Plans and payments
What each plan includes, how to change one, and what happens when a payment fails.
The plans
| Plan | Monthly | Yearly | The difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI included | US$12 a month | US$120 a year | 500 assistant messages a month |
| Own key | US$8 a month | US$80 a year | You bring your own AI key, and there is no message limit |
Paying yearly gets you 2 months free. The monthly allowances, like the 500 messages and the 20 hours of transcription, still come back every month on a yearly plan.
Everything else is the same on both: 20 hours of transcription a month, 10 GB of files, share links, invitations, publishing, connecting apps, and the API.
Money-back guarantee
Your plan starts as soon as you subscribe, with everything it includes from day one. You need a card to start.
If Scratchpad isn't for you, email hello@scratchpad.sh within 30 days of your first payment and we'll refund it in full, to the way you paid. That's your first payment, monthly or yearly. Renewals and later payments aren't covered.
Changing plan
Your own AI key (under Settings → Assistant). Adding one moves you to the own-key price straight away, and the unused part of what you'd paid is refunded to your card. Removing it moves you back straight away: a new month, or year, starts at the full price, and the unused part of your own-key payment is refunded. You're asked first, because that one's a charge.
Monthly or yearly (under Settings → Plan, after your first payment). Going yearly starts your year straight away, and the unused part of your month is refunded. Going monthly waits until your year is up, so you keep what you paid for, and nothing is charged or refunded when you choose it. Changed your mind before then? Switch back, and nothing happens.
The student discount (apply here). Once you're approved, your plan moves to the student price by itself: straight away if you're paying, with the unused part of what you'd paid refunded, or from your first payment if you haven't started your plan yet. Settings → Plan shows it and the date it runs to. About a month before that date we email to ask for this year's proof. Without it, or after five years, your plan goes back to the regular price at its next renewal, never before.
Cancelling
Cancel whenever you like. Your plan keeps working to the end of the month, or year, you've already paid for, and then stops.
Cancelling isn't the same as closing your account. Your notes stay, and the account is paused rather than deleted.
If a payment fails
Nothing stops working. The card is retried for a few days, and Settings says so.
If every retry fails, the account is paused, not deleted. Your notes are kept, and you can still export them. We email before we'd ever delete a paused account.
Refunds
For your first payment, within 30 days, there's the money-back guarantee. Otherwise, if you think a charge is wrong, email hello@scratchpad.sh. Refund requests are handled case by case, and always as consumer protection law requires.
Last updated 21 October 2026