What Happens When You Downgrade to Free

When you cancel PlayCode Pro, your subscription continues until the end of your billing period, then you're automatically downgraded to the free plan.

Timeline

You cancel - Subscription marked for cancellation
Until end of billing period - You keep all Pro features and access
After billing period ends - Automatic downgrade to free plan takes effect

For example, if you cancel on December 5th and your next billing date is December 20th, you keep Pro until December 20th.

What Changes

When you downgrade from Pro to Free, here's what happens:

Projects

✅ You keep all existing projects - Thanks to our grandfathering policy
✅ You can edit all existing projects - No restrictions
❌ Can't save new projects over the 3-project limit - Free accounts are limited to 3 saved projects

Example: If you have 50 projects when you downgrade, you keep all 50! You just can't save a 51st project without deleting one or upgrading.

Privacy

❌ Private projects become public - All your projects become publicly accessible
✅ You can still see project links - The URLs don't change
❌ Can't make projects private again - Privacy is a Pro-only feature

Custom Subdomains

❌ Custom subdomains are removed - Your custom subdomain (e.g., my-app.playcode.ai) is removed
✅ Projects get random subdomains - Each published project gets a random number subdomain (e.g., 1234567.playcode.ai)
❌ Old custom links stop working - Update bookmarks and share links

Storage

❌ Storage reduced from 1GB to 4MB - Pro storage limit removed
❌ Assets over 4MB are deleted - Images, videos, and other files exceeding the limit are removed
✅ Code files are kept - Your code (HTML, CSS, JS) stays intact regardless of size

Courses

❌ Premium courses locked - Only the first 10 lessons per course remain free
✅ Progress is saved - Your completion history stays in your account
✅ Can resume anytime - Upgrade to Pro to continue premium lessons

Published Sites

✅ Splash screen returns - Free published sites show a "Skip Intro" screen before content
✅ Sites stay online - Your published sites remain accessible
❌ Can't publish over limit - Free accounts limited to 3 published sites (planned feature)

Grandfathering Policy

The key benefit: You don't lose your work!

When we introduced project limits in December 2025, we implemented a grandfathering policy to protect existing users. This means:

All projects created before downgrading are kept, even if you have more than 3
You can continue editing, updating, and republishing those projects
Only new project saves count toward the 3-project limit

This applies to everyone who downgrades from Pro to Free, regardless of how many projects you have.

What Stays the Same

These features don't change when you downgrade:

✅ Unlimited coding - Code as much as you want in the playground
✅ All templates - Access to every template in the library
✅ Collaboration - Work with 2 other people on projects
✅ Exports - Download projects as ZIP files anytime
✅ Support - Same access to help and support

Reactivating Pro

You can reactivate your Pro subscription anytime before it expires and keep all your settings:

Go to Settings → Subscription
Click "Don't Cancel - Keep Subscription"
Your Pro features continue without interruption

Even after downgrading to Free, you can upgrade back to Pro anytime. Your previous settings (like project privacy) won't automatically restore, but you can manually change them again.

Preparing for Downgrade

If you've decided to downgrade, here's how to prepare:

1. Export Important Projects

Download ZIP files of projects you might want offline
Back up any custom subdomain URLs before they're removed

2. Reduce Assets

Delete or compress large images/videos to get under 4MB
Use external hosting for large assets (like Imgur, Cloudinary)

3. Update Privacy

Review which projects will become public
Delete or export any sensitive code before downgrading

4. Update Links

Note which sites use custom subdomains
Prepare to update bookmarks and shared links

Common Questions

Will my projects be deleted?

No! Our grandfathering policy means you keep all existing projects, even if you have more than 3. You just can't create new ones over the limit without deleting old ones or upgrading.

Can I download all my projects before downgrading?

Yes! Export each project as a ZIP file from the editor menu. This is a good backup practice regardless of your plan.

What if I accidentally cancel?

You can reactivate anytime before your billing period ends. Go to Settings → Subscription → "Don't Cancel - Keep Subscription".

Can I delete projects to get under the 3-project limit?

You don't need to! The grandfathering policy means you can keep all your projects. Only new saves count toward the limit.

What happens to collaborators on my projects?

Collaborators can still access and edit projects you've shared with them. The collaboration feature is available on both Free and Pro plans.