Downgrading an AliasFleet plan moves the account to a lower paid tier or to the Free tier when the current billing period ends. The existing plan remains active until that date, no prorated refund is issued, and Paddle processes billing as merchant of record. The change is made on the Billing page in the app.
A paid plan is required, since a Free account has no paid tier to move down from. Paddle acts as merchant of record for billing, but the plan change itself is completed inside the AliasFleet app, not in an external portal. Before starting, open the Billing page and read the Plan Usage card, as described in Your Plan and Usage Limits, so the limits of the lower tier are known before the change is requested.
How do I downgrade my plan?#
The downgrade is completed from the Billing page:
- Open Billing. Sign in to the app and open the Billing page.
- Find the current subscription details. Locate the plan details on the Billing page, then select Change Plan.
- Select the lower tier. Choose the lower paid tier, or the Free tier, that the account should move to.
- Confirm the selection. Confirm the change when prompted.
- Note the renewal date. The lower tier starts on the next renewal date, not immediately. The current plan and its limits remain in place until that date.
When does the downgrade take effect?#
A downgrade takes effect at the end of the current billing period, on the next renewal date. Until that date, the account keeps the current plan, its limits and its features in full. That timing is why no prorated refund applies: the paid period already purchased is used in full before the lower tier begins. The Understanding Proration and Plan Changes guide states the same rule, that downgrades are not prorated.
Downgrading differs from upgrading in this respect. An upgrade raises limits at once, while a downgrade is scheduled for the next renewal. A downgrade also differs from cancelling. Cancelling ends the subscription at the end of the current period, as described in Cancelling Your Subscription, while downgrading keeps a subscription in place at a lower tier.
What happens to plan limits after a downgrade?#
After the renewal date, the limits of the new tier apply. The figures below come from Your Plan and Usage Limits, which holds the full limits table. The Billing page figure for the account takes precedence if it differs from this table.
| Limit | Free | Pro | Business |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active aliases | 10 | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Custom domains | 0 | 3 | 10 |
| Verified destinations | 1 | 5 | 20 |
This guide does not confirm what happens to items above the new plan limit after a downgrade. That gap covers aliases above the alias limit, custom domains above the domain limit, and destinations above the destination limit. The cancelling guide describes a 7-day grace period, followed by pausing rather than deleting items above the Free limits, but that sequence covers cancellation to Free, and this guide does not state that the same treatment applies to a downgrade. Before the renewal date, compare each usage figure on the Plan Usage card against the new tier, and remove or pause items that are no longer needed if the new limit requires it.
How do I check the downgrade took effect?#
After the renewal date has passed, the check is a single Billing page visit:
- Open Billing. Sign in to the app and open the Billing page.
- Read the plan shown. The Billing page shows the new plan name.
- Read the Plan Usage card. The card lists Email Aliases, Custom Domains, Forwarding Destinations and Monthly Bandwidth, each shown as a used figure against the new plan limit. On Pro, Email Aliases shows Unlimited and Custom Domains shows a limit of 3. On Business, Custom Domains shows a limit of 10 and Forwarding Destinations shows a limit of 20.
If the old plan still shows after the renewal date, refresh the Billing page and check again before repeating any step.
Troubleshooting#
Why has nothing changed right after confirming a downgrade?#
No immediate change is expected. A downgrade is scheduled for the next renewal date, and the current plan stays active until then. If the Billing page still shows the old plan after the renewal date, refresh the page and read the Plan Usage card again.
Why is there no lower tier to select?#
A Free account has no lower tier, so there is nothing to downgrade to. An account already on the lowest paid tier can only move to Free or cancel. For ending a subscription entirely, see Cancelling Your Subscription.
Why does the Billing page not show the plan options?#
Confirm that the correct account is signed in, then refresh the Billing page. Managing Your Subscription covers the Billing page layout and the other subscription options reached from it.
Why does a new alias fail to create after a downgrade?#
After the renewal date, the new tier limits govern creation. A metric at its full figure on the Plan Usage card blocks creation of new items of that type. Delete an item that is no longer needed to free a slot, or select a higher plan from the Billing page.
Related reading#
- Cancelling Your Subscription: end a subscription at the end of the current period instead of moving to a lower tier.
- Your Plan and Usage Limits: the full Free, Pro and Business limits table and how to read the Plan Usage card.
- Managing Your Subscription: the Billing page layout and the other subscription options reached from it.
- Understanding Proration and Plan Changes: why upgrades are prorated and downgrades are not.
- Refund Policy: refund terms, billing error exceptions, and dispute handling.
- One Email Alias per Website Keeps a Breach From Spreading: why separate aliases per site stay useful after a plan change, since each alias can be paused or removed on its own.