Terms of Service

Benecaster Terms of Service

Last updated: June 2026

⚠ Working draft — requires legal review before publication. Placeholders marked [LIKE THIS] must be filled in. Sections requiring particular legal attention are noted inline.

1. Agreement

By creating an account at benecaster.com, purchasing a license, or installing or using the Benecaster plugin, you agree to these Terms of Service (“Terms”). If you do not agree, do not use Benecaster.

These Terms apply to all users of Benecaster, including free tier users, paid plan subscribers, and anyone who installs the plugin.

[ENTITY LEGAL NAME] (“Benecaster,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) is a [STATE] [entity type, e.g., LLC] operating benecaster.com and publishing the Benecaster plugin.

2. Definitions

“Service” means the Benecaster plugin (free and paid versions), the benecaster.com website, the license validation server, the customer account portal, and all related services and documentation.

“Plugin” means the Benecaster WordPress plugin, including both the free version available from the WordPress.org directory and any version operating under a paid license.

“Account” means a benecaster.com customer account.

“License” means a license key granting access to paid features of the Plugin, associated with a specific plan tier.

“Add-on” means a separately purchased or plan-included component that extends the Plugin’s functionality.

“Activation” means the registration of a WordPress installation with our license server, enabling paid features on that installation.

“Subscriber” means an end user of your podcast who subscribes to your content using the Plugin. Subscribers are your customers, not ours — we have no direct relationship with them.

3. the Service

3.1 What Benecaster Provides

Benecaster enables private podcast subscription management on WordPress. It generates authenticated private RSS feeds for paying subscribers, integrates with supported third-party membership and subscription plugins, and provides subscriber management and analytics tools.

Benecaster does not host audio files. Your episode audio remains on your existing podcast hosting provider.

3.2 Free Tier

The free version of the Plugin may be installed and used without a benecaster.com account. Free tier features are as described in our current documentation. We may modify free tier features at any time without notice.

3.3 Paid Plans

Paid plan features require an active benecaster.com account and valid license. Features available at each plan tier are as described in our current pricing and documentation. We may modify features with reasonable notice.

3.4 Service Availability

We will make reasonable efforts to maintain the availability of the license validation server. Brief outages may occur. The Plugin is designed to be fail-open: if it cannot reach the license server due to a network issue, server outage, or other technical failure, it continues operating normally and does not interrupt your subscribers’ access. This design choice is deliberate, but it does not constitute a guarantee of continuous availability.

4. Accounts

4.1 Registration

To access paid features, you must create an account at benecaster.com with accurate information. You agree to keep your account information current.

4.2 Account Security

You are responsible for maintaining the security of your account credentials and license keys. You may not share your license key with any third party except as expressly permitted by these Terms. Contact us immediately if you believe your account or license key has been compromised.

4.3 Eligibility

The Service is for business and professional use. By creating an account, you represent that you are at least 18 years old and have the legal authority to enter into these Terms on behalf of yourself or any entity you represent.

5. Plans, Billing, and Renewals

5.1 Pricing

Current pricing is shown at benecaster.com/pricing. We reserve the right to change prices with at least 30 days’ advance notice by email. Price changes take effect at your next renewal date.

5.2 Billing Periods

Plans are available on monthly or annual billing cycles. Annual plans are charged once per year.

5.3 Automatic Renewal

Paid subscriptions renew automatically at the end of each billing period using the payment method on file. We will send a renewal reminder before each renewal date. To stop renewal, cancel your subscription from your account dashboard before the renewal date.

5.4 Automatic Plan Upgrades

Automatic upgrades (enabled by default): When your paying subscriber count has exceeded your current plan’s limit for 30 consecutive days, the Plugin will automatically upgrade your plan to the next tier. A prorated charge is applied immediately for the remaining days in the current billing period at the new plan’s rate. Your billing cycle anchor does not change — your next full renewal remains on the same date.

