Beside sells two kinds of plans, and they are easy to mix up: both say Beside, and $99 is a price on both sides.
Beside Phone plans (Beside Baseline and Beside Unlimited) pay for your business line and your Receptionist. Beside plans (Standard and Pro) pay for Beside's work on your website, Google profile, reviews, ads and follow-ups, and they include Beside Phone. You never need both.
If you only want your calls and texts answered, a Beside Phone plan is enough. If you also want Beside to bring in and follow up on customers, choose Standard or Pro.
The two kinds of plans side by side
Beside Phone plans | Beside plans | |
Plans | Beside Baseline and Beside Unlimited, plus the per-seat plan sold through the App Store and Google Play (the one new subscribers in Canada and on Android get) | Standard and Pro |
Price | Beside Baseline $29/month, Beside Unlimited $99/month. The per-seat plan is priced per seat. | Standard $99/month, Pro $249.99/month |
What it includes | Your Beside line, unlimited calls and texts you handle yourself (US & Canada), and your Receptionist | Beside Phone, plus Beside's work on your website, Google Business Profile and reviews, ad campaigns, and text and email follow-ups |
Calls your Receptionist answers | 30 per billing period on Beside Baseline, unlimited on the others | Unlimited, and they never use credits |
Credits | None. Beside Phone plans do not use credits. | 5,000 a month on Standard, 12,500 on Pro, plus 2,000 welcome credits once per billing account |
Free trial | 7 days on Beside Unlimited, card required. None on Beside Baseline. | Signing up starts a free 30-day Beside Phone trial, no card needed |
Who bills you | Beside for Beside Baseline and Beside Unlimited. Apple or Google for the per-seat plan bought in their stores. | Beside, by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay |
đĄ Same price, different product: $99 a month buys Beside Unlimited, a Beside Phone plan, or Standard, a Beside plan. Beside Unlimited answers your calls. Standard answers your calls too, and Beside also does marketing and follow-up work, paid for in credits.
đ Plans and pricing
If you already pay for Beside Phone
Standard or Pro replaces a Beside Phone plan rather than adding to it. What happens depends on who bills your Phone plan, which you can check under Settings â Plan & Billing in the Beside mobile app.
If Beside bills your Phone plan
Choosing Standard or Pro switches your existing subscription, so there is no second bill. Before anything changes, Beside asks Switch your Beside Phone plan to Standard? (or Pro) and lists exactly what will change:
On a monthly Phone plan, your billing date stays the same, and any price difference for the current period shows on that invoice.
On a yearly Phone plan, yearly billing ends that day, and the unused time is credited to your Beside balance.
If your Phone plan is still in its own trial, nothing is charged before the trial ends.
Any Phone add-ons that are being removed from your bill are named before you confirm.
If Apple or Google bills your Phone plan
Beside cannot cancel a subscription bought in the App Store or Google Play. It keeps renewing until you cancel it there yourself, so cancel it before it renews, or you pay twice.
Beside reminds you with a Cancel your App Store subscription card (or Play Store). If someone else on your team bought it, the card reads Duplicate subscription and asks you to pass the message on.
When you choose Standard or Pro, the unused time on that store subscription can be credited to your Beside balance. The confirmation shows the amount.
Choose the right one
You want calls answered, messages taken and texts handled: a Beside Phone plan. Beside Unlimited if you expect more than 30 Receptionist calls a month.
You also want help getting found, getting reviews and following up with leads: a Beside plan, Standard or Pro. Beside Phone comes with it.
You are already on Standard or Pro: do not buy a Beside Phone plan as well. Your line and your Receptionist are already included.
FAQ
Is Beside Unlimited the same as the Standard plan?
Is Beside Unlimited the same as the Standard plan?
No. Both cost $99 a month, but Beside Unlimited is a Beside Phone plan: your line and unlimited Receptionist calls. Standard is a Beside plan: the same phone features plus 5,000 credits a month for the work Beside does for your business.
My plan is called the Beside plan, or Starter on my receipt. Which one is it?
My plan is called the Beside plan, or Starter on my receipt. Which one is it?
That is the per-seat plan, a Beside Phone plan sold through the App Store and Google Play. Your App Store or Google Play receipt may show Starter, its historical name there. It covers your line and your Receptionist. It is not Standard or Pro, and it does not include credits.
Do I need a Beside Phone plan if I am on Standard or Pro?
Do I need a Beside Phone plan if I am on Standard or Pro?
No. Standard and Pro already include Beside Phone. If you still have a Phone subscription billed through the App Store or Google Play, cancel it there so you are not charged twice.
Do calls my Receptionist answers use credits?
Do calls my Receptionist answers use credits?
No. Answering calls never uses credits, on any plan. Credits are spent only on finished work, for example 20 credits when Beside sends a text or an email for you.
Does the 30-call limit apply to Standard and Pro?
Does the 30-call limit apply to Standard and Pro?
No. The limit applies only to Beside Baseline. On Standard and Pro, your Receptionist answers as many calls as you get.
Why does my receipt say Beside Part-time or Beside Full-time?
Why does my receipt say Beside Part-time or Beside Full-time?
Those are the earlier names of the Beside plans. Part-time is now Standard and Full-time is now Pro, with the same price and the same monthly credits. Both plans include the same features and neither is limited to certain hours.
What happens when the free 30-day Beside Phone trial ends?
What happens when the free 30-day Beside Phone trial ends?
Beside Phone stops after 30 days unless you choose Standard or Pro before then. Nothing is charged, because the trial never took a card, and your welcome credits are not affected.