Should I upgrade to Shorebird Patch Install Overage and 100 Build-Hour Limits in now?
Teams already on Shorebird need to know when the included patch-install and CI-hour limits push them into overage billing or a Business upgrade.
Blockers
- requires_version: capability/patch-install-overage-billing → package/shorebird-pro-monthly
- requires_version: capability/private-repository-build-hours → package/shorebird-pro-monthly
- requires_version: capability/patch-install-overage-billing → package/shorebird-business-monthly
- requires_version: capability/private-repository-build-hours → package/shorebird-business-monthly
- Lock-in via capability/patch-install-overage-billing
- requires_version: capability/private-repository-build-hours → package/shorebird-pro-yearly
- Lock-in via capability/patch-install-overage-billing
- requires_version: capability/private-repository-build-hours → package/shorebird-business-yearly
Who this is for
- cost-sensitive
- small-team
- enterprise
Candidates
Stay on Pro monthly
As of 2026-03-27, Shorebird Pro is priced at $20 per month on monthly billing with 50,000 patch installs, 100 private-repository build hours, and published patch overage at $1 per 2,500 installs.
When to choose
Best for cost-sensitive small teams whose normal monthly patch volume stays near or below 50,000 and whose private-repo CI usage stays within 100 build hours. The decisive factor is that Pro is the cheapest paid plan and still allows patch-install overage billing instead of forcing an immediate plan upgrade.
Tradeoffs
Lowest entry price, but it reaches install overage much sooner than Business and does not include the larger-team admin, billing, or support features.
Cautions
Do not assume Business is required as soon as you exceed 50,000 installs on monthly billing, because Pro already has published overage billing. For CI-heavy teams, the public pricing page is not enough to verify what happens after 100 build hours.
Upgrade to Business monthly
As of 2026-03-27, Shorebird Business is priced at $400 per month on monthly billing. The public pricing page includes 1,000,000 patch installs and also lists 100 private-repository build hours on Business. Monthly patch overage is still published as $1 per 2,500 installs, the same public overage rate shown for Pro. Business adds larger-team features such as Viewer and App Manager roles, invoice billing, and private support, while SAML is marked as custom.
When to choose
Best for enterprise or high-scale mobile teams that routinely exceed Pro's 50,000 included monthly installs or need the extra admin and billing controls. The decisive factor is the much larger included install pool and business features, not a cheaper published overage rate.
Tradeoffs
Much higher base cost, but it materially delays when install overage begins on monthly billing. It does not publicly advertise more than 100 included private-repo build hours.
Cautions
Do not upgrade to Business expecting a lower published per-install overage price or a clearly higher CI-hour allowance, because the public pricing table does not show either. If CI hours are the main blocker, check official docs or contact Shorebird before treating Business as the fix.
Sources
Switch to yearly Pro
Shorebird introduced yearly plans on 2025-04-23. As of 2026-03-27, the pricing page shows Pro at $240 per year. Shorebird's yearly-plan announcement says patches are credited upfront for the full year and that yearly plans have no overages, so teams can avoid monthly patch-install charges if they stay within the annual total.
When to choose
Best for cost-sensitive teams with spiky patch usage and a known annual budget. The decisive factor is eliminating monthly install overage billing on Pro, not increasing the published 100 build-hour allowance.
Tradeoffs
More predictable patch-install billing than Pro monthly, but it requires paying upfront and managing against an annual pool instead of a monthly threshold. It is less helpful if the real constraint is CI time rather than patch volume.
Cautions
The yearly-plan announcement is specifically about patch usage, not higher CI-hour entitlements. The pricing page still shows 100 private-repo build hours on paid plans, so check official docs or sales if CI-hour overage is your main concern.
Switch to yearly Business
Shorebird introduced yearly plans on 2025-04-23. As of 2026-03-27, the pricing page shows Business at $4,800 per year. Shorebird's yearly-plan announcement says patches are credited upfront for the full year and that yearly plans have no overages, so teams can avoid monthly patch-install charges if they stay within the annual total.
When to choose
Best for enterprise teams with seasonal or incident-driven patch spikes that also want Business roles, billing controls, and support on an annual contract. The decisive factor is combining Business features with predictable yearly patch budgeting, not increasing the published 100 build-hour allowance.
Tradeoffs
Most predictable option for high-scale patch usage, but it has the largest upfront commitment and still does not publicly promise more than 100 private-repo build hours.
Cautions
The yearly-plan announcement is specifically about patch usage, not higher CI-hour entitlements. The pricing page still shows 100 private-repo build hours on paid plans, so check official docs or sales if CI-hour overage is your main concern.
Try with your AI agent
$ npm install -g pocketlantern $ pocketlantern init # Restart Claude Code, Cursor, or your MCP client, then ask: # "Should I upgrade to Shorebird Patch Install Overage and 100 Build-Hour Limits in now?"