Fair Use Policy
Last updated: June 23, 2026
Tillage's offering is designed to be generous and accessible. We expect the usage of most agencies to fall well within our free plan limits. Our goal is to keep pricing simple and limits permissive—we don't want you worrying about hitting arbitrary caps.
However, when usage causes significant pressure on our infrastructure or indicates commercial-scale operations, we'll work with you to create a custom plan that better fits your needs.
Our Philosophy
We built Tillage to help agencies quote profitably and get paid what they're worth. Tillage includes everything at $0/month—all features, unlimited quotes, unlimited clients, unlimited invoices. We only earn a 1% platform fee when you process payments through Tillage, and you can pass that fee (plus Stripe processing fees) to your clients.
We maintain this approach because:
- We want you to succeed - No feature restrictions means you can use Tillage fully from day one
- Simple pricing - $0/month until you get paid, with optional fee pass-through to clients
- Transparent limits - We're upfront about what constitutes "fair use"
Fair Use Guidelines
What's Included for Everyone
✓ Unlimited:
- Quotes and proposals
- Contracts and digital signatures
- Clients and projects
- Team members and collaboration
- Integrations (Harvest, QuickBooks, Xero)
- AI quote generation
- Variance and profit protection
- Invoice generation
- Analytics and reporting
Platform Fees:
- $0/month — no subscription
- 1% platform fee on payments processed through Tillage
- $0 Tillage fee on offline payments (checks, wire, etc.) marked paid manually
- Optional: pass platform and processing fees to clients at checkout
Examples of Extensive Usage
While we don't impose hard limits, here are scenarios where we'd reach out to discuss a custom plan:
High Invoice Volume Without Online Payments
Tillage's free plan is designed for agencies collecting payments online (where we earn our 1% platform fee). If you're consistently generating significant invoice volumes but rarely collecting payments through Tillage, this indicates you're using the platform primarily as an invoicing tool rather than a payment solution.
Examples that would trigger a conversation:
- Generating substantial monthly invoices while collecting very few payments online through Tillage
- Using Tillage to generate invoices, then collecting payments outside the platform (checks, wire transfers, other payment processors)
- Exporting invoices to send through other systems
Why this matters: Our free plan is sustainable because agencies collect payments online and we earn a small platform fee. When you generate high invoice volumes without processing payments, we're providing infrastructure and support without any revenue to sustain it.
Large Team on Free Plan
If you're running a substantial team with high invoice volume but minimal online payment collection, we may reach out to discuss a custom plan that better fits your usage pattern.
We may reach out if:
- You have a large team using Tillage
- Your team generates significant invoice volume with little online payment collection
- Your usage pattern suggests you need a different pricing model
Why this matters: Large teams with high infrastructure usage but minimal payment processing may require a custom arrangement to keep the platform sustainable for everyone.
High Payment Volume
Threshold: $500,000+/month in payments processed
Processing half a million dollars or more monthly through Tillage indicates you're running significant operations. We'll want to ensure you have the support and infrastructure reliability your business requires—and discuss volume pricing that makes sense for your scale.
Excessive API Usage
Threshold: Automated requests beyond normal platform use
If you're making thousands of API calls per hour or using Tillage in ways that resemble data scraping or automated bulk operations, we'll need to discuss appropriate usage.
Organization Sharing Violations
Threshold: Sharing account access across multiple unrelated businesses
Tillage accounts are meant for a single organization. Sharing your account with external companies, reselling access, or using one account for multiple separate businesses is prohibited.
This doesn't apply to: Adding clients to your Tillage account, collaborating with contractors on your projects, or having your accounting team access your account.
