It depends on how your account was created. Accounts registered on the SparkReceipt website use a free-trial model and do not include a free plan — but when your trial or paid subscription ends, the account switches to read-only mode, not a lock-out. You can still sign in, browse everything, and export it all; only adding new documents pauses until you subscribe again. Accounts created in the iOS or Android apps, and older accounts from before the free-trial model was introduced, still include a free plan with monthly scanning credits.
Accounts created on the web
Web signups start with a free trial of the paid features rather than a free plan. Because of that, there is nothing to downgrade to — instead, the account becomes read-only when the trial ends without subscribing, or when a paid subscription lapses or is cancelled. Your data is always yours:
- You keep full read access, with no time limit. Sign in as usual, open any receipt, invoice, or statement, and browse all your documents and records exactly as before.
- You can export everything, for free. Reports, spreadsheets (CSV/XLSX), PDFs, and image downloads all keep working, so you can hand your books to an accountant or take them elsewhere whenever you like.
- What pauses is adding new documents. Recurring automations and automatic scanning of connected Gmail or IMAP inboxes stop the moment read-only mode begins. Uploads, receipt scanning, email forwarding, and connected Outlook inboxes keep working only while you still have extra scanning credits you previously purchased — they draw down those credits and then pause once the credits run out (or straight away if you have none). Subscribe again to lift the pause.
- Nothing is deleted, and re-subscribing restores everything instantly. Subscribe again at any time and full access comes back exactly as you left it — see How to cancel your subscription.
Accounts created in the mobile apps, and older accounts
Accounts created by signing up in the iPhone or Android app — and accounts that existed before the web free-trial model was introduced — have a free plan with a monthly scanning allowance:
- Cancel your paid subscription and the account reverts to the free plan at the end of the billing period — see How to cancel your subscription.
- On the free plan you receive monthly credits for scanning — see How does the monthly credit system work?
- All your existing documents remain accessible.
Switching plans instead of cancelling
If a paid plan is still right for you but the tier is wrong, you do not need to cancel:
- On the web, go to Settings → Subscription & Billing and use Adjust plan to switch between plans.
- Downgrades between paid plans take effect on your next billing date.
Downgrading vs. deleting your account
Cancelling keeps your account and all data stored. If you want your data removed entirely, that is a different, permanent action — see Deleting your account and data. If you have an active paid subscription, cancel it before deleting the account.