ChaiBuilder is shipped as code, not a hosted service: the chaipro package runs on your own database and hosting. You start with a 30-day free trial, then buy a per-year license and add the key to your environment to keep the product unlocked. Every license includes the full feature set - no tiers, no feature flags.

The 30-day free trial

• 30 days, no credit card, no email.
• The trial begins the moment you deploy the starter to your server - there's no signup step to start the clock.
• During the trial the entire feature set is available. Nothing is gated.

To start, pick either path in the Quickstart: one-click deploy the starter and finish setup through the browser wizard, or run npx chaibuilder-app create locally (it asks the required questions and generates a fully functional project), then deploy.

The trial exists so you can validate that the builder fits your use case before you pay - see Refunds below.

Buying a license

After the trial, buy a per-year license and add the key to your environment. Pricing is flat per plan; plans differ by licenses/domains, branding, delivery, and support - not by features.

Do-it-yourself plans

Plan	Price	Licenses / domains	Branding
Solo	$99 / year	1 license → 3 domains	ChaiBuilder branding shown
Studio	$399 / year	1 license → unlimited domains	ChaiBuilder branding shown
Agency	$899 / year	1 license → unlimited domains	Agency branding - your own logo & colors in the builder

Agency is Studio plus Agency branding, which lets you set a custom logo and colors inside the builder so you can present it as your own.

Contact-us tiers

• White Label Solution - a multi-tenant white-label product, available Managed (deployed and run by ChaiBuilder) or Self-hostable (you host it). No public pricing.
• Custom Integration - a website builder integrated inside an existing multi-tenant application, with yearly license + maintenance and priority support. No public pricing.

For either, contact us.

Agency branding vs White Label - different things. Agency branding is included with the Agency license (logo & colors in the builder). The White Label Solution is a separate multi-tenant product.

Adding the license key

The license key lives in your environment variables, alongside your database and app config. It's optional during the trial and required after 30 days to keep the product unlocked.

# ChaiBuilder license key - required after the 30-day trial
CHAIBUILDER_LICENSE_KEY=your_license_key_here

Confirm the exact variable name against the env file your setup produced (the CLI writes it to .env; the setup wizard includes it in the generated variables) - set it to the key from your purchase confirmation.

Restart the app after setting it. For where this fits alongside the rest of your configuration, see Environment & License.

How the license period works

Eligibility is tied to the version / release window, not to a moving subscription date:

• Buying today gives a license valid through the end of your year.
• You're eligible for any chaipro version released within that period.
• When the license expires, newer versions are no longer eligible. The builder shows a message to either renew or downgrade to the last eligible version to keep working.

So an expired license doesn't break an existing deployment - it stops you from moving to versions released after your window until you renew.

Refunds

No refunds. The 30-day trial (no credit card, no email) is provided precisely so you can confirm the builder works for you before purchasing. Validate fit during the trial.

Related

• Quickstart - get a site live either way and start the trial.
• FAQ - common first-run questions.
• Environment & License - full env configuration.