Custom Plans
When your usage surpasses our Fair Use guidelines, we'll reach out proactively to discuss options. Here's how it works:
The Process
- We contact you - No surprises. We'll email when we notice sustained high usage
- We understand your needs - Brief conversation about your business and usage patterns
- Custom quote - We'll propose a fair price based on your actual usage
- Quarterly billing - Custom plans are typically billed quarterly in advance
What You Get
Custom plans aren't just about paying more—you get tangible benefits:
- Dedicated support - Direct line to our team
- Infrastructure priority - Dedicated resources for reliability
- Custom limits - Tailored to your actual needs
- Volume discounting - Fair pricing for scale
- Early feature access - Beta access to new capabilities
If You Decline
We understand Tillage might not be the right fit at certain scales. If you decide not to continue with a custom plan:
- 90 days to transition - We provide ample time to move to another solution
- Full data export - Easy export of all your data in standard formats
- Migration support - We'll help ensure a smooth transition
- No hard feelings - We're grateful you chose Tillage and wish you success
Real-World Examples
✓ Within Fair Use
Small Agency
- 50 clients
- 150 invoices/month
- $50,000/month in payments collected online
- 5 team members
- Status: Perfect fit. 1% platform fee = $500/month to Tillage
Growing Agency (passing fees to clients)
- 100 clients
- 300 invoices/month
- $150,000/month in payments collected online
- 10 team members
- Fees passed to clients at checkout
- Status: Ideal usage. Client covers fees; agency keeps full invoice amounts
Established Agency
- 200 clients
- High invoice volume
- Strong online payment collection through Tillage
- 8 team members
- Status: Still within fair use! Generating revenue for both of us.
⚠️ Custom Plan Discussion
High Invoice, Low Payment Agency
- Large client base
- Substantial monthly invoice generation
- Minimal payments collected online through Tillage
- Exporting most invoices to collect payments elsewhere
- Status: We'd reach out to discuss. High infrastructure usage with minimal revenue suggests you need a different pricing model.
Large Team, Low Payment Collection
- 25+ team members
- High invoice volume with minimal online payment collection
- Status: We'd reach out to discuss a custom plan suited to your usage pattern.
Enterprise Scale Agency
- 500+ clients
- $800,000+/month in payments processed online
- 50 team members across divisions
- Status: We'd reach out to discuss custom plan with volume pricing and dedicated support.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will I get a warning before being charged?
Yes. We'll always contact you before any changes to your plan or pricing. No surprise bills.
What if I have one really big month?
That's totally fine! Spikes happen. We only reach out about sustained patterns over multiple months (typically 3+ months in a row).
What if I sometimes collect payments outside Tillage?
That's completely normal! Many agencies have clients who prefer checks or wire transfers. Mark those invoices paid manually — no Tillage fee applies. We're talking about patterns where you're consistently generating significant invoice volumes but rarely using the payment collection features that make our free plan sustainable.
Can I pass fees to my clients instead?
Yes. In Settings → Payments → Fees & Invoicing, set platform fee and processing fee to "Client pays." Your client covers fees at checkout and you receive the full invoice amount.
Can I monitor my usage?
Yes! Your account dashboard shows your current month's invoices, payment volume, and other key metrics.
What if I can't afford a custom plan?
We'll work with you. Our goal is fair pricing, not to price anyone out. We can discuss:
- Phased transitions
- Volume-based discounting
- Feature optimization to reduce usage
- Extended Free plan with fair limitations
Does this mean Tillage isn't really "Free Forever"?
No—Tillage remains free forever for agencies using it as designed: to quote profitably and collect payments online. The vast majority of users (99%+) will never exceed fair use limits. This policy exists for:
- Sustainability of the free plan (we need some revenue to cover infrastructure)
- Protection against using Tillage solely as a free invoicing tool while collecting payments elsewhere
- Ensuring reliable service for all users
- Fair pricing for genuine enterprise-scale operations
How do I contact you about custom plans?
Use our contact page to get in touch. We'll respond within 1 business day.
Our Commitment
We promise to:
- Be transparent - Clear communication about usage and costs
- Be fair - Reasonable limits and pricing for everyone
- Be proactive - Contact you before any issues arise
- Be flexible - Work with you to find solutions
- Be honest - If Tillage isn't the right fit, we'll tell you
Tillage was built by agency owners who've felt the pain of hidden fees and surprise charges. We're committed to straightforward, honest pricing that lets you focus on growing your business.
Changes to This Policy
We may update this Fair Use Policy from time to time. We'll notify you of material changes via email and by updating the "Last updated" date at the top of this page.
Contact Us
Questions about fair use or need a custom plan? Contact us.
We typically respond within 1 business day.