Opting out: You may disable automatic upgrades in your account settings. If you do, subscribers who join while you are over your plan limit will receive your public podcast feed instead of their private subscriber feed until you manually upgrade your plan. Benecaster does not intercept billing by your membership plugin — subscribers in this state are still charged by your membership plugin regardless of their feed access level.

You may also upgrade manually at any time from your account dashboard. The same prorated charge applies.

5.5 Plan Downgrade Conditions

Subscriber count prerequisite (all plans): You may only downgrade to a plan whose paying subscriber limit accommodates your current paying subscriber count. The downgrade option is not available while your count exceeds the target plan’s limit.

Monthly plans: Once your paying subscriber count has remained within the target plan’s limit for 30 consecutive days, the downgrade option becomes available in your account dashboard. If your count rises above the target plan’s limit at any point during that period, the 30-day window resets. When you choose to downgrade, the change takes effect at the end of your current billing period.

Annual plans: Annual plan downgrades take effect at your next renewal date. No mid-cycle downgrade is available on annual plans. In exceptional circumstances, contact support — we review annual downgrade requests individually and may apply a prorated credit at our discretion.

Downgrading to Launch: The Launch plan requires a manual process — contact support.

5.6 Prorated Charges and Credits

Upgrades: Plan upgrades result in a prorated charge for the remaining portion of the current billing period at the new plan’s rate, applied immediately.

Monthly plan downgrades: No prorated credit is issued. Downgrades take effect at the end of the billing period you have already paid for — you retain access to the higher plan for the remainder of that period.

Annual plan downgrades: No prorated credit is issued. Downgrades take effect at your next annual renewal. In exceptional cases we may issue a prorated credit at our sole discretion — contact support.

5.8 Payment Failures

If a payment fails, we will retry it according to our payment processor’s standard schedule. Paid features continue operating during the retry window. If payment cannot be collected after the retry period expires, your license will be suspended. Existing subscriber feeds will continue operating during a 30-day grace period before suspension takes full effect, to minimize disruption to your audience.

5.9 Taxes

Prices are exclusive of applicable taxes. You are responsible for any sales tax, use tax, VAT, GST, or similar taxes applicable to your purchase, as determined by your location and applicable law.

6. License Grant

Subject to these Terms and payment of applicable fees, we grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to install and use the Plugin on any WordPress installation, subject to the show limits of your current plan.

This license does not include the right to:

Distribute, resell, sublicense, or transfer your license key to any third party
Use a single license to provide the Plugin’s functionality as a service to multiple unrelated parties (see Section 7)
Reverse-engineer, decompile, or disassemble the Plugin except to the extent expressly permitted by applicable law
Circumvent, disable, or tamper with the license validation system

7. Shows and Acceptable Use

7.1 Show Limits

Each plan allows the following number of shows:

Plan	Shows
Launch, Starter, Growth, Pro	1
Multi-Show	Up to 3
Studio	Unlimited

There is no limit on the number of WordPress installations your license can be activated on. The limit applies to shows, not sites. Staging and development environments are tracked separately. Entering your license key on a staging site does not consume a show slot — only creating a show does. Our systems automatically detect common staging URL patterns; contact support if your staging environment uses a non-standard URL.

7.2 Own-Shows Requirement — Multi-Show and Studio

All shows under a Multi-Show or Studio license must be shows that you own and operate. Every show must be a podcast operation for which you are the operator — not a show belonging to a client, employee at another organization, collaborator, or any other party.

Examples of permitted use:

Multiple shows at separate domains, all operated by you
A main show plus an archive or spinoff show, all under your control
Multiple shows operated under a single podcast network or organization you run

Examples of use that are not permitted:

Running a show for a client as part of a freelance or agency engagement
Sharing your license key so that another podcaster can use it for their own show
Using one license to serve multiple podcast operators who are not part of the same organization

7.3 Consequences of Acceptable Use Violations

Violation of Section 7.2 may result in termination of all shows under the license. We will attempt to notify you and provide a reasonable opportunity to cure the violation before terminating, except where the violation is willful, repeated, or likely to cause ongoing harm. Termination under this section does not result in deletion of data on your WordPress installations — no subscriber data is deleted.

