Seat Management
The Growth plan uses seat-based billing, where you pay per team member. This guide explains how seats work and how to manage them effectively.Understanding Seats
What is a Seat?
A seat represents one team member’s access to your Porcia workspace:One Seat = One User
Each team member requires one seat
$20 per Seat
Each seat costs $20/month
Minimum 3 Seats
Growth plan requires minimum 3 seats
Auto-Provisioning
Seats added automatically when needed
Seat Basics
Growth Plan Pricing:- $20 per seat per month
- Minimum 3 seats required ($60/month minimum)
- Seats scale with your team
- Prorated billing for mid-cycle changes
- 3 seats: $60/month
- 5 seats: $100/month
- 10 seats: $200/month
- 20 seats: $400/month
The Starter plan has 1 seat ($15/month) and Enterprise has unlimited seats (custom pricing). Seat management only applies to the Growth plan.
How Seats Work
Automatic Seat Provisioning
When you invite a new team member:
Example:
- You have 3 seats, all in use
- You invite a 4th team member
- A 4th seat is automatically added
- You’re charged prorated $20 for the remainder of the month
- Next month, you’re billed for 4 seats ($80/month)
Manual Seat Management
You can also manually add or remove seats: Add Seats:- Go to Settings → Billing → Seats
- Click Add Seats
- Enter number of seats to add
- Confirm and pay prorated amount
- Go to Settings → Billing → Seats
- Click Manage Seats
- Reduce seat count (minimum 3)
- Confirm change (takes effect at next renewal)
Viewing Seat Usage
Seat Usage Dashboard
Check your current seat usage:- Go to Settings → Billing
- View Seat Usage section
- Total seats purchased
- Seats currently in use
- Available (unused) seats
- Cost per month
- Next billing date
Seat History
View your seat usage history:- Go to Settings → Billing → Seat History
- See timeline of seat changes:
- When seats were added
- When seats were removed
- Who triggered the change
- Cost impact
Seat Optimization
Right-Sizing Your Seats
Optimize your seat count to avoid paying for unused seats: Monthly review:- Check seat usage in billing settings
- Identify unused seats
- Remove inactive team members
- Reduce seat count if needed
- Review team membership monthly
- Remove inactive users promptly
- Use guest access for occasional users (coming soon)
- Plan seat additions before inviting
Identifying Unused Seats
Find team members who aren’t using their seats:- Go to Settings → Team
- Sort by Last Active
- Identify members inactive for 30+ days
- Consider removing inactive members
- Employee left company
- Role changed (no longer needs access)
- Trial user never activated
- Duplicate account
Cost Savings
Example (illustrative):- 10 seats with 3 unused = wasted spend each month
- Removing unused seats through regular audits can save 10-30% on seat costs
Seat Billing
Prorated Billing
When seats are added mid-cycle: How it works:- New seat added on day 15 of 30-day cycle
- 15 days remaining in cycle
- Prorated charge: 10
- Charged immediately
- Next full cycle: Full $20 for the seat
- Current plan: 5 seats ($100/month)
- Add 2 seats on day 10 of 30-day cycle
- Prorated charge: 26.67
- Charged immediately: $26.67
- Next month: 7 seats ($140/month)
Seat Removal Billing
When seats are removed: How it works:- Request to remove seats
- Change takes effect at next renewal
- No immediate refund
- Next cycle billed at reduced rate
- Current plan: 10 seats ($200/month)
- Remove 3 seats on day 15
- Current month: Still billed $200
- Next month: 7 seats ($140/month)
- Savings: $60/month going forward
Seat removals take effect at renewal to avoid complex prorated refunds. Plan seat reductions before your renewal date.
Seat Limits
Minimum Seats
Growth plan requires minimum 3 seats: Why 3 seats minimum?- Enables team collaboration
- Justifies Growth plan features
- Differentiates from Starter plan (1 seat)
- Use Starter plan ($15/month for 1 user)
- Or keep Growth plan with 3 seats for future growth
Maximum Seats
No maximum seat limit on Growth plan: Large teams:- 100+ seats: Consider volume discounts
- 200+ seats: Consider Enterprise plan
- Contact sales for custom pricing
- 100-200 seats: 10% off
- 200-500 seats: 15% off
- 500+ seats: 20% off or Enterprise pricing
Common Scenarios
Scenario 1: Seasonal Team
Situation: Team size varies by season Solution:- Add seats during busy season
- Remove seats during slow season
- Time changes around renewal dates
- Use guest access for temporary help (coming soon)
- Busy season: 15 seats
- Off-season: 8 seats
- Removing unused seats during slower periods can lead to meaningful annual savings
Scenario 2: Rapid Growth
Situation: Hiring quickly, adding many team members Solution:- Add seats in batches to minimize prorated charges
- Plan seat additions before hiring
- Consider annual billing for predictability
- Negotiate volume discounts
- Hiring 10 people over 3 months
- Adding seats in one batch rather than one-by-one reduces billing complexity
Scenario 3: Team Reduction
Situation: Downsizing, need to reduce seats Solution:- Remove team members first
- Then reduce seat count
- Time reduction before renewal
- Export data before removing users
- Reducing from 20 to 12 seats
- Timing the change before renewal maximizes savings going forward
Scenario 4: Department Access
Situation: Only finance team needs access Solution:- Start with 3 seats (minimum)
- Add seats only for active users
- Use view-only access for stakeholders (coming soon)
- Share reports instead of adding seats
Seat Management Best Practices
For Workspace Admins
- Regular audits - Review seat usage monthly
- Remove promptly - Remove inactive users immediately
- Plan additions - Add seats before inviting to avoid auto-provisioning
- Monitor costs - Track seat costs in billing dashboard
- Optimize timing - Time seat changes around renewal dates
For Growing Teams
- Forecast needs - Estimate seat needs for next quarter
- Batch additions - Add multiple seats at once
- Annual billing - Lock in pricing with annual plan
- Volume discounts - Negotiate discounts for large teams
- Budget planning - Include seat costs in hiring budget
For Cost Optimization
- Identify waste - Find and remove unused seats
- Right-size - Match seats to active users
- Use alternatives - Share reports instead of adding seats
- Negotiate - Ask for volume discounts
- Consider Enterprise - May be cheaper for large teams
Troubleshooting
Can’t Add Team Member
Error: “No available seats” Solution:- Check seat usage in billing settings
- Add more seats manually
- Or remove inactive team member first
- Then invite new team member
Unexpected Charge
Issue: Charged for seat you didn’t add Explanation:- Seat was auto-provisioned when you invited someone
- This is normal behavior on Growth plan
- You can prevent by adding seats manually first
- Check available seats before inviting
- Add seats manually if needed
- Then invite team members
Can’t Remove Seats
Error: “Cannot reduce below minimum” or “Seats in use” Solutions:- Minimum 3 seats required (can’t go below)
- Remove team members first if all seats in use
- Wait until renewal for change to take effect
Billing Discrepancy
Issue: Billed amount doesn’t match expected Common causes:- Prorated charges for mid-cycle additions
- Previous month’s seat changes
- Annual vs monthly billing confusion
- Check seat history for changes
- Review invoice details
- Contact support if still unclear