Launch Plan Subscriber Limits
The Launch plan is free and supports up to 10 paying subscribers. When your paying subscriber count reaches that limit, Benecaster shows an upgrade prompt and silently routes additional subscribers to your public feed until you upgrade.
The 10-Subscriber Cap
Launch is designed for podcasters just getting started. The plan supports up to 10 paying subscribers with full private-feed functionality — unique token URLs, subscriber management, tier scheduling, and everything else the plugin offers.
There is no card required to use Launch. You only provide payment details when you choose to upgrade to a paid plan.
What Happens at 10 Subscribers
At 8 subscribers: A warning notice appears in your WordPress admin and a warning email is sent. This gives you time to choose a paid plan before hitting the cap.
At 10 subscribers: A non-dismissible admin notice appears in Benecaster → Settings → Account and on the Benecaster dashboard:
“You’ve reached your Launch plan limit. Choose a plan to keep growing →”
The link goes to the plan selection page at benecaster.com.
Cap-Mode Feed Behavior
When your count is at 10, the 11th+ paying subscriber’s feed token is silently flagged over-limit. Their private feed URL continues to work — their podcast app receives episodes, just your public episode set rather than the private tier they pay for. There is no error, no broken link, and no notification to the subscriber.
Over-limit subscribers appear with an amber highlight in Benecaster → Subscribers with a note: “Receiving public feed — upgrade your plan to restore private access.”
Private feed access is restored automatically at the next daily validation cycle after you upgrade. No subscriber action or feed URL change is required.
Upgrading from Launch
To restore private access for all subscribers and remove the limit notice, log in to benecaster.com and choose a paid plan. The upgrade takes effect as soon as your payment processes. Benecaster’s next daily validation (or an immediate manual validation via Settings → Account → Validate now) will clear the over-limit flags.
See Upgrading Your Plan → for plan options and pricing.
Downgrade Lock
After you upgrade from Launch to any paid plan, a 30-day downgrade lock prevents reverting to Launch immediately. This protects your subscribers from access disruptions during the adjustment period.
After the lock expires, if your subscriber count is at or below 10, the option to downgrade to Launch becomes available from benecaster.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Benecaster charge my card automatically when I hit 10 subscribers?
No. Launch is free and no card is collected at Launch signup. You choose to upgrade and provide payment details — nothing happens automatically.
Do over-limit subscribers lose access entirely?
No. Their feed URL continues to work. They receive your public episode set rather than their private tier. Their podcast app shows no error.
How long does it take to restore private access after upgrading?
Access restores at the next daily validation cycle, or immediately if you trigger a manual validation from Settings → Account.
