Billing & Plans
Plans, limits, trial, lifetime, and the referral program — everything about Cineon's pricing.
Plans
Cineon has three paid plans and a free tier.
| Plan | Price | Billing |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Forever |
| Pro Monthly | $19 | Per month |
| Pro Yearly | $149 | Per year (~$12.41/mo) |
| Pro Lifetime | One-time | Pay once, own forever |
All Pro plans include the same features — the difference is only billing cadence and lifetime tier (which affects referral commission, see below).
Free tier limits
The free tier is fully functional but has three hard limits:
| Limit | Free | Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Effect layers | 3 max | Unlimited |
| Image slots | 1 | Unlimited |
| Export resolution | 1500px longest side | Full resolution |
Free effects
On the free tier, only these effects are available:
- Black & White
- Bloom
- Exposure
- Halation
- Letterbox
- Pillarbox
- Vignette
All other effects (Film Grain, ACES, Color Grading, HSL Engine, LUT, Technicolor, Lens Distortion, etc.) require Pro.
Free trial
New accounts get a 7-day free trial with full Pro access — all effects, unlimited slots, full export resolution. No credit card required to start.
The trial is tracked by email address. Re-signing up with the same email after a trial has been used will not grant a new trial.
After the trial ends, the account reverts to free tier limits unless upgraded.
Lifetime plan
The Lifetime plan is a one-time purchase. There are three tiers with different prices — all tiers include the same Pro features. The tier only affects the referral commission rate (see Referral program below).
Subscription status is lifetime — it never expires, there's no renewal, and it's not affected by Stripe subscription lifecycle events.
Managing your subscription
Open Settings → Subscription in the Studio. Click Manage Subscription to open the Stripe billing portal where you can:
- Update your payment method
- Download invoices
- Cancel or change your plan
Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period — you keep Pro access until then.
Referral program
Pro users can earn real money by referring new subscribers. Payouts go directly to your bank account via Stripe Connect.
How it works
- Go to Settings → Affiliate in the Studio
- Claim a custom referral code (e.g.
YOURNAME) — Pro plan required, code is unique - Share your referral link:
cineon.app?ref=YOURCODE - When someone signs up through your link and upgrades to Pro, Cineon automatically transfers your commission to your Stripe Connect account
Commission rates
Commission is a percentage of each payment made by users you referred, for up to 12 months from their first purchase.
| Plan purchased | Commission |
|---|---|
| Monthly | 20% |
| Yearly | 20% |
| Lifetime Tier 1 | 15% (one-time) |
| Lifetime Tier 2 | 20% (one-time) |
| Lifetime Tier 3 | 25% (one-time) |
The 12-month cap applies to recurring plans (Monthly and Yearly). After 12 months, commission stops for that user. One-time lifetime purchases pay commission once.
Setting up payouts
- In Settings → Affiliate, click Set up payouts
- You'll be redirected to Stripe Connect Express onboarding
- Complete identity verification and add your bank account
- Commissions are transferred automatically on each qualifying purchase
Stripe Connect Express handles KYC and compliance. Cineon never holds your earnings — transfers go directly from Stripe to your bank.
Referral stats
The Affiliate section shows live stats pulled from Stripe:
| Stat | Description |
|---|---|
| Referrals | Total users who signed up via your link |
| Conversions | Referrals who upgraded to a paid plan |
| Total earned | Sum of all transfers sent to your Connect account |
| Available balance | Funds available for payout in your Connect account |
Referral code rules
- Codes are 3–32 characters, letters, numbers,
_and-only - Codes are stored uppercase —
yourcodeandYOURCODEare the same - Codes are globally unique — if your chosen code is taken, you'll need to pick another
- Only one code per account