Messages on the Free plan
On Free, you can read existing conversations, but sending messages and replying requires Plus or Pro. Invoices, contracts within your plan limit and booking emails can still be sent. Proposal sending has a separate paid-plan requirement.
Free accounts can read messages but can't send or reply. Upgrade to Plus or Pro to message clients. See CoreHue plans.
What still works on Free
- Reading every conversation, including everything from your trial or a previous paid plan.
- Searching, archiving, restoring and deleting conversations.
- The Messages tab on each contact, with the full history.
- Contact form submissions. They still arrive, create a contact and open a conversation you can read. See Handling contact form submissions.
- Document emails. Invoices, contracts, questionnaires and booking emails still go out to your clients, within the Free plan's own limits. Sending proposals needs Plus or Pro.
What changes
The reply box is replaced. At the bottom of every thread you'll see "Your messages stay here. Upgrade to send and reply." with an Upgrade button.
New messages are paused. New message, Reply and Send message (on a contact, or on an inquiry that has no conversation yet) open a Message your clients window: "Upgrade to a paid plan to send messages and reply to clients." Choose Upgrade to a paid plan to see the plans, or Close.
Client replies bounce. If a client replies to an email you sent through CoreHue, including a document email, their reply comes back to them as undelivered. The same goes for replies you send from your own mail app to a CoreHue copy. Gallery emails are the exception: replies to a gallery you shared by email go straight to your own email address on every plan.
Keeping in touch with clients on Free
Because replies bounce, make it easy for clients to reach you another way:
- Add your business email and phone number in Business details.
- Put a line like "Questions? Email me at ..." in your invoice footer and your email templates.
- For a new inquiry, reply from your own email app. It works, it just isn't saved in CoreHue.
Moving from a trial or paid plan to Free
Nothing is deleted. Every conversation, attachment and contact history stays exactly where it was. You just can't add to those threads until you upgrade. See What's included on the Free plan.
Upgrading brings messaging back
As soon as you're on Plus or Pro, the reply box returns on every thread, New message works again, and client replies start landing in CoreHue instead of bouncing. You don't need to set anything up again. See Upgrading your plan.
Frequently asked questions
Will my clients know I'm on the Free plan?
Nothing in your emails names your plan. On Free, document emails carry a small "Powered by CoreHue" line (see Removing CoreHue branding), and a reply to one of your CoreHue emails comes back undelivered. That's why it's worth giving clients your direct email.
Do I still get notified about new inquiries?
Yes. Inquiries from your booking page and contact form submissions still arrive and notify you. You can read them in CoreHue and reply from your own email app.
Do invoices and contracts still send on Free?
Yes. Document emails aren't affected by messaging. Invoices are unlimited on every plan. Contracts and questionnaires have their own Free limits. See What's included on the Free plan.
Can I read client replies that arrived before I moved to Free?
Yes. Anything already in a thread stays readable for as long as you keep it.