you like Plain’s modern, integration-heavy approach but find the pricing or seat caps too restrictive, you’ve got plenty of alternatives that offer similar features - often with more flexibility and lower costs.

Here are some of the best ones to consider: 👇

1. ✨ Featurebase – Best all-in-one AI-powered support platform for modern startups
2. Intercom – Best for conversational and proactive customer engagement
3. Zendesk – Best enterprise helpdesk with advanced automation and reporting
4. Pylon – Best Slack- and Teams-based support for internal collaboration
5. Crisp – Best affordable live chat and shared inbox for SMBs
6. Front – Best collaborative inbox for email, chat, and workflow automation
7. Help Scout – Best for small teams that want simple, personal customer support

You can dive deeper into all of the best Plain alternatives from our blog.

So, is Plain worth it?

Plain is a powerful support platform that can fit technical and B2B teams running customer operations through Slack, Linear, or Jira. But its pricing can be get quite high especially since the most helpful features are locked behind higher tiers.

Featurebase (👋 that's us) is a modern & affordable Plain alternative with an AI-powered support inbox, Slack integration, and a help center. You get all the same features, plus a mobile app, feedback management, and product updates, in a much more affordable package. It's loved by thousands of companies like Lovable, Polymarket, and Raycast.

What's best is that it comes with a Free plan, and the onboarding is super simple, so there's no downside to trying it out! 👇

✨ Automate your support with the fastest AI-enhanced Inbox today →