Subscription & Billing Guide

Subscription & Billing Guide

Overview

Zoho Notebook offers a flexible, user-friendly note-taking platform that works across devices. It features a freemium model, meaning users can start for free and upgrade to premium plans as their needs grow. 


This article explains differences between free and paid versions, how to manage subscriptions, and procedures for upgrading or downgrading your plan.

Free Versions

Free Version – Notebook Essential   

The free plan (Notebook Essential) is ideal for individuals who need robust note-taking capabilities without cost.

Key features of the free plan  

  • Unlimited note creation and sync across devices

  • Rich media support (text, images, audio, sketches)

  • Basic collaboration (sharing with read-only access)

  • Works offline with automatic sync when online

  • Storage: 2 GB for personal users and 5 GB for Business organizations

Info Best for: Personal users, freelancers, and anyone looking for a simple solution to capture and organize everyday notes.

Student Plan

Zoho Notebook also offers a Student Plan designed specifically for students who need advanced tools to support their academic work.

Students can sign up for the Student Plan using their educational email address. Once enrolled, students receive access to Notebook AI features along with 100 GB of storage, helping them manage study materials, research notes, and assignments more efficiently.

Key benefits of the Student Plan  

  • 5 GB storage

  • Access to Notebook AI features

  • Access to Notebook Pro features

  • Advanced note organization and productivity tools

  • Sync across multiple devices

Students can use their institutional or educational email address to sign up for the plan. If you are unable to activate the Student Plan using your educational email address, you can contact Zoho Notebook Support to request access.

InfoBest for: Students who want to use AI-powered note analysis, summarization, and large storage capacity for organizing lectures, research notes, and academic materials.

Paid Plans

Notebook Pro

The Pro plan is designed for individual users who need additional storage and advanced productivity features.

Key features of the Pro plan  

  • Increased storage (up to 100 GB)

  • Advanced search capabilities including OCR for documents and images

  • Email-In feature to create note cards by forwarding emails

  • Custom notebook covers

  • Recurring reminders

  • Enhanced sharing and collaboration features

  • Priority support

InfoBest for: Users who need more storage and productivity features for managing large volumes of notes.

Notebook Pro Lite  

Notebook Pro Lite is a lightweight version of the Notebook Pro plan. It provides access to all the premium features available in the Pro plan, but with reduced storage capacity.

Key details of Notebook Pro Lite  

  • Access to all Notebook Pro features

  • Includes features such as:

    • OCR-based advanced search

    • Email-In for creating note cards via email

    • Custom notebook covers

    • Recurring reminders

    • Enhanced sharing features

  • Storage limit: 2 GB

Unlike the standard Notebook Pro plan, which offers increased storage, Pro Lite provides the same feature set but retains the storage limit similar to the Essential plan.

InfoBest for: Users who want to access Pro features without requiring additional storage space.

Notebook AI (Individual Plan)  

For users who want AI-powered capabilities while working with their notes, Notebook AI can be subscribed to as a separate plan.

Notebook AI helps users interact with their notes more intelligently by generating insights, summaries, and answers based on their content.

Key capabilities of Notebook AI  

  • Summarize long notes instantly

  • Extract key insights from notes

  • Ask questions about stored content

  • Improve productivity by quickly reviewing large notes

  • Generating mind maps

Important to know!

Notebook AI is not bundled with the Notebook Pro or Notebook Pro Lite plans. Users who are subscribed to Pro or Pro Lite and require AI capabilities can purchase Notebook AI separately as an add-on.

However, Notebook AI is included with the Notebook Business plan.


InfoBest for: Individual users who want AI-powered assistance for analyzing and understanding their notes.

Notebook Business  

The Business plan is designed for teams and organizations that require collaboration, centralized note management, and AI-powered productivity tools.

Key features of the Business plan

  • Shared workspace for teams

  • Co-owner and edit access for collaboration

  • Higher storage allocation

  • Organization-level note management

  • Admin controls for managing users and shared content

  • Built-in Notebook AI capabilities

  • Whiteboard feature for visual collaboration and brainstorming

  • Dedicated Customer Success Manager for business accounts

  • Priority customer support

Notebook AI in Business Plan  

Notebook Business includes AI-powered capabilities that help teams work more efficiently with their notes. The AI features help teams quickly review and understand large amounts of information stored in their notebooks.

