pricing

# Pricing Plans

Akoto Verify offers tiered pricing based on employee count, with all premium features included in every plan.

## Plans Overview

| Plan | Employees | Monthly | 6 Months | 12 Months | Billing |
|------|-----------|---------|----------|-----------|---------|
| Free | 0-3 | £0 | £0 | £0 | Always free |
| Pro | Up to 100 | £49 | £39 (20% off) | £37 (25% off) | All periods |
| Premium | Up to 300 | £99 | £79 (20% off) | £74 (25% off) | All periods |
| Elite | Up to 900 | £199 | £159 (20% off) | £149 (25% off) | All periods |
| Enterprise | 1000+ | Custom | Custom | Custom | 12 months only |

## Navigation and Access

### Public Access
- **Pricing Overview:** `/plans` - View all pricing tiers and features
- **Usage Guide:** `/how-to-use` - Complete guide for all user types
- **About Information:** `/about` - Company and feature information

### Signup Endpoints

### Signup Endpoints

### Free Plan (`/plans/free`)
- **Access:** Direct signup, no payment required
- **Process:** Company name, HR email, password → Instant account creation
- **Notification:** HR receives credentials via email

### Pro Plan (`/plans/pro`)
- **Monthly**: £49/month - "Flexible monthly billing with no long-term commitment. Cancel anytime."
- **6 Months**: £39/month (£234 total) - "Save 20% with semi-annual billing. Best for growing businesses wanting moderate savings."
- **12 Months**: £37/month (£444 total) - "Maximum savings of 25% with annual billing. Most popular choice for established companies."

### Premium Plan (`/plans/premium`)
- **Monthly**: £99/month - "Flexible monthly billing with no long-term commitment. Cancel anytime."
- **6 Months**: £79/month (£474 total) - "Save 20% with semi-annual billing. Perfect for mid-size companies planning ahead."
- **12 Months**: £74/month (£888 total) - "Maximum savings of 25% with annual billing. Most popular for established organizations."

### Elite Plan (`/plans/elite`)
- **Monthly**: £199/month - "Flexible monthly billing with no long-term commitment. Cancel anytime."
- **6 Months**: £159/month (£954 total) - "Save 20% with semi-annual billing. Ideal for large organizations with budget planning."
- **12 Months**: £149/month (£1,788 total) - "Maximum savings of 25% with annual billing. Preferred choice for enterprise clients."

## Stripe Integration

**Environment Variables Required:**
```
STRIPE_PRO_MONTHLY_LINK=https://buy.stripe.com/your-pro-monthly-link
STRIPE_PRO_6MONTH_LINK=https://buy.stripe.com/your-pro-6month-link
STRIPE_PRO_YEARLY_LINK=https://buy.stripe.com/your-pro-yearly-link
STRIPE_PREMIUM_MONTHLY_LINK=https://buy.stripe.com/your-premium-monthly-link
STRIPE_PREMIUM_6MONTH_LINK=https://buy.stripe.com/your-premium-6month-link
STRIPE_PREMIUM_YEARLY_LINK=https://buy.stripe.com/your-premium-yearly-link
STRIPE_ELITE_MONTHLY_LINK=https://buy.stripe.com/your-elite-monthly-link
STRIPE_ELITE_6MONTH_LINK=https://buy.stripe.com/your-elite-6month-link
STRIPE_ELITE_YEARLY_LINK=https://buy.stripe.com/your-elite-yearly-link
```

**Payment Flow:**
1. Customer visits `/plans` to view pricing options
2. Selects plan and billing period
3. Enters company information (name, HR email, password)
4. Data stored in sessionStorage
5. Redirected to Stripe payment link
6. After successful payment, account creation triggered

**Enterprise Inquiries:**
1. Customer visits `/enterprise/contact`
2. Fills detailed inquiry form with company and project requirements
3. Form submitted to admin email
4. Sales team responds within 24 hours with custom solution

## Key Differentiator

Unlike competitors who charge per employee (£3-5/employee), Akoto Verify offers fixed pricing with ALL premium features included. This means:
- 100 employees: £49/month vs £300-500/month (competitors)
- No feature restrictions based on plan
- Predictable costs as you grow

## Free Account Setup (Self-Service)

**Endpoint:** `/plans/free`

**Required Fields:**
- Company name
- Email address
- Password (min 8 characters)

**Process:**
1. User submits signup form
2. System creates company with `max_employees: 3`, `plan_type: 'free'`
3. HR User ID generated automatically
4. Welcome email sent with login credentials and admin panel link
5. HR can add up to 3 employees (not including HR admin)

## Enterprise Account Setup (Backoffice)

**Endpoint:** `/companies` (requires backoffice authentication)

**Required Fields:**
- Company name
- Client email
- HR/Admin password
- Employee limit (dropdown selection)

**Process:**
1. Admin logs into backoffice (`/backoffice`)
2. Navigates to company management (`/companies`)
3. Fills in company details with employee limit
4. System creates company and sends credentials to client email
5. Email includes: HR User ID, password, employee limit, admin panel link

**Employee Limit Options:**
- Free: 3 employees
- Pro: 100 employees
- Premium: 300 employees
- Elite: 900 employees
- Enterprise: 9999 (unlimited)

## Company Deletion

**Endpoint:** `/companies/delete` (POST)

Admins can delete companies from the backoffice:
1. Click delete button on company row
2. Confirm deletion in dialog
3. System removes company record and all employee tables
4. Company cache refreshes automatically

## Employee Limits

Employee limits are enforced at upload time:
- Free: 3 employees max
- Pro: 100 employees max
- Premium: 300 employees max
- Elite: 900 employees max
- Enterprise: Custom limit set via backoffice

When limit is reached, users see: "Employee limit reached (X employees). Please upgrade your plan to add more employees."

## Database Schema

Columns in `companies` table:
- `max_employees` (INTEGER, default 999) - Maximum employees allowed
- `plan_type` (VARCHAR(20), default 'standard') - Plan identifier

## Target Industries

- **Free**: Startups, freelancers, small family businesses
- **Pro**: Retail stores, restaurants, small manufacturing
- **Premium**: Mid-size companies, healthcare, education
- **Elite**: Large corporations, government agencies
- **Enterprise**: Fortune 500, multinationals

## Pages

- `/how-to-use` - Plan comparison and selection
- `/plans/free` - Free account signup (self-service)
- `/backoffice` - Admin authentication
- `/companies` - Enterprise account management (create/delete)