Stirling

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.

This page covers self-hosted Server and Enterprise licensing (a license key, no credits). Stirling Cloud and the credit-based Processor plan are separate offerings - see Modes for how the deployment modes compare, and stirling.com/pricing for the full plan lineup.

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: 100 users included. Add capacity in blocks of 100 users as your team grows
  • Value: One bill for the whole team instead of per-seat licenses (100 users works out under $1 per user per month)
  • Features:
    • Self-hosted deployment
    • All PDF operations
    • 100 users included, with capacity added in blocks of 100
    • One bill instead of per-seat licenses
    • Community support
    • Regular updates
    • Support tickets via [email protected]
    • External Database support for optimized deployments and load-balancing
    • Google Drive integration
    • OAuth2 SSO (Google, GitHub, Keycloak, any OIDC provider)
  • Perfect for: Teams and organizations that want predictable, block-based pricing without tracking individual seats

Enterprise Plan#

  • Cost: Custom pricing - contact sales for a quote
  • Available billing: Agreed as part of your contract
  • Users: Sized to your organization, with volume discounts as you scale
  • Features:
    • All Server Plan features, plus:
    • Air-gapped / offline deployment, activated with a certificate file instead of an online key check
    • Uptime SLAs
    • Custom procurement, security review, and contract terms
    • Volume discounts
    • SAML2 SSO (Okta, Azure AD, etc.) 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
    • Custom integrations support
    • Dedicated account manager
  • Perfect for: Regulated environments and large organizations that need air-gapped deployment, uptime SLAs, and an agreement to match
  • Evaluating? Book a demo to see the Enterprise features in action

Purchasing a License#

Stirling PDF offers streamlined in-app purchasing and license activation. This covers the Server plan; Enterprise is quoted and issued by sales rather than bought in-app.

  1. Navigate to Settings: Log in as an admin and go to Settings → Plan
  2. Select Your Plan: Choose the Server plan (100 users included, capacity added in blocks of 100)
  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-us 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#

Automatic Activation#

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

Manual Activation#

Stirling PDF accepts two manual activation inputs from the admin UI: a license key (string), or a license certificate file (.lic / .cert, used for offline / air-gapped Enterprise activation).

Option 1 - License Key#

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 → Plan
  2. Open License Input: Expand the "Got a license key or certificate file?" section
  3. Select Input Type: Make sure "License Key" is selected
  4. Enter License Key: Paste your license key in the provided field
  5. Activate: Save to apply the license
  6. Confirmation: Your plan features will be enabled immediately

Option 2 - Certificate File (Air-Gapped / Offline)#

If you received a .lic or .cert certificate file (typically issued for Enterprise customers who need to activate without outbound internet access):

  1. Admin Settings: Log in as an admin and navigate to Settings → Plan
  2. Open License Input: Expand the "Got a license key or certificate file?" section
  3. Select Input Type: Switch to "Certificate File"
  4. Choose File: Click "Choose License File" and select your .lic or .cert file (must start with -----BEGIN LICENSE FILE-----)
  5. Upload: The file is uploaded, validated, saved to your configs/ folder, and activated automatically. Any previous certificate is backed up to configs/backup/
  6. Confirmation: Your plan features will be enabled immediately

Both flows activate dynamically and do not strictly require a restart.

Recommended: Restart the Stirling PDF installation after activation. While the license is applied immediately, restarting ensures all components (security profile, premium feature gates, user/seat counters, scheduled validation jobs) pick up the new license state from a clean startup. This avoids edge cases where cached state from before activation lingers in a long-running process.

Legacy - settings.yml Activation#

For scripted deployments or fully automated provisioning, you can still activate via settings.yml directly:

  1. Navigate to the Stirling PDF config folder
  2. Open settings.yml
  3. Find the premium section:
yaml
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

To reference a certificate file from settings.yml instead of uploading via the UI:

  1. Place your .lic or .cert certificate in the config folder (e.g., configs/cert.lic)
  2. Use the file: prefix to point at the certificate path:
yaml
premium:
  key: file:configs/cert.lic
  enabled: true

Managing Your Subscription#

Billing Portal#

Stirling PDF includes a convenient billing management interface:

  1. Navigate to Settings → Plan
  2. On your current plan, click "Manage"
  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:

yaml
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: $99/month covers one installation with 100 users included
    • Capacity is added in blocks of 100 users, so you get one bill instead of per-seat licenses
    • Example: 100 users = under $1 per user per month
  • Enterprise Plan: Capacity and terms are set in your contract, with volume discounts as you scale
    • Contact sales for a quote covering your user count, deployment model, and SLA

Upgrading Your Plan#

You can upgrade from Free → Server at any time:

  1. Navigate to Settings → Plan
  2. On the plan tier you want, click "Upgrade"
  3. Complete checkout
  4. Your existing license will be automatically upgraded

Moving Server → Enterprise goes through sales - use the "Contact Us" button on the Enterprise tier in Settings → Plan, or contact sales.

Adding more user capacity to an existing Server plan is coming soon as an in-app feature. Until it lands, email [email protected] and we'll add the block for you.

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
  • Uptime SLAs agreed in your contract

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. If you'd rather be walked through the paid features first, book a demo.

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: What happens when we pass 100 users? A: The Server plan includes 100 users. When you need more, capacity is added in blocks of 100 - you stay on one bill rather than buying individual seats. Adding a block from inside the app is coming soon; in the meantime, email [email protected].

Q: How is Enterprise priced? A: Custom, based on your user count, deployment model, and the terms you need. It is not sold in-app - contact sales for a quote. Volume discounts apply as you scale. If you want to see it working first, book a demo.

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 running air-gapped can request offline certificate files instead.

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
  2. You can enter it manually via Settings → 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]

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