Cancellation steps and when the plan actually ends
systeme.io's help article gives four steps. Cancellation is not immediate: it takes effect on the next payment date, so a monthly plan started on 4 September and cancelled on 10 September runs until 4 October. [1]
The pricing FAQ adds what happens next: you keep your current plan until the next billing date, then the account reverts to the free plan. Neither the cancellation article nor the pricing FAQ we read covers refunds for unused time, so ask support before cancelling if a refund matters to you. [1][2]
- Click your profile picture, then Settings.
- Click Manage my subscriptions.
- Find the subscription, click the three dots, then Cancel subscription.
- Click Confirm in the popup.
What the Free plan allows
These are the Free plan limits published on the pricing page and in the plan moderation article on 30 October 2026. Anything above them is what you need to trim before the billing date if you want to avoid restriction. [2][3]
| Item | Free plan | Startup plan for comparison |
|---|---|---|
| Contacts | 2,000 | 5,000 |
| Sales funnels | 3 | 10 |
| Courses | 1 (FAQ lists 500 students) | 5 |
| Blogs | 1 | See plan grid |
| Custom domains | 1 | See plan grid |
| Automation rules | 1 | See plan grid |
| Email campaigns | 1 | See plan grid |
| Emails sent | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Lifetime sales | $10,000 cap; warning banner at $8,000 | No cap described |
| Price | $0 | $17 a month |
If you are over a limit when Free starts
systeme.io's restriction article says restriction is triggered by exceeding a contact limit or by downgrading or cancelling a paid plan while over the new plan's limits. You get three warning emails, one a day, plus a dashboard alert. If nothing changes by the fourth day, restriction starts. [4]
To clear it, either upgrade or remove the excess. The article says excess items are shown in red under profile picture, Settings, My plan, and that contacts can be reduced with its inactive-contacts clean-up or by deleting contacts. The Free plan's $10,000 lifetime sales cap is separate: at $10,000 payment pages stop accepting new sales until you upgrade, and affiliate commissions do not count toward it. [3][4]
- Opt-ins and payments stop working, so no new sales.
- Contacts and students cannot be added by any method, including forms, automations, Zapier and the API.
- You cannot create newsletters; scheduled newsletters are not sent and their dates are removed.
- Email campaigns pause; new automation triggers do not fire, while ones already running continue.
- Students lose access to courses, including lectures already unlocked. Enrollments, purchases and progress are kept.
- Nobody can join a community owned by the restricted account.
Moving to a cheaper paid plan instead of Free
There is no self-serve downgrade between paid plans. The plan moderation article says to contact support and name the plan you want; the team sends a custom order form, which you complete with the same email as your account, and then cancels your previous subscription. [3]
The pricing FAQ describes two alternatives: ask support to convert the remaining days of your plan into a lower plan, or cancel, let the account revert to Free on the billing date, and then upgrade to the plan you want. Note the second route passes through Free, so trim to Free limits first or you may hit restriction in between. [2]
On a paid plan, going over a limit works differently: the restriction article says the subscription is automatically upgraded to the next tier. To get back down, remove the excess and contact support. [4]
Export checklist before you cancel
Only the contact export is described in the help article we read, so the other rows are housekeeping steps rather than vendor features. Run them before the billing date, while the paid plan still covers everything. [5]
| What | Action | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Contacts | CRM, Contacts, select contacts, More actions, Export | systeme.io emails the CSV to your account address; the file can be downloaded for 3 days |
| Funnels and pages | Decide which 3 funnels stay; note URLs used in ads, bios and emails | Free allows 3 funnels |
| Courses | Pick the 1 course to keep; tell students of other courses what changes | Free allows 1 course; restriction blocks student access |
| Scheduled newsletters | Send or cancel anything dated after the billing date | Restriction removes scheduled send dates |
| Custom domains | Choose which single domain stays connected | Free allows 1 custom domain |
| Lifetime sales | Check total sales against $10,000 | Free stops new sales at the cap |
Worked example: from Startup to Free
A creator on Startup at $17 a month has 3,400 contacts, 6 funnels and 2 courses. To land on Free without restriction they must, before the billing date, cut contacts to 2,000 or fewer, keep 3 funnels and keep 1 course. The saving is $204 a year on monthly billing. [2]
If they skip the clean-up, the three-day warning starts after the switch and then opt-ins, payments and course access stop. Students of both courses would lose access until the account is back under the limits or upgraded, although their progress is kept. [4]
If the creator only wants a smaller paid plan, the cleaner route is a support request for a plan change rather than a cancellation. [3]
Questions before you decide
Does cancelling systeme.io end my plan immediately?
No. systeme.io says cancellation takes effect on the next payment date, and the pricing FAQ says the account then reverts to the free plan.
Can I downgrade from Webinar to Startup myself?
Not in the dashboard. The plan moderation article says to contact support, who send a custom order form and then cancel the previous subscription.
What happens to my students if I am over the Free course limit?
After three daily warnings the account is restricted and students cannot open courses, but systeme.io keeps their enrollments, purchases and progress.
How do I export my contacts from systeme.io?
In CRM, Contacts, select contacts, then More actions and Export. The CSV is emailed to your account address and can be downloaded for 3 days.
Sources & verification
Product details and prices can change. Check the linked provider before buying.
- systeme.io help: How to cancel systeme.io subscription Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- systeme.io pricing and plan FAQ Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- systeme.io help: How systeme.io subscription plans are moderated Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- systeme.io help: What happens when my account gets restricted Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- systeme.io help: How to import or export a contact list Accessed 30 Oct 2026
Sources link directly to providers. Product buttons may use separately labeled affiliate links. Read our disclosure.