Info
Best for: Teams and organizations that want collaboration, centralized knowledge management, and AI-assisted note productivity.

IdeaNote: If you need AI features for team collaboration, the Notebook Business plan is the most suitable option since AI is already included with the subscription.

Managing Subscriptions  

Accessing Subscription Settings  

You can manage your subscription from your Account Settings in Zoho Notebook:

  1. Log in to your Notebook account.

  2. Go to Profile

  3. Here you can view your current plan, billing cycle, and storage usage.

Billing & Payments  

  • Payments are processed based on your selected billing cycle(Monthly/Yearly/3-years).

  • Paid features remain active until the end of the billing cycle even after auto-renewal cancellation.

Upgrades & Downgrades   

Upgrading your plan is simple:

  1. Sign in and open Profile → Upgrade.

  2. Select the plan you want (e.g., Pro or Business).

  3. Choose a billing cycle (monthly or yearly or 3 years).

  4. Confirm and complete payment.

Your new benefits take effect immediately after purchase and reflect in the next billing cycle.

IdeaPro tip: Annual billing often offers cost savings compared to monthly billing.

Downgrading Your Plan  

If you decide to switch to a lower plan or return to the free version, you can do so from the subscription settings.

Things to note when downgrading  

  • Downgrades typically take effect after the current billing cycle ends.

  • Access to premium features will be removed once the downgrade becomes active.

  • Your existing notes will remain intact, but certain premium-only capabilities may no longer be available.

  • You can also choose to downgrade immediately if you want the changes to take effect right away. In such cases, a refund may be processed if applicable, based on Zoho’s refund policy.

  • Contact support if you need assistance in downgrading your plan.

For subscriptions purchased through the Google Play Store  

If your subscription was purchased through the Google Play Store, it must be cancelled directly from your Google account.

Steps to cancel  

  1. Open the Google Play Store app on the Android device.

  2. Tap on the Profile icon (top-right corner).

  3. Select Payments & subscriptions.

  4. Tap Subscriptions.

  5. Locate and select Zoho Notebook.

  6. Tap Cancel subscription.

Refund process  

For refund requests related to subscriptions purchased through the Google Play Store, please contact the Zoho Notebook support team for assistance.

Support Email: support@zohonotebook.com

The support team will review the request and process the refund if applicable based on Zoho’s refund policy.

For subscriptions purchased through the Apple App Store  

If the purchase was made through the Apple App Store, the subscription must be cancelled from your Apple ID subscription settings.

Cancellation steps  

  1. Open Device Settings.

  2. Tap on your Apple ID (name at the top).

  3. Select Subscriptions.

  4. Choose Zoho Notebook.

  5. Tap Cancel Subscription and confirm.

Refund process  

Subscription management and refunds are handled entirely by Apple.

Users must contact Apple Support for assistance with billing or refund-related requests.

For subscriptions purchased through the Zoho Web Store  

If the subscription was purchased through the Zoho Notebook web app, you can cancel or downgrade your subscription from the subscription management page.

Cancellation / Downgrade steps  

  1. Open the web app: https://notebook.zoho.com/

  2. Click on your Profile Image.

  3. Select Manage Subscription.

  4. Click Cancel Subscription.

  5. Choose Confirm Downgrade to cancel the auto-renewal.

If you face issues while cancelling, contact the cancellation team: cancellation@zohocorp.com

Refund process  

  • Users can choose Downgrade Immediately to apply the downgrade right away.

  • Once downgraded, the refund will be automatically initiated to the original payment method, if applicable.

  • Refund timeline: 7–10 business days.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)  


1. Can I cancel my subscription anytime?
Yes, you can cancel at any time from your account settings, and you’ll retain access to paid features until the end of the current billing period.

2. Do I lose data when downgrading?

Most data stays intact, but access to premium-specific features (like advanced search or larger file uploads) may end once you downgrade.

3. Can I upgrade mid-cycle?
Yes, upgrades take effect immediately, and billing adjusts accordingly for the new features. 

4. Is there an extra trial for Business plans?

Zoho Notebook offers trial periods (varies by plan and request), especially for business subscriptions.

5. What support levels are available?

Free users get community and email support; paid users may get priority chat and phone support depending on plan.

Need further assistance? 

If you're confused in choosing the right plan for your needs, don't hesitate to reach us at support@zohonotebook.com, we'll guide you with the best suitable plan for you based on your requirement.

 

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