In SpideyChat, one site means one domain on a chatbot's license, together with all of its subdomains. So example.com, www.example.com, shop.example.com and help.example.com are a single site, while example.co.uk is a second one. Local development addresses such as localhost never count. Each chatbot can run on 1 website on Free, 3 on Starter, 10 on Pro and an unlimited number on Enterprise.
That covers most cases. The edge cases are where buyers get caught, so this post goes through subdomains, staging, multiple brands and moving domains, then what happens when you hit the limit.
How the license works
Every chatbot has its own license key and its own list of websites. When the chat loads on a page, it checks the page's address against that list. If the address matches a registered site, or a subdomain of one, it loads. If not, the chat does not run there and the attempt is recorded in your dashboard.
You rarely need to touch this at first. The first website a new chatbot loads on registers itself automatically, so pasting the snippet on your site just works. Every site after that is added on purpose, either in the License section of the dashboard or by activating the key in the WordPress plugin.
The limit applies per chatbot, not per account. On Starter you can have 3 chatbots, and each of them can run on up to 3 websites.
Subdomains
A registered domain covers everything beneath it. Register example.com and the chatbot loads on shop.example.com, help.example.com and booking.example.com without using another slot. The www prefix and any port number are ignored.
The rule only runs downwards. If the first site registered is shop.example.com, that covers shop.example.com and its own subdomains, but not example.com itself. When in doubt, make sure your main domain is the one on the license.
Staging and development sites
There are three situations, and they behave differently.
- Local development. Addresses such as localhost, 127.0.0.1 and names ending in .local are always allowed and never take a slot.
- Staging on your own domain. staging.example.com is a subdomain, so it is covered by example.com at no cost.
- Staging on someone else's domain. A temporary URL from your hosting company or site builder is a different domain, so it counts as its own site.
One trap is worth knowing. Because the first site registers automatically, if the very first page load happens on a temporary staging URL, that URL becomes your registered site. It is easy to fix: remove it in the License section and add your real domain. If you build on a temporary URL, add your real domain in the dashboard before the first load, or plan to swap them at launch.
Multiple brands
Two brands on two domains are two sites. The question is whether they should share one chatbot or have one each.
One chatbot across several domains suits brands that sell the same things with the same policies, such as a business with a country-specific domain. It uses one slot per domain.
A separate chatbot per brand suits brands with different products, prices or tone. A chatbot answers from everything it has learned, so a single bot trained on two brands' content can mix them up. Separate bots keep their knowledge apart, and each has its own license and site list.
Agencies running assistants for several clients usually want the second approach. Our guide to choosing a chat tool you can offer to agency clients covers the rest of that decision.
Moving to a new domain
The order depends on whether you have a free slot.
- If you have room, add the new domain first, check the chat loads there, then remove the old one.
- If you are at your limit, a new site cannot be added until one is removed. Remove the old domain at the moment you switch, then add the new one straight away.
Removing a site takes effect immediately: the chatbot stops loading there. On WordPress, the plugin's "Deactivate license on this site" button frees the website's slot, and so does uninstalling the plugin. Simply deactivating it on the Plugins screen does not. Activating the key on the new site then registers it.
When you reach the limit or downgrade
If someone tries to load your chatbot on a website that is not on the license, it is turned away and the site appears in a "Turned away" list in the dashboard. If that site is yours, an Allow button adds it to the license, provided your plan has room.
If your plan drops to a lower tier, nothing is deleted. The oldest registered sites keep working up to the new limit, and newer ones beyond it are marked as over the limit and turned away until you upgrade or remove a site. Your knowledge, settings and conversations are not affected by this check.
Two other controls are worth knowing. A pause switch stops the license everywhere at once, which is useful if something has gone wrong. And because anyone with the key can add a website to the license, keep it private; the dashboard lets you regenerate it if it leaks.
Which plan fits your sites
Count the separate domains each chatbot needs, ignoring subdomains and local development.
| Plan | Chatbots | Websites per chatbot | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Starter | 3 | 3 | $9.99 a month |
| Pro | 10 | 10 | $29.99 a month |
| Enterprise | Unlimited | Unlimited | Custom |
A single business with one domain and a shop subdomain fits on Free. A business with a main site and two country domains fits on Starter. An agency or a group of brands usually wants Pro. The pricing page lists what else each plan includes, such as the reply allowance and lead capture.
To get started, create a free account, then follow the widget installation guide or our walkthrough on how to add a chatbot to WordPress. Your first website registers itself the moment the chat loads.