# Pricing & Upgrade Paths

This document explains the value proposition and upgrade path for OpenViking editions. It does not include specific pricing numbers -- those are available separately through our sales channel.

## Overview

OpenViking's tiered model matches the natural progression of agent projects:

1. **Experiment** with GitHub Edition (free)
2. **Deploy reliably** with Pro Edition (paid)
3. **Govern in production** with Enterprise Edition (paid)

This isn't about locking features behind paywalls -- it's about delivering the right set of capabilities at the right stage of your project.

## Stay on GitHub Edition When...

The GitHub Edition is free and ideal for:

### Use Cases
- **Learning & Exploration**: You want to understand how agent memory orchestration works
- **Prototype Validation**: You're testing whether OpenViking solves your specific problem
- **Personal Projects**: You're building something for yourself, not for production
- **Architecture Evaluation**: You're comparing approaches before committing

### Value You Get
- Full core memory compilation and orchestration logic
- Basic working examples
- Supervisor skill patterns
- Architecture documentation
- Community-based support

### Limitations to Accept
- No standard installer
- No acceptance verification suite
- No upgrade/rollback guarantees
- No official support
- No audit reporting

## Upgrade to Pro Edition When...

Pro Edition is for when you're ready to move from experimentation to real deployment.

### Use Cases
- **Team Deployments**: Multiple engineers need a consistent installation
- **Staging Environments**: You want a reliable upgrade path
- **Small Production**: You're running in production but don't need enterprise governance
- **Audit Needs**: You need basic audit reports for compliance

### Value You Get
- **Worry-Free Installation**: Standard installer that handles environment differences
- **Acceptance Verification**: Pre-built verification suite to confirm successful deployments
- **Upgrade/Rollback**: Safe upgrades with automatic rollback on failure
- **Basic Audit**: Standard audit reports for operational visibility
- **Standard Support**: Official support channel with response SLAs
- **Delivery Certainty**: Clear boundaries for what's supported and what's not

### What You're Paying For
You're not paying for "more features" -- you're paying for:
- **Delivery certainty**: It installs correctly, it upgrades safely
- **Support boundary**: Someone to call when things go wrong
- **Operational tooling**: The utilities that make day-to-day usage manageable

## Upgrade to Enterprise Edition When...

Enterprise Edition is for when you need production-grade governance and auditability.

### Use Cases
- **Regulated Environments**: Finance, healthcare, or other industries with strict compliance
- **Large-Scale Production**: Mission-critical agent deployments
- **Change Governance**: Need for offline windows and controlled changes
- **Full Auditability**: Complete audit chain for every operation

### Value You Get
- **Offline Execution Windows**: Make changes in controlled windows with pre-packaged updates
- **Execute Engine**: Packet-based delivery for strict change control
- **Complete Audit Chain**: Full evidence trail for every memory operation
- **Strict Governance**: Enhanced rollback and recovery closed-loop
- **Enterprise Support**: Dedicated support team, onboarding assistance, and custom SLAs
- **Production Governance**: Tools and processes for safe, auditable production operations

### What You're Paying For
You're paying for:
- **Governance capability**: The ability to operate safely in regulated environments
- **Audit evidence**: Complete, defensible records of everything that happens
- **Enterprise-grade support**: The level of support that mission-critical systems require

## Upgrade Path

```
GitHub Edition
      |
      v (when you need reliable deployment)
  Pro Edition
      |
      v (when you need production governance)
Enterprise Edition
```

### How to Upgrade

1. **Start with GitHub**: Verify the approach fits your needs
2. **Contact Sales**: When you're ready for Pro or Enterprise, reach out to our team
3. **Get a Package**: We'll provide the appropriate edition package for your needs
4. **Migrate Smoothly**: Your existing configuration and strategies are compatible with higher editions

### Edition Compatibility

- All editions use the same core memory pipeline
- Configuration files are forward-compatible
- Skills and strategies developed on GitHub Edition work on Pro and Enterprise
- No rewrite needed when upgrading -- you just get more operational capabilities

## Getting Pricing Information

Specific pricing for Pro and Enterprise editions is available by contacting our sales team. We tailor pricing based on:
- Edition selection (Pro vs. Enterprise)
- Deployment scale
- Support requirements
- Custom integration needs

## Ready to Take the Next Step?

When you're ready to move from experimentation to reliable deployment or production governance, we're here to help. The transition from GitHub Edition to Pro or Enterprise is smooth -- your existing configuration and strategies are fully compatible.

### How to Get Started

1. **Verify with GitHub Edition**: Make sure the core approach fits your needs
2. **Open a Commercial Inquiry**: Let us know what you need and when you're looking to deploy
3. **Get Pricing & Access**: We'll provide pricing information and, if desired, evaluation access
4. **Deploy with Confidence**: Our team will help you with a smooth transition

### Contact Us Today

[Open a Commercial Inquiry →](https://github.com/1108han-blip/desktop-tutorial/issues/new?template=commercial-inquiry.yml)

Our team typically responds within 2 business days. We'll discuss your requirements, answer any questions, and help you choose the right edition for your needs.

## Next Steps

- Review [editions.md](./editions.md) for detailed capability comparisons
- Explore [architecture.md](./architecture.md) to understand how the layers fit together
- Try the GitHub Edition if you haven't yet
- [Open a Commercial Inquiry](https://github.com/1108han-blip/desktop-tutorial/issues/new?template=commercial-inquiry.yml) when you're ready to discuss Pro or Enterprise