Downgrading to a free plan (or Starter organizer plan) is never possible.
The free plan is only available to first-time organizers who have never had a paid subscription. As such:
✅ If you are a first-time organizer, you'll be offered the chance to start organizing groups for free by subscribing to the Starter plan
❌ If you used to have a Starter plan and then upgraded to Standard or Pro, even if for a free trial, you won't be able to go back to a free Starter option
❌ If you've ever had a paid organizer subscription (Standard or Pro) with your account in the past, you won't be offered the chance to subscribe to a Starter plan, as you won't be recognized as first-time organizer
In fact, the Meetup Starter plan is a free option designed for new organizers who want to try Meetup before subscribing. Existing paid organizers cannot switch or downgrade to the Starter plan.
The Starter plan includes only basic features — one group, two events per month, and a 10-person limit per event.
Paid subscriptions (Standard or Pro) offer unlimited events, multiple groups, larger attendee limits, and advanced tools.
What can I do to reduce my subscription costs?
Although you can never switch to a free plan, there are a few tips you can follow to help you reduce costs for your paid organizer subscription:
Review your current plan. Go to Settings → Organizer Subscription to see your renewal date and billing frequency. Switching to a longer billing period when available, such as a 6-months or yearly one, usually helps reduce costs in perspective.
Consider setting up membership dues or event fees to be part of your group or attend your events. Group membership dues and event fees are an effective way to help you raise contributions from members and help you cover subscription or management costs.
Consider onboarding co-organizers to help you manage more groups and split costs. If you have a Standard subscription and don't manage three groups already, you can create a leadership board with co-organizers who can manage a group within your subscription. Together, you can decide to split costs to keep managing all of your groups.