Every TulipLot account starts on the free plan, and for plenty of people that's the whole story — five live cells and the full toolbar cover a normal day just fine. Premium exists for one reason: you want that sixth cell for something of your own, and you'd rather not look at an ad to get it. Here's exactly what changes, what stays the same, and what happens to your grid if you switch either direction.
At a glance
| Try (no account) | Free | Premium | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Usable cells | 2 | 5 | 6 |
| Ad cell | 1 | 1, bottom-right | None |
| Price | $0, no signup | $0, forever | $4/month |
| Saved to | This browser only | Your account | Your account |
| Catalog + custom URLs | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Drag-to-arrange, focus, sleep | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Companion support | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Try it before you sign up
Before you commit to either plan, there's a third option: try TulipLot with no account at all. Two cells load live immediately — pick from the catalog or paste any HTTPS URL, and they render in the grid exactly like a Free or Premium cell would. Three more cells sit locked behind a Create free account prompt, and the sixth carries an ad, so the 3×2 grid looks complete from the first click, even though only two cells are yours to fill.
Everything about those two cells works the same as on Free: drag to rearrange, expand into focus mode, sleep, edit, remove, the Companion for stubborn sites, all of it. The only catch is where they live. Your cells stay in that browser's local storage, not synced to any account, so a different device or a cleared browser starts over. Sign up, though, and whatever you built carries straight into your new account's grid, no rebuilding required.
What free actually includes
Free isn't a trial with a countdown — it's a complete, permanent version of TulipLot. Five cells load live apps from the moment you sign up, and every one of them gets the full catalog: email, productivity, news, media, and anything else the built-in list covers. If the catalog doesn't have what you want, paste any HTTPS URL into a cell yourself and it loads the same way.
Every cell control works identically to Premium, too. Drag any two cells to swap positions, reload a single cell without touching the rest, expand one into focus mode, edit a cell to swap in a different site, sleep a cell you're not using right now, remove one you're done with. None of that is gated behind payment — it's the same toolbar either way.
The one difference sits in a single spot: the bottom-right cell carries an ad. It's fixed there, it doesn't move around the grid, and it doesn't shrink your other five cells to make room. Free needs no credit card to start and has no time limit — you can run five cells and an ad indefinitely and never see a prompt to upgrade.
What Premium adds
Premium adds exactly one thing: the sixth cell, with zero ads anywhere in the grid. That's the entire difference. The catalog is the same, custom URLs work the same, every cell control behaves the same, and Companion support for stubborn sites is identical on both plans. Premium doesn't unlock a hidden feature — it unlocks space.
Who reaches for that space varies, but a common pattern is one more thing that doesn't quite fit into the first five: a music player running quietly in the corner, a group chat you want visible without alt-tabbing, or a second calendar sitting next to your main one. If your first five cells already cover the essentials and you keep eyeing a sixth thing you'd add if you could, that's the plan Premium is built for. It's $4 a month, and that's the only cost — no setup fee, no per-cell pricing, no tiers above it.
How billing works
Billing runs entirely through Freemius. To upgrade, go to Settings and click Go Premium — that takes you to an upgrade page where you enter payment details directly with Freemius. TulipLot never sees your card number; there's no card form built into the app itself, because the app never needs to touch it.
Managing or canceling works the same way, any time you want: Settings → Manage billing opens the Freemius customer portal. That's where your payment method, invoices, and cancellation all live — TulipLot hands the whole job to Freemius rather than building a second version of it. Before you confirm anything, the portal shows you exactly when your subscription ends, so there's no guessing about timing. Premium bills monthly, with no annual contract.
What happens when you cancel
Cancellation itself happens in the Freemius customer portal, and it tells you exactly when your subscription ends before you confirm. When that date arrives, your account reverts to the free plan automatically — no extra step required from you.
Reverting means the bottom-right cell becomes the ad slot again. What happens to whatever was in your sixth cell depends on the rest of your grid at that moment:
- Sixth cell was empty. There's nothing to move — it just becomes the ad cell, and your other five cells stay exactly where they are.
- Sixth cell had an app, and at least one of your other five cells was empty. That app moves automatically into the first empty slot it finds. Your other cells don't shift; only the displaced app relocates.
- All six cells were full. There's no empty slot to move it into, so TulipLot doesn't just delete it. Instead, it's parked, and you get a prompt to place it into a different slot — replacing whatever's there — or discard it if you'd rather not keep it. Either way, it's your call to make, not something that happens silently in the background.
Questions before you decide
Can I switch back and forth?
Yes, any time, in either direction. Upgrade, downgrade, upgrade again later — there's no limit on how often you change plans, and no penalty for switching back after canceling.
Do I lose my layout when upgrading?
No. Upgrading leaves your existing five cells exactly where they are. The ad cell simply turns into a normal, usable sixth cell — nothing gets rearranged, and nothing you've already set up moves.
Is there a trial?
Two, really. The try page needs no account at all: two live cells, no time limit. Free is the longer trial, and it doesn't expire either. Five full cells, the entire catalog, custom URLs, every cell control, no credit card required — you can run that setup for as long as you like before deciding whether the sixth cell is worth $4 a month to you.
If you haven't built your grid yet, start with Getting started with TulipLot — five minutes gets your first five cells filled, and you can decide about the sixth whenever you're ready. Create a free account — no card, no deadline.