Downgrading Your Plan

If you need fewer features or want to reduce costs, you can downgrade to a lower plan. This guide explains what happens when you downgrade and how to do it.

Before You Downgrade

Important Considerations

Downgrading may affect your access to:

Feature	What Happens
Responses over limit	Excess responses become view-only and may be deleted after 60 days
Surveys over limit	Extra surveys are archived (not deleted) but can’t be edited
Premium features	Skip logic, email collector, etc. are disabled on affected surveys
Exports	Downloaded files remain, but new exports may be limited
Branding	Custom branding reverts to default on affected surveys

Check Your Usage First

Before downgrading, review your current usage:

Go to My Account > Usage
Check your:
- Number of active surveys
- Total responses collected
- Features currently in use

How to Downgrade

For Monthly Plans

Log in to your SurveyMethods account
Click your profile icon in the top-right corner
Select My Account
Click Change Plan under My Plan
Select your new (lower) plan
Review the impact summary
Confirm by clicking Downgrade

Your downgrade takes effect at your next billing date. You keep full access to your current plan until then.

For Annual Plans

Annual plan downgrades work differently:

Go to My Account
Click Cancel Auto-Renewal under My Plan
At the end of your annual term, you can choose a new plan

Note: Annual plans cannot be downgraded mid-term for a refund. Your current plan remains active until the term ends.

What Happens to Your Data

Surveys

Scenario	Result
Within new plan limit	Surveys remain active and editable
Over new plan limit	Surveys are archived (read-only, not deleted)
Using premium features	Features are disabled; survey structure preserved

Example: If you downgrade from Advanced (unlimited surveys) to Basic (3 surveys), your additional surveys are archived. You can view them but not edit or collect new responses.

Responses

Scenario	Result
Within new plan limit	Full access continues
Over new plan limit	Excess responses are view-only
After 60 days over limit	Excess responses may be permanently deleted

Important: Download or export any responses over your new plan’s limit before they’re deleted.

Features

Premium features that aren’t available on your new plan will be disabled:

Skip logic - Logic is preserved but not executed
Email collector - Switches to web link only
Custom branding - Reverts to default theme
API access - API calls will fail

Your survey structure and logic rules are saved, so if you upgrade again, everything is restored.

Downgrade Paths

From Professional to Advanced

You’ll lose:

Response quality (AI)
Ask AI for insights
Scheduled reminders
Thank you emails
API access

You’ll keep:

Unlimited surveys
Skip logic
Email collector
Custom branding
Export capabilities

From Advanced to Basic

You’ll lose:

Unlimited surveys (limited to 3)
Email and embed collectors
Skip logic
Custom branding
CSV/PDF exports
Reduced response limit

You’ll keep:

Web link collector
Basic AI builder
Basic reporting
Existing surveys (archived if over limit)

From Professional/Advanced to Basic

This is the most significant downgrade. We recommend:

Export all response data first
Download any reports you need
Note which surveys use premium features

Downgrading Team Plans

Reducing Seats

If you need fewer users:

Go to Account Settings > Team
Remove users you no longer need
Go to Billing > Change Seats
Reduce to your new seat count

Seat reductions take effect at your next billing date.

Switching to Individual Plan

To move from a Team plan to an Individual plan:

Remove all team members except yourself
Go to Billing > Change Plan
Select an Individual plan
Confirm the change

Avoiding Data Loss

Before Downgrading

Export responses - Download CSV/PDF of all surveys
Screenshot reports - Save any analytics you need
Archive important surveys - Mark surveys you want to keep
Download attachments - Save any uploaded files

Grace Period

After downgrading, you have a 60-day grace period where excess responses remain viewable (but read-only). After 60 days, responses over your limit may be permanently deleted.

Common Questions

Can I downgrade mid-month?

For monthly plans, yes. The downgrade takes effect at your next billing date—you keep current plan access until then.

Will I get a refund?

Monthly plans: No refund, but you keep access until the billing period ends
Annual plans: No mid-term refunds; cancel auto-renewal to downgrade at term end

Can I undo a downgrade?

Yes! You can upgrade again at any time. If you upgrade before the grace period ends, all your data is restored.

What if I have active surveys collecting responses?

Active surveys continue collecting responses until your plan changes. After downgrading, surveys over your limit are paused.

Need Help?

If you’re considering downgrading and have questions:

Compare plans: Plans & Pricing Overview
Export data first: Exporting Results
Contact support: Get help from our team