Licensing & billing
GridMe is in designer beta with invited testers. Foundation is free forever. Pro unlocks Construction, Clearspace, and Present. Public launch is still ahead.
Designer beta
We are not publicly launched yet. A small group of identity designers is testing GridMe on real client work. If you received an invite, create an account, install the beta build from Download, and activate with the license key on your account page.
Send feedback through the panel (Report a bug) or the help center. We will announce when beta ends and public launch opens.
Free tier and trial
You do not need a paid plan to use Foundation. Every install includes all seven grid types at no cost, with no account required for basic Foundation use.
On first launch, the panel starts a 7-day trial of Construction, Clearspace, and Present. No credit card is required during the trial. When the trial ends, Foundation stays unlocked and Pro stages prompt you to activate a license key or subscribe.
- Free forever: Foundation stage (square, isometric, golden ratio, hexagonal, dot, radial, modular).
- Trial (7 days): Full panel including Construction, Clearspace, and Present.
- Pro: Same as trial, tied to an active subscription and license key.
Subscription plans
Pro subscriptions include every stage in the panel. Pick monthly for a short client run or annual if Illustrator is your daily tool. Prices below are pre-tax; VAT, GST, or sales tax apply at checkout in USD.
Monthly
$5 / month
Good for one rebrand or a short project. Cancel anytime from your account.
- All four stages after trial
- One active machine per license
- Updates for the billing period
Annual
$50 / year
Save ~$10 vs monthly
Best if you live in Illustrator year-round. Same entitlement as monthly.
- Full panel: same as monthly
- One invoice per year
- Updates for the full year
Lifetime (coming soon)
A one-time lifetime purchase is in development. It will include the same Pro entitlement as subscription plans with no renewal. Monthly and annual plans are available today. Watch the changelog for the lifetime launch.
What Pro includes
Monthly, annual, and (when available) lifetime Pro all unlock:
- Foundation (also free): Square, isometric, golden ratio, hexagonal, dot, radial, and modular grids with live preview and clip-to-artboard.
- Construction: Anchors, handles, construction lines (horizontal, vertical, straight with clustering), canvas modes (original, gray fill, outline), and three-point circle fit.
- Clearspace: Ghost-copy exclusion zones, multi-zone mode, dimension labels, and marker styling.
- Present: Three tools — Color Code (HEX/RGB/CMYK labels on swatches), Color Variations (2×2, row, or column matrix on a dedicated artboard), and Size Guide (minimum-size ladder with a marked MIN step).
- Updates: New features and fixes during your active subscription or lifetime entitlement.
Activation and devices
After checkout, your personal license key appears on the account license page. In Illustrator, open the panel info screen (ⓘ icon in the top-right of the header, next to GridMe) → Account → enter your key → Activate. The extension validates online and registers this machine on your account.
Each Pro license includes one active machineat a time (typically a desk or laptop). The info panel shows your plan (Free or Pro) and this device's label (for example, DESKTOP-GRIDME). To move hardware, deactivate the old device on your account or sign out from the panel, then activate on the new machine.
You need internet for activation and periodic license checks (about once per day when online). Day-to-day panel use works offline for up to seven days after the last successful check.
Data sent during license checks
When you activate or refresh a license, the extension sends a secure request to gridme.in/api/license/validate with your license key, a machine ID for this computer, device label, OS, Illustrator version, and GridMe extension version. We use this only to verify entitlement and enforce seat limits—not to upload your artwork. Full details are in the Privacy Policy.
Info panel links
The ⓘ info screen also links to site resources without leaving Illustrator for activation:
- Resources — Documentation, tutorials, gridme.in
- Support — Support docs, Help center, Report a bug (in-panel)
- About — What's new, extension version
Transferring to a new machine
- Sign in at gridme.in/account.
- Open License & devices and click Deactivate on the machine you are retiring.
- Install GridMe on the new machine and activate with the same key from the panel info screen (ⓘ → Account).
You can also sign out from the panel (info screen → Account → Sign out), which releases the seat on the server.
Cancellation
The 7-day trial does not require a card and does not charge you. If you subscribe, you pay for the full billing period (month or year). We do not offer refunds on completed charges; you keep Pro access through the period you already paid for.
How to cancel
Cancel from Billing in your account or via the Polar customer portal linked there. When you cancel:
- Future charges stop immediately. You will not be billed again after cancellation.
- Access continues through the end of the period you already paid for (month or year).
- After access ends, Pro stages lock on next online license check. Foundation remains free. Resubscribe on the same account to restore Pro without a new key.
What happens in the extension
When your subscription expires, the next online validation returns an expired status. The panel keeps Foundation unlocked and asks for a valid key for Pro stages. Your Illustrator files are unchanged; only licensing state updates.
More branding tools coming
GridMe is the first panel in a broader identity workflow. We are building additional branding utilities beyond grids and guideline exports. Follow the changelog and our social channels for announcements.