What happens when your BrewInTH package ends? The 3 stages
When a BrewInTH package ends your site doesn't go dark: first all as before, then frozen, then down to the first project. Warned at every step, nothing deleted.
You bought a package, then forgot to renew it, your card expired, or you'd simply rather not pay this month. The first questions are always the same: "Will my site go dark right away?" and "Will my customers' data disappear?" — especially when the site is something people use every day, like a shop front, a booking page or a company back office.
This article walks through what happens, stage by stage, when a BrewInTH package ends and isn't renewed: when you're warned, what keeps working, what's put on hold, and how to get everything back. The short answer: your site doesn't go dark at once, and nothing is deleted.
In short
🔔 7 days and 1 day before the end you get a console banner and an email (for packages that don't renew automatically)
🟢 In the first stage after the end, everything carries on as before
❄️ In the second stage every site stays up on the Free package's resources, but nothing new is added if you hold more than Free allows
⏸️ After that your account's first project stays up and the others are paused
🛟 Nothing is deleted, and a new package brings everything back at once
My package ended. Is my site down?
No. BrewInTH splits the time after a package ends into three stages, so you have room to decide and the people using your site aren't cut off.
Stage 1: everything as before (the first 15 days)
For the first 15 days after the end date, everything works exactly as it did under the package: the number of projects, storage, CPU and memory, and your domains. You can still upload files and release new versions. This stage is there for anyone who simply forgot, or is waiting for money to reach their card.
Stage 2: frozen (the next 15 days)
The account moves to the Free package's resources, but every site stays online, even if you have several projects.
If the account holds more than the Free package allows (see the next section), it is "frozen": you can't upload files, release a new version or create a project until you renew or remove what's over. Everything already there keeps running — your apps still read and write their databases, and your visitors use the site as usual.
If your account already fits within Free, this stage changes very little apart from the smaller resources.
Stage 3: down to the first project
After the frozen stage, the oldest project in your account stays online on the Free package, and the others are paused. A paused project's site isn't served to visitors, but its files, database and settings are all kept.
A project paused because the package ended can't be resumed on its own; it needs a package first.
The length of the first two stages is a setting the team controls (15 days each by default). The real dates for your account are always in the banner and the emails.
What counts as "more than Free allows"?
The Free package gives you 1 project, 1 database and 20 MB of storage. Your account counts as over when any of these is true:
- More than 1 project
- More than 1 database (a Redis cache doesn't count)
- More than 20 MB actually used, adding up uploaded files, files on the persistent folder
/bw-dataand the data in the databases of every project
Your own numbers are on the Usage page of the console; the article Reading the Usage page on BrewInTH explains each box.
When does BrewInTH warn me?
You're told before and after the end, at every step, in the console and by email:
- 7 days before the end and 1 day before, a banner on every console page gives the end date, what will happen and a Renew the package link. (These go out only for packages that don't renew automatically; with auto-renew on, you're simply charged.)
- On the end date, the banner says until when everything carries on as before.
- When the frozen stage starts, the banner says the account now runs on Free's resources, that nothing new can be added while it holds more than Free allows, and which project will stay up.
- 3 days before projects are paused, and on the day, the banner names the paused projects.
Each email goes out once per step, to the account's notice address, or to its recovery email when no separate notice address is set. If the account has no email at all, the team is told instead so someone can reach you. The best move is to add a recovery email on day one.
What keeps working through every stage
- All your data. Files, databases and the files on persistent storage are never deleted at any stage.
- Domains you already connected keep answering throughout, so a site on your own domain stays reachable. (Connecting a new domain needs a package.)
- Your account's first project stays online the whole time. If that's your main site, it never stops.
One thing to know: after the first stage the account follows the Free package's rules, including automatic sleep when a site has had no visitors for a long while. See Free site slow to open the first time? Meet autosleep.
How do I get everything back?
- Open Plans & billing in the console, or click Renew the package in the banner.
- Pick a package and pay — the same one as before or a different one.
- Once paid, the account is back on the package's resources at once. Projects paused because the package ended come back online by themselves, and uploads and releases work as usual.
There's nothing to upload again and nothing to set up again; everything is where you left it. An invite code or a package the team gives you works the same way as buying one.
If you'd rather never think about it, tick Renew and charge automatically each period when you buy. The billing page then shows "Auto-renew: on" with the next charge date, and you can cancel renewal at any time.
Not renewing? Do this first
If you plan to go back to the Free package, get ready before the frozen stage so you choose what stays:
- Decide which project stays online. The one that stays is the oldest. If your main site isn't the first project, move its content into the first project, or delete projects you no longer use (deleted projects go to the trash and can be restored).
- Bring storage under 20 MB. Delete unused files in the Files tab, or old data in the database.
- Keep a copy of your backups. If you had the backup service, download your database backups to your computer as well.
If you work with an AI agent, a prompt like this helps:
My BrewInTH package won't be renewed, so the account will drop to the Free package's resources
(1 project, 1 database, 20 MB of storage).
Check how much file storage, persistent storage and database space this project uses.
Tell me first which files or data can go without affecting the site. Don't delete anything until I confirm.FAQ
Will my customers' data in the database disappear when the package ends?
No. At no stage does the platform delete files or databases because a package ended. Even a paused project keeps all its data.
What do visitors see during the frozen stage?
Your site, as usual. The frozen stage only stops you from adding new things — uploads, new releases — it doesn't take the site down.
I asked for a refund. Do I still get the grace period?
No. A refunded package doesn't count as one you used, so the stages are counted from your last package that was actually paid for.
Which project is "the first project"?
The oldest project in the account that hasn't been deleted. The banner in the frozen stage names it for you.
Can I resume a paused project myself?
A project paused because the package ended needs a package first. Once you've paid, it comes back online on its own, with nothing to click.
Summary
When a BrewInTH package ends and isn't renewed, your site doesn't go dark at once. First everything carries on as before; then every site stays up on Free's resources, though nothing new can be added if you hold more than Free allows; only after that does the account go down to its first project. You're warned at every step, nothing is ever deleted, and a new package brings it all back immediately.