7.4 Agency and Developer Engagements

Agency or reseller use — where you operate a Benecaster-powered podcast on behalf of a client who owns that podcast — is not permitted under any plan. Each podcast operator must hold their own Benecaster license tied to their own benecaster.com account.

If you are a developer or agency setting up Benecaster for a client, the license must be purchased by or for the client under their own benecaster.com account. This ensures the client owns their subscriber data, their feed infrastructure, and their license relationship independently of your engagement with them. We offer no reseller or volume licensing at this time.

[Legal review note: Confirm whether “operate on behalf of a client” is sufficiently defined, or whether a clearer standard (e.g., client retains editorial and subscriber-relationship control) is needed.]

7.5 Own-Shows Requirement — All Plans

The own-shows requirement of Section 7.2 applies to all Benecaster plans, not only Multi-Show and Studio. A license issued to you may not be used to operate a show for which another party — a client, employer at a separate organization, or any third party — holds the subscriber relationship or retains editorial control over the podcast. The plan tier does not affect this requirement: a single-show Starter or Growth license is subject to the same restriction as a Studio license.

8. Add-ons

8.1 Scope

Add-ons are entitlements attached to your license. A purchased add-on is available across all shows under that license — no separate activation or additional charge per show. Studio plans include all current and future podcaster add-ons automatically. CRM Sync add-ons (Business Tools) are not included in Studio and must be purchased separately.

8.2 Renewals

Annual add-on fees renew separately from your core plan and are billed on their own schedules. We will notify you before each renewal.

8.3 Modifications and Discontinuation

We may add, modify, or discontinue add-ons. If we discontinue an add-on you have purchased and paid for, we will provide a prorated refund for the unused portion of the current billing period.

9. Cancellation and Termination

9.1 Cancellation by You

You may cancel your subscription at any time from your account dashboard. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period. During the remainder of the paid period, all features continue operating normally, including the ability for new subscribers to join.

After the paid period ends:

New subscriber token generation stops — no new subscribers can join
Existing subscribers’ private feeds remain active for an additional 30-day grace period. This grace period exists to give you time to resolve any billing or account issues without immediately disrupting your audience.
After the 30-day grace period expires, subscriber feed access is suspended
Your account data and all data on your WordPress installation are preserved; nothing is deleted automatically

9.2 Refunds

We offer a 30-day money-back guarantee on all initial paid plan purchases. Contact support within 30 days of purchase for a full refund. Renewals are not refundable except as required by applicable law or as described in Section 5.5 for plan changes.

9.3 Termination by Us

We may suspend or terminate your account for material breach of these Terms, including violations of the acceptable use requirements in Section 7. We will provide reasonable notice and an opportunity to cure except where the breach is willful or causes immediate harm.

We may terminate inactive accounts after an extended period of inactivity, with prior notice by email.

9.4 Effect of Termination

After termination:

Your license key becomes invalid and the Plugin reverts to its free version on the next license check-in
No data is deleted from your WordPress installation
Sections 6 (restrictions), 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 17 survive termination

10. Intellectual Property

10.1 Our Property

Benecaster, the Plugin, benecaster.com, and all associated materials are the property of [ENTITY LEGAL NAME] and are protected by applicable copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property law. These Terms grant you a limited license to use the Service; they do not transfer any ownership interest.

10.2 Your Content and Data

You retain all rights to your podcast content, subscriber data, and any content you create. We claim no intellectual property rights over your content. You grant us only the limited rights necessary to operate the Service — specifically, to validate your license and process telemetry data as described in our Privacy Policy.

10.3 Feedback

Any feedback or suggestions you provide about the Service may be used by us without restriction, obligation, or compensation to you.

11. Third-Party Services

The Plugin integrates with third-party services, including WordPress membership plugins, payment processors, podcast hosting providers, and analytics platforms. Your use of those services is governed by their own terms and policies, not these Terms. We are not responsible for third-party services and provide no warranty regarding their functionality, availability, or compliance.

