Pricing — Free, Solo $19/mo, Studio $49/mo — Ascend
Simple Pricing

Try everything free. Upgrade when you outgrow it.

Use every feature on the Free plan — capped at 25 MB storage, 1 invoice a month, and 100 form submissions. Solo unlocks full capacity for running client work. Studio adds the team, permissions, and compliance. Every paid plan starts with a 30-day free trial — no credit card required.

Free

Try everything. Upgrade when you outgrow it.

$0forever

Best for: Trying Ascend on a real project. Side hustles. Your first client or two before you're billing at scale.

Start free →

Included

  • 1 seat
  • Every module: Pages, Databases, Inbox, Forms, Dashboards
  • Unlimited time tracking
  • 1 invoice / month
  • 25 MB file storage (5 MB per file)
  • 100 form submissions / month
  • CSV export of everything

Not included

  • • AI features (Advisor, Assistant, Command Palette)
  • • Email notifications on form submission (in-app only)
  • • Public API + MCP
  • • Email support (docs + community only)

Shared surfaces carry a small "Powered by Ascend" footer — non-removable on Free and Solo.

Most independent operators pick this

Solo

For independent operators.

$19/mo

Best for: Solo VAs, bookkeepers, freelancers running client work.

Start 30-day free trial →

Included

  • 1 seat
  • 1M AI tokens / month
  • 1 GB file storage
  • Unlimited clients and invoicing

All core features

  • Pages, Databases, Inbox, Forms, Dashboards
  • Time tracking & branded invoicing
  • Public API + MCP (Claude, Cursor)
  • Outlook, IMAP, Google OAuth, Notion import
  • 90-day rolling audit log
For teams & compliance

Studio

For small teams.

$49/mo

Best for: 2–3 person teams, small studios, growing practices.

Start 30-day free trial →

Included

  • Up to 3 seats (+$19/seat/mo after)
  • 5M AI tokens / month (shared across seats)
  • 5 GB file storage

Everything in Solo, plus

  • Team roles, per-resource permissions
  • Real-time co-editing & team chat
  • Comments, notifications, access groups
  • 7-year audit log + CSV export (compliance-grade)
  • Hide "Powered by Ascend" branding (one click)

Metered Overage

Solo and Studio · pay only for what you use. The Free plan has hard caps, no overage.

Extra AI tokens

Beyond your plan's monthly allowance

$10/1M

Extra storage

Beyond your plan's storage allowance

$1/GB/mo

Real-time usage in your dashboard. Alerts before you hit your limit. No surprise bills.

What's an AI token, in plain English?

It's the unit AI models use to measure work. Roughly 1,000 tokens ≈ 750 words. A typical AI Advisor "deep analysis" of a 50-row database uses ~50K–100K tokens. A quick insight query uses ~10K–20K tokens.

Solo · 1M tokens/mo

~15–20 deep database analyses, or ~50 quick insights, or any mix.

Studio · 5M tokens/mo (shared across seats)

~75–100 deep analyses, or ~250 quick insights. The whole workspace draws from one pool.

Go over? It's $10 per additional 1M tokens. Most Solo customers running heavy AI usage (4M+ tokens) save money by upgrading to Studio. The Free plan does not include AI at all.

Wondering...
Pricing

The agency tool tax is real.

Pricing for a 10-person agency to cover projects, time tracking, and invoicing.

Apples to apples · 10-person team · public US pricing

Tool stackMonthlyAnnual

ClickUp + Harvest + FreshBooks

Project + time + invoicing

$210/mo$2,520/yr

Monday + Toggl + QuickBooks

Project + time + accounting

$285/mo$3,420/yr

Productive.io (with invoicing)

All-in-one agency tool

$280/mo$3,360/yr

Scoro

All-in-one agency tool

$260/mo$3,120/yr

Ascend Studio

$49 Studio + 7 × $19/seat

$182/mo$1,820/yr

One workspace, not three subscriptions. Studio is $49/mo for up to 3 seats, then $19/seat. Solo is $19/mo for independent operators.

Start 30-day free trial
Compare Plans

Free to explore. Solo to run client work. Studio for the team.

Start on Free to try every feature — capped by storage, invoices, and form submissions. Solo unlocks full capacity for running client work end-to-end. Studio adds the team, permissions, and compliance layer once a second person joins the workspace.

FeatureFree$0Solo$19/moStudio$49/mo
Core
Seats11Up to 3 (+$19/seat/mo)
ClientsUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited
Workspaces1UnlimitedUnlimited
Pages, Databases, Dashboards
Inbox, Contacts, Time Tracking
Invoicing1 / monthUnlimitedUnlimited
Custom invoice branding
FormsUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited
Form submissions100 / monthUnlimitedUnlimited
AI
AI Advisor + Assistant + Daily Briefing + Today's Focus + Command PaletteNot available1M tokens / mo5M tokens / mo (shared across seats)
Overage rate—$10 / 1M$10 / 1M
File storage
Files & attachments25 MB (5 MB max/file)1 GB5 GB
Overage rateHard cap (no overage)$1 / GB / mo$1 / GB / mo
Developer
Public API
MCP integration (Claude Desktop, Cursor, Claude Code)
Integrations
Microsoft Outlook + Microsoft 365
Email (IMAP — any provider)
Google OAuth (Gmail + Calendar)
Notion import
Email notifications on form submission
Team & collaboration
Team roles (Admin / Member)
Per-resource permissions (View / Edit / No Access)
Real-time co-editing
Comments and team notifications
Team chat
Access groups
Database collaboration features
Compliance
Audit log90-day rolling7-year + CSV export
Branding
"Powered by Ascend" on shared forms / portals / pagesRequiredDefault (non-removable)One-click hide per workspace
Support
Support channelDocs + communityEmailEmail + priority
Wondering...
From the Founding Cohort

Built with — not for — early agencies.

