# Licensing and recovery

Core form building, payments and logic remain free. A paid license unlocks
the existing Pro features; this release adds no new feature gates.

Enter a purchased key under ChargeForms → Global Settings → License. Keys
with either three or four random segments are accepted. A verified Single
Site plan allows one active installation, Agency allows five and Unlimited
has no site limit. Changing from HTTP to HTTPS or adding/removing `www`
keeps the same slot. Different WordPress installation paths use separate
slots. A cloned database does not transfer cached Pro access to another URL.

The plugin verifies hourly, with an administrative fallback when WordPress
cron is delayed. Pro requires explicit server validity, a paid plan and a
matching active site. Annual access ends at the paid-through date; lifetime
access has no date expiry. Cancellation retains paid access until its end.
An explicit invalid or revoked response stops new Pro features immediately.
Existing configured forms retain the plugin's existing grandfathering policy.

A temporary network failure, HTTP 429 or server error retains previously
validated access for at most 72 hours. Grace never extends the annual paid
period. Unverified keys receive no grace. A successful verification resets
the grace clock. The license screen shows a warning during an outage.

Deactivation disconnects the installation locally. If the server cannot
release its slot, a pending release retries automatically. It can also be
released from the website's License dashboard. Reactivating the same key
on the same site removes its older pending release. A cloned site cannot
release the original site's pending slot.

The license service receives the key and installation URL. It stores active
site URLs and verification/activation audit records. Purchase ownership is
linked to the signed-in ChargeForms account; billing remains with Polar.
Keep license keys private. WordPress administrators control the plugin's
source and database, so this is entitlement management rather than DRM.