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Stirling-PDF Paid Offerings

Stirling-PDF offers Server and Enterprise paid plans. These provide the same great software with added features, streamlined license management, and support options.

Available Plans​

Free Plan​

  • Cost: Free forever
  • Users: Up to 5 users
  • Features:
    • Self-hosted deployment
    • All PDF operations
    • Community support
    • Regular updates
  • Perfect for: Personal use, small teams, or evaluation

Server Plan​

  • Cost: $99/month or $999/year (save $189 with annual billing)
  • Available billing: Monthly or Yearly
  • Users: Unlimited users (flat rate regardless of user count)
  • Value: The more users you have, the better the value (e.g., 100 users = $1/user/month)
  • Features:
    • Self-hosted deployment
    • All PDF operations
    • Unlimited users - no per-seat charges
    • Community support
    • Regular updates
    • Support tickets via [email protected]
    • External Database support for optimized deployments and load-balancing
    • Google Drive integration
  • Perfect for: Organizations with many users who want predictable, flat-rate pricing

Enterprise Plan​

  • Cost: Base server price + per-seat licensing (check stirling.com/pricing)
  • Available billing: Monthly or Yearly (save with annual billing)
  • Users: Per-seat licensing (flexible scaling)
  • Features:
    • All Server Plan features, plus:
    • Advanced SSO, OAuth2 and SAML with automated login handling
    • Custom automated metadata handling
    • Priority support tickets via [email protected]
    • 1:1 meetings with the Stirling-PDF team (from registered email domain)
    • Priority feature enhancements
    • Prometheus endpoint for advanced usage monitoring
    • Usage Monitoring UI
    • Audit logs
    • SLA guarantee
    • Custom integrations support
    • Dedicated account manager
  • Perfect for: Large enterprises requiring priority support, SLA guarantees, and per-seat licensing

Purchasing a License​

V2.0 - In-App Purchase (Recommended)​

Stirling PDF V2.0 offers streamlined in-app purchasing and license activation:

  1. Navigate to Settings: Log in as an admin and go to Settings → Admin Plan
  2. Select Your Plan: Choose between Server (unlimited users) or Enterprise (per-seat) plans
  3. Choose Billing Period: Select monthly or yearly billing (yearly saves money)
  4. Complete Checkout: You'll be redirected to Stripe's secure checkout
  5. Automatic Activation: After payment, your license key is automatically retrieved and activated
  6. Confirmation: You'll see your active plan status immediately in the Settings

Benefits of In-App Purchase:

  • No manual license key entry required
  • Instant activation after payment
  • Manage billing directly from the app
  • Automatic license key synchronization
  • Easy plan upgrades

Alternative - Contact Us​

If you prefer to purchase outside the app or have questions:

  1. Visit stirling.com/contact or email [email protected]
  2. Our team will assist you with your purchase
  3. You'll receive your license key via email
  4. Follow manual activation steps below

Activating Your License​

V2.0 - Automatic Activation​

If you purchased in-app, your license is automatically activated. No further action needed!

V2.0 - Manual Activation​

If you purchased via the website and received a license key by email:

  1. Admin Settings: Log in as an admin and navigate to Settings → Admin Plan
  2. Enter License Key: Paste your license key in the provided field
  3. Activate: Click "Activate License"
  4. Confirmation: Your plan features will be enabled immediately

No restart required - license activation is dynamic in V2.0!

Legacy - settings.yml Activation​

For advanced users or air-gapped environments, you can still activate via settings.yml:

  1. Navigate to the Stirling PDF config folder
  2. Open settings.yml
  3. Find the premium section:
premium:
  key: 00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000
  enabled: false # Enable license key checks for pro/enterprise features
  1. Replace the key with your license key
  2. Change enabled from false to true
  3. Restart Stirling-PDF

For 100% offline air-gapped environments (Enterprise only), you can request a certificate file:

premium:
  key: file:config/cert.crt
  enabled: true

Managing Your Subscription​

Billing Portal​

V2.0 includes a convenient billing management interface:

  1. Navigate to Settings → Admin Plan
  2. Click "Manage Billing"
  3. You'll be redirected to Stripe's customer portal where you can:
    • Update payment methods
    • View invoices
    • Cancel or modify subscriptions
    • Update billing information

Feature Configuration​

Once activated, you can customize premium features in your settings.yml:

premium:
  proFeatures:
    SSOAutoLogin: false
    CustomMetadata:
      autoUpdateMetadata: false
      author: username
      creator: Stirling-PDF
      producer: Stirling-PDF
    googleDrive:
      enabled: false
      clientId: ''
      apiKey: ''
      appId: ''

License Model​

Stirling PDF uses an installation-based licensing model:

  • Each license is tied to a specific installation (identified by machine fingerprint)
  • Server Plan: Flat-rate pricing with unlimited users for one installation
    • $99/month = unlimited users (great value for larger teams)
    • Example: 100 users = only $1 per user per month
    • Example: 500 users = only $0.20 per user per month
  • Enterprise Plan: Base installation license + per-seat user licensing
  • Named User Model: For Enterprise, seats represent unique users who can log in
    • Example: A company with 10 employees who use Stirling PDF needs 10 seats

Upgrading Your Plan​

You can upgrade from Free → Server or Server → Enterprise at any time:

  1. Navigate to Settings → Admin Plan
  2. Click "Upgrade Plan"
  3. Select your new plan tier
  4. Complete checkout
  5. Your existing license will be automatically upgraded

Note: When upgrading, your new plan starts immediately and you'll be credited for any unused time on your previous plan.

Support​

Community Support (All Plans)​

Email Support (Server & Enterprise)​

  • Email: [email protected]
  • Response time: 1-2 business days (Server), Priority response (Enterprise)

Enterprise Support​

  • Priority email support
  • 1:1 meetings with Stirling-PDF team
  • Dedicated account manager
  • SLA guarantees

Frequently Asked Questions​

Q: Can I try before I buy? A: Yes! The Free plan includes all features for up to 5 users. Test thoroughly before upgrading.

Q: What happens if I cancel? A: Your license remains active until the end of your billing period, then reverts to Free plan limits.

Q: Can I move my license to a different server? A: Contact [email protected] for license transfers. Enterprise customers have more flexibility.

Q: Do I need an internet connection? A: License activation requires internet for initial verification. Enterprise customers can request offline certificate files.

Q: What's the difference between monthly and yearly billing? A: Yearly billing offers significant savings. For Server plan: $999/year vs $1,188/year monthly (save $189 = almost 2 months free).

Q: How do I get an invoice? A: Invoices are automatically sent via email and accessible through the Billing Portal.

Migration from V1​

If you're upgrading from Stirling PDF V1 with an existing license:

  1. Your existing license key will continue to work in V2
  2. You can enter it manually via Settings → Admin Plan
  3. Or, re-activate through the in-app purchase flow
  4. Contact [email protected] if you encounter any issues

For pricing details, visit stirling.com/pricing

For technical support, email [email protected]