Messages Pricing
Messages — the proactive messaging feature in Beacon — is included in all current plans for up to 2,000 unique viewers a month for no additional charge. There is tier based pricing that applies for over 2,000 unique viewers each month.
In this article
What's Changed
As of October 2021, we've made changes to the way Messages pricing works for the plans with Messages included. Legacy plans will move to this new billing when they are migrated to the current plan according to their schedule. More about legacy plans here:
We've moved to a tiered pricing plan based on usage that will allow flexibility for what your team needs. If you're reaching more than 2,000 unique viewers a month with Messages, this may mean a price increase for your account.
Overview
- The price for Messages is based on the number of unique viewers you reach each month.
- 2,000 unique views per month are included for free on Standard, Plus, and Pro plans.
- If you need to reach more than 2,000 unique views per month with Messages, pricing for more starts at $20 USD.
- You're able to set a maximum monthly spending limit to have full control over your costs — or leave it on automatic to scale without your intervention.
What Makes a Unique Viewer
When any visitor loads your Beacon in your website or app, we use local storage to track that they've loaded it, assigning that visitor and device what we call a beaconDeviceID that allows us to identify a unique visitor. Note: This does not track any personal information! It is simply a record that the Beacon has been opened on the device they're using.
That unique visitor will become a unique viewer when any one of your Messages is shown to any beaconDeviceID. You can show that one unique viewer 5 different Messages, or 20 different Messages, during the month, and that is just one unique viewer.
Note: Clearing local storage records a new unique view for Messages. This contributes towards the total number of unique viewers which impacts your billing. Keep this in mind if your app is designed to clear browser local storage or if your site visitors clear their browser local storage. We strongly recommend setting a maximum monthly spending limit for full control over how much you spend, so there will never be any billing surprises.
Manage Billing Options
Choose whether you want Messages billing to scale automatically and expand to the next tier as needed, or set a monthly spending limit to make sure you never have any billing surprises. Head to Your Plan and click on the link next to the Messages line item in your plan break down, or head directly there: Messages Billing.
Any user given permission to Manage Account: Billing and plan changes will be able to access and manage these settings. See User Roles and Permissions for more information.
Automatically Scale
Select Automatically upgrade to the next tier to flex when needed. Nothing changes if you don't exceed the included 2,000 unique viewers. You'll be automatically moved to the higher tiers as your unique viewer count reaches the next tier's threshold. Your Messages will continue to show to your visitors, no matter how many unique viewers you reach, and we'll charge you based on the actual number at your next billing.
Set a Limit
Choose Set a monthly spending limit to set a stop point. Your Messages will be paused until the end of the billing cycle if you reach the limit you've set here, unless you adjust the settings to allow a higher tier. Use the slider to set the limit you're comfortable with that allows you to reach your customers; you can adjust it at any time.
How Your Account is Charged
Charges for Messages viewers are billed in arrears, meaning any charges you incur in a month will be billed on your next billing date. This is different from your other Help Scout service charges, where we bill in advance.
Monthly billing plan
The charges for the current usage each month will show as a line item on your bill for the following month's service. For example, if your billing date is on the 22nd, on November 22nd you would be billed for Messages viewers from October 22nd to November 22nd, along with your plan charges for other Help Scout services for November 22nd to December 22nd.
Annual billing plan
The charges for the current usage each month will show as a line item on your bill for the following month's service, and the payment for those charges will be deducted from the credit on your account for your annual pre-payment along with your other charges. This means that your annual credit will be used up faster than a year.
Tiered Pricing Chart
| Contacts | Price (USD) |
| 0 - 2,000 | $0 |
| 2,001 - 4,000 | $20 |
| 4,001 - 6,000 | $40 |
| 6,001 - 8,000 | $60 |
| 8,001 - 10,000 | $80 |
| 10,001 - 15,000 | $105 |
| 15,001 - 20,000 | $130 |
| 20,001 - 25,000 | $155 |
| 25,001 - 30,000 | $180 |
| 30,001 - 35,000 | $205 |
| 35,001 - 40,000 | $230 |
| 40,001 - 45,000 | $255 |
| 45,001 - 50,000 | $280 |
| 50,001 - 60,000 | $310 |
| 60,001 - 70,000 | $340 |
| 70,001 - 80,000 | $370 |
| 80,001 - 90,000 | $400 |
| 90,001 - 100,000 | $430 |
| 100,001 - 110,000 | $460 |
| 110,001 - 120,000 | $490 |
| 120,001 - 130,000 | $520 |
| 130,001 - 140,000 | $550 |
| 140,001 - 150,000 | $580 |
| +150,001 | $620+ |
Over 150,001 views, there is additional $40 charge per every 20,000 views.
If you have questions about the pricing here, reach out to our team — we're here for you!