12. Privacy

Our Privacy Policy, available at benecaster.com/privacy, describes how we collect and use information in connection with the Service. The Privacy Policy is incorporated into these Terms by reference.

By using the Plugin on your WordPress site, you process your subscribers’ personal data. You are the data controller for that data and are responsible for complying with applicable privacy law, including providing appropriate disclosures to your subscribers about how their data is collected and used.

13. Disclaimer of Warranties

THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE” WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING — WITHOUT LIMITATION — WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT.

WE DO NOT WARRANT THAT THE SERVICE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, ERROR-FREE, SECURE, OR FREE OF VIRUSES OR OTHER HARMFUL COMPONENTS. WE DO NOT WARRANT THAT ANY DEFECTS WILL BE CORRECTED OR THAT THE SERVICE WILL MEET YOUR REQUIREMENTS.

Nothing in this section limits any warranty rights you may have under applicable consumer protection law that cannot be waived by contract.

14. Limitation of Liability

[Legal review note: Verify enforceability of liability cap under Connecticut law, and that the unused-portion-of-payment formula is sufficiently defined in the context of annual plans and prorated upgrades.]

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, THE TOTAL CUMULATIVE LIABILITY OF [ENTITY LEGAL NAME] AND ITS OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, AND SUPPLIERS TO YOU FOR ANY AND ALL CLAIMS ARISING FROM OR RELATING TO THESE TERMS OR THE SERVICE IS LIMITED TO THE UNUSED PORTION OF YOUR MOST RECENT PAYMENT TO US.

For the purposes of this section, “unused portion” means the pro-rata share of the most recent billing period’s payment corresponding to the time remaining in that period after the event giving rise to the claim.

IN NO EVENT WILL BENECASTER BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE, OR EXEMPLARY DAMAGES, INCLUDING LOST PROFITS, LOSS OF REVENUE, LOSS OF DATA, LOSS OF GOODWILL, BUSINESS INTERRUPTION, OR THE COST OF SUBSTITUTE SERVICES, EVEN IF BENECASTER HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES AND EVEN IF A REMEDY SET FORTH HEREIN IS FOUND TO HAVE FAILED ITS ESSENTIAL PURPOSE.

Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or limitation of certain damages. In those jurisdictions, our liability is limited to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law.

15. Indemnification

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless [ENTITY LEGAL NAME] and its officers, directors, employees, agents, and successors from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, judgments, awards, losses, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising out of or relating to: (a) your use of the Service in a manner that violates these Terms; (b) your podcast content; © your relationship with your podcast subscribers, including any claims brought by subscribers; (d) your violation of any applicable law or regulation; or (e) any claim that your use of third-party services in connection with Benecaster infringes the rights of any third party.

16. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. For material changes, we will provide at least 30 days’ notice by email to your account address or by a notice in your Benecaster admin dashboard before the revised Terms take effect. If you do not agree to the revised Terms, you may cancel your subscription before the effective date. Continued use of the Service after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

Changes required by law may take effect immediately.

17. Governing Law and Dispute Resolution

[Legal review note: Review class action waiver enforceability and AAA arbitration terms. Confirm appropriate city for arbitration seat. Consider whether small claims carve-out is appropriate.]

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Connecticut and applicable federal law, without regard to conflict of law principles.

Binding Arbitration: Any dispute, claim, or controversy arising from or relating to these Terms or the Service that cannot be resolved informally shall be submitted to binding arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association (AAA) under its Commercial Arbitration Rules. The arbitration shall be conducted in [CITY], Connecticut, or by video conference if both parties agree. The arbitrator’s decision is final and binding and may be enforced in any court of competent jurisdiction.

Class Action Waiver: You and Benecaster each agree to bring claims against the other only in an individual capacity, and not as a plaintiff or class member in any class action, class arbitration, or representative proceeding.

