Quick Start

What you’ll build

By the end of this guide you’ll have:

• A subscription plan (for example, “Pro — Yearly”).
• A WooCommerce product that sells that subscription.
• A customer dashboard page where buyers manage their subscription.
• A test purchase confirming the whole flow works end to end.

---

Before you begin

Make sure SubscriptionFlow is installed and active. If not, follow Installation first.

(Optional, for Pro features) If you have a Pro license and want automatic renewals or payment gateways, activate it now under SubscriptionFlow → License — see License Activation. You can also do this later.

---

Step 1 — Review your plans

1. Go to SubscriptionFlow → Plans.
2. You’ll see the built‑in plans: Starter, Pro, and Agency.
3. Open one with Edit to set its name, description, price, renewal interval (daily/weekly/monthly/yearly/lifetime), and allowed sites.

You can use the built‑in plans as‑is or edit them to match your offer. (Creating brand‑new custom plans requires Pro.)

---

Step 2 — Turn a product into a subscription

1. Go to Products → All Products and open (or add) the product you want to sell as a subscription.
2. In the Product data box, click the Subscriptions Settings tab.
3. Tick Enable License Product (this activates SubscriptionFlow for the product).
4. Choose the Plan, the Duration, and set the Renewal Price and Grace Period Days.
5. Update / Publish the product.

Your product is now a subscription. When a customer buys it, SubscriptionFlow automatically creates their subscription and license.

---

Step 3 — Add the customer dashboard

Your customers need a page where they can see and manage their subscription.

1. Go to Pages → Add New and title it, for example, “My Subscriptions”.
2. In the content, add the shortcode:

   [subscriptionflow_dashboard]

3. Publish the page.
4. (Recommended) Create a second page titled “Login” and add:

   [subscriptionflow_login]

Link “My Subscriptions” in your site menu so customers can find it. See Dashboard Shortcode for details.

---

Step 4 — Test the full flow

1. Open your store in a private/incognito window (so you’re a “customer”, not the admin).
2. Buy the subscription product and complete checkout.
3. Go to your My Subscriptions page and log in — you should see the new subscription listed.
4. Back in the admin, open SubscriptionFlow → Subscriptions and → Licenses — the purchase appears there too.

If you see the subscription in both places, everything is wired up correctly.

---

What’s next

• Want renewals to charge automatically? Set up Automatic Renewals and a payment gateway like SubscriptionFlow PayPal .
• Prefer a drag‑and‑drop layout? Use the Elementor Dashboard Widget .
• Branded PDF invoices for customers? Configure the PDF Invoice Template .

---

Tips & Best Practices

• Start simple. Get one subscription product working end to end before adding gateways, security, or Elementor styling.

• Use a test order. Always place one real (or sandbox) order to confirm the subscription and license are created before announcing to customers.

• Name plans clearly. Customers see plan names, so “Pro — Yearly” is friendlier than “plan_2”.

• Put the dashboard in your menu. Customers should never have to hunt for where to manage their subscription.

• Turn on automatic renewals early (Pro). On the Free plan, renewals are manual — customers must reorder. Automatic charging keeps revenue flowing without customer effort.

---

Frequently Asked Questions