Quotes are from teams using Ascend during early access. Names initialled at their request while we keep the founding-cohort cap small.

"We replaced Notion, Toggl, and FreshBooks with one tool. The first month our billable-hour capture went up 14% just because the timer was right there on the record."

Maya R.

Founder, 6-person creative studio

"I sent my first invoice 11 minutes after signing up. The fact that hours, projects, and the invoice all share one database is the whole game."

Jordan T.

Solo consultant

"Client sharing without per-seat fees is the unlock. We give external collaborators view access to the exact records they need — no more emailing screenshots."

Priya K.

Ops lead, dev shop

120+
Founding teams
11 min
Avg. time-to-first-invoice
3.4
Tools replaced per team
72
NPS (early access)
Pricing FAQ

Questions before you start your trial

Quick answers to the things teams ask before paying.

Is there really a 30-day free trial with no credit card?
Yes. Sign up with an email, run your full workflow on Solo or Studio for 30 days, and only enter payment details if you decide to keep going. If you don't upgrade, your account downgrades to the Free plan — you keep everything you built, capped at 25 MB storage, 1 invoice a month, and 100 form submissions. Anything beyond those caps stays read-only for 60 days in case you change your mind.
What is the Free plan — is it a trial?
No. The Free plan is a permanent free tier that lets you try every feature of Ascend on a real project. You get 1 seat, every core module (Pages, Databases, Inbox, Contacts, Forms, Dashboards), unlimited time tracking, 1 invoice per month, 25 MB of file storage, and up to 100 form submissions per month. No credit card, no time limit. Support is via docs and our community Discord. Shared surfaces carry a small "Powered by Ascend" footer. Upgrade to Solo ($19/mo) when you need more invoicing, more storage, AI features, the public API, or email support.
Can I use the Free plan for my business forever?
Yes — if your usage stays within the caps. It's designed for people trying Ascend, running a side hustle, or managing their first client or two. Once you're regularly sending invoices (more than one a month), storing client files (more than 25 MB), or using AI to speed up your work, Solo is the plan you want.
What's the difference between Solo and Studio?
Solo is one seat — built for independent VAs, bookkeepers, freelancers, and consultants running client work alone. It includes a 90-day rolling audit log. Studio is for two- to three-person teams and adds team roles, per-resource permissions, real-time co-editing, comments, team chat, access groups, and a 7-year compliance-grade audit log with CSV export. Studio also has 5× the AI token quota (5M/mo shared across seats) and can hide the "Powered by Ascend" branding on client-facing content.
Do you charge per client?
No. Unlimited client records on every plan — no per-client or per-seat fees for the people you do work for. Only your team members need seats. It's one of the main reasons independent operators switch from per-seat tools.
Why does my published form have "Powered by Ascend" on it?
It's how we keep the Free plan free and Solo affordable — every shared form (and other shared surface) helps a handful of new people discover Ascend. Solo shares the same footer by default; Studio subscribers can hide it with one click per workspace.
What happens when our team grows past 3 seats on Studio?
You stay on Studio and add seats at $19/seat/mo (or $190/seat/yr). There's no forced upgrade to a heavier 'Business' tier — Studio scales with you. A 5-person team is $49 + 2 × $19 = $87/mo.
Can I switch from Solo to Studio later?
Yes, in two clicks from Settings → Billing. Your data, history, integrations, and AI usage carry across instantly. We prorate the change to the day.
How much do I save with annual billing?
Roughly two months free. Solo is $19/mo or $190/yr (~$15.83/mo equivalent — save $38). Studio is $49/mo or $490/yr (~$40.83/mo equivalent — save $98). Extra Studio seats are also $19/mo or $190/yr.
What is an AI token, and how do the allowances work?
Tokens are the unit AI models use to measure work — roughly 1,000 tokens ≈ 750 words. A deep AI Advisor analysis of a 50-row database uses ~50K–100K tokens; a quick insight uses ~10K–20K. Solo includes 1M tokens/month (~15–20 deep analyses). Studio includes 5M tokens/month shared across seats (~75–100 deep analyses for the whole workspace). Overage is metered at $10 per additional 1M tokens, with real-time usage and alerts in your dashboard. The Free plan does not include AI.
How do storage overages work?
Solo includes 1 GB of file storage; Studio includes 5 GB. If you go over, it's $1 per additional GB per month, billed at the end of the cycle. We show your usage in real time and alert you before you cross the threshold. The Free plan has a 25 MB hard cap — if you hit it, upgrade to Solo or delete files to free space; there's no overage on the free tier.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel from Settings → Billing. You keep access until the end of the current billing period, then your workspace downgrades to the Free plan (everything preserved up to Free caps; anything beyond stays read-only for 60 days). Your data stays yours and is fully exportable as JSON or CSV at any time.
What payment methods do you accept?
All major credit cards via Stripe. ACH and SEPA are available on request for teams paying annually.
Do you have a refund policy?
Yes — within the first 30 days of a paid plan, email us and we'll refund the most recent charge, no questions asked.
Is there a discount for non-profits, educators, or open source?
Yes. Email hello@optivationai.com from your organisation's domain — we apply a 50% discount on Solo or Studio.
Where is my data stored, and is it secure?
Data is stored in encrypted form on Neon (Postgres, EU/US regions) and Azure Blob Storage. Connections are HTTPS-only. You can export your full workspace as JSON or CSV at any time.