Exceptions: Either party may seek injunctive or other equitable relief in any court of competent jurisdiction to prevent irreparable harm, without waiving the right to arbitration for other claims. Claims small enough to qualify for small claims court may be brought there.

If the arbitration clause is found unenforceable, disputes shall be resolved exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Connecticut, and you irrevocably consent to the personal jurisdiction of those courts.

18. General

18.1 Entire Agreement

These Terms and the Privacy Policy constitute the entire agreement between you and [ENTITY LEGAL NAME] regarding the Service and supersede all prior or contemporaneous agreements, representations, and understandings.

18.2 Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be invalid or unenforceable, that provision will be enforced to the maximum extent possible, and the remaining provisions will continue in full force and effect.

18.3 No Waiver

Our failure or delay in enforcing any provision of these Terms does not constitute a waiver of our right to enforce it in the future.

18.4 Assignment

You may not assign or transfer your rights or obligations under these Terms without our prior written consent. We may assign our rights and obligations without your consent in connection with a merger, acquisition, change of control, or sale of all or substantially all of our assets.

18.5 Force Majeure

We are not liable for any failure or delay in performance resulting from causes beyond our reasonable control, including natural disasters, acts of government, internet disruptions, or third-party service failures.

18.6 Contact

For questions about these Terms:

[ENTITY LEGAL NAME]
[Street Address]
[City, CT ZIP]
United States
[legal@benecaster.com or appropriate contact address]

19. Referral Program

19.1 Eligibility

The referral program is open to all active paid Benecaster plan holders. Free-tier (Launch) account holders may not participate as referrers.

19.2 How Credits Are Earned

When someone becomes a new paying Benecaster member using your referral link or code, you earn a credit equal to 50% of the list price of the plan they purchased on their first paid invoice. A minimum credit of $10 applies — if 50% of that amount is less than $10, you earn $10 regardless.

The referral discount applied to the referred person’s own purchase does not reduce your credit. Your credit is calculated from the plan list price before that discount, so both parties receive the same 50% amount, subject to the minimum and maximum rules in this section.

For annual plan referrals, the credit is based on the full annual plan price, not a monthly equivalent.

Add-ons. Add-ons purchased at the same time as the plan form part of that first invoice and are included in the credit calculation. Add-ons purchased subsequently, on any later invoice, do not generate additional referral credit.

Other discounts. Discounts other than the referral discount — including academic pricing, promotional pricing, and any discount code issued by Benecaster — do reduce the amount from which your credit is calculated. In those cases the credit is 50% of the discounted price, subject to the $10 minimum.

19.3 Attribution

Referral attribution is established at the time your referral first uses your link or code, and does not expire. If a referral signs up on the free tier first and later upgrades to a paid plan, the credit is earned at the time of their first paid invoice.

19.4 Credit Application

Credits apply automatically to core plan renewal charges. Credits do not apply to add-on purchases, one-time purchases, or Setup Service fees. Up to 50% of any single renewal charge may be offset by referral credit; any remaining balance carries forward to subsequent renewals. Credits apply to each subscription on your account independently on its applicable renewal date.

19.5 Credit Accumulation

There is no limit on the number of referrals you may make or the total referral credit you may accumulate.

19.6 Active Subscription Requirement

Credits remain on your account as long as your paid Benecaster subscription is active. If your subscription is cancelled, expires, or lapses, any unused credit balance is forfeited. Credits are not redeemable for cash.

19.7 Self-Referral Prohibition

Using your own referral link or code — through a separate email address, a secondary account, or any other method — is not permitted and may result in forfeiture of credits and account suspension.

19.8 Fraudulent Activity

We reserve the right to investigate referral activity that appears abusive, coordinated, or fraudulent, and to void credits that we reasonably determine were not earned legitimately. We will provide notice before forfeiting credits except where the fraud is clear and ongoing.

19.9 Program Modifications and Discontinuation

We may modify the referral program terms or discontinue the program at any time with notice by email. If the program is discontinued, credits earned by active subscribers will continue to be applied against renewals until fully used or until the subscription ends, whichever comes first.