Frequently asked questions

Quick answers to the most common questions about your account, credits, subscription, and AreaCacao features.

The questions we hear most, answered at a glance. If yours isn't here, write to us: see Contact support.

Sign up at https://app.areacacao.com/register with Continue with Google or with your name, email, and a password of at least 8 characters. If you sign up with your email, you'll need to open the verification link we send you before you can sign in. To get in, you choose a paid plan (Starter or Pro, billed monthly or with one of the 3-, 6-, or 12-month offers) and complete payment. There's no free trial or free account at sign-up. Details in Create account.

I forgot my password — how do I recover it?

On the sign-in screen, click "Forgot your password?", enter your email, and open the link you receive (valid for one hour) to choose a new one. See Recover your password.

Can I change my email?

Your email is read-only in the app. To change it, write to us at support@areacacao.com. See Personal details, password, and sessions.

Do I need two-step verification (2FA)?

It isn't mandatory, but we recommend it. You turn it on yourself in Settings → Security: you scan a QR code with your authenticator app, confirm with a six-digit code, and save your backup codes. From there you can also turn it off or regenerate the codes. See Two-step verification (2FA).

I lost a device where my session was open — what do I do?

Go to Settings → Account → Sessions and click Sign out everywhere: it signs out every session at once, including your current one. See Multi-device sessions.

Plans and credits

How much does AreaCacao cost?

Two plans, both in US dollars: Starter at $12/mo or $120/yr (300 credits/month) and Pro at $25/mo or $240/yr (1,500 credits/month). Monthly billing is selected by default; annual billing works out to two months free (17% savings on Starter and 20% on Pro). See Plans and pricing.

What are credits, and how much does each operation use?

Credits are spent when you use AI features, at a fixed rate per operation: importing a recipe from an image, 15 credits; from a PDF, 25; from a spreadsheet, free; the cost assistant, 8; a formulation with the Filling formulator, 12; a formula from the Chocolate formulator, 2. Validating formulas, estimating water activity, costing, and saving don't use credits. Your usage and the full table are in Settings → Usage; see also Plans and pricing.

I ran out of credits — what do I do?

Plan credits renew every month. If you need more before the renewal, go to Settings → Usage and click Need more credits? to buy extra credits, which don't expire. You can also get there from Settings → Subscription with the "Need more credits? Contact support" link, or write to us at support@areacacao.com.

How do I change plans?

At https://app.areacacao.com/pricing, click Switch to [plan] (or Activate [plan] if you don't have one yet) and complete the secure checkout. See Switch plans.

Subscription

How do I cancel my subscription?

In Settings → Subscription, click Cancel subscription and follow the three steps (telling us your reason is optional). You keep full access until the end of the paid period, with no further charges. After that, you lose access to the app, but your data (recipes, costs, tastings) is kept for at least 12 months, and until then you can download your recipes as CSV from My recipes. If you choose a plan again, everything will be just as you left it. See Cancel your subscription.

Can I pause instead of canceling?

Yes, if you pay monthly. In Settings → Subscription there's a Pause subscription button that stops charges for 30, 60, or 90 days while keeping your recipes and settings. You can only pause once every 12 months. When the pause ends, your subscription resumes automatically and billing restarts; we'll email you a week before. You can also resume early or cancel during the pause. The same pause is also offered inside the cancellation flow if your reason is price, low usage, or technical problems. See Pause your subscription.

Where are my invoices?

In Settings → Subscription → Purchase history, where you can download each receipt as a PDF or View it. See Invoice history.

How do I change my card?

In Settings → Subscription, click Manage payment method to open the secure payment portal. See Manage your payment method.

Data and privacy

Can I export my data?

Yes. In Settings → Data, click Download my data (JSON) and you'll get a file with your profile and all your recipes. It's self-service: no need to ask support. See Data and privacy.

How do I close my account?

You do it yourself in Settings → Data: click Close my account and confirm by typing your email. Closing is immediate: your subscription is canceled if you have one, all your sessions end, and you lose access right away. Your data is permanently erased after 30 days; during that window you can write to support if you change your mind. See Data and privacy.

Features

Which filling families can I generate today?

The Filling formulator currently has five families: Ganache, Caramel (soft caramel), Pâte de fruit, Praline & gianduja, and Truffle. We'll announce new families as they're added.

What does recipe import do?

It turns photos, PDFs, or spreadsheets of recipes into structured recipe cards that you then review and save. See Import recipes.

What's included in the sensory module?

The sensory analysis module (included in the Pro plan) covers professional tastings, panel training, shelf life with a confidence interval, technical PDF dossiers, and the AreaCacao wheel, with its tasting attributes, so you can speak the same language as your B2B customers.

New here? Start with the Introduction and Getting started to find your footing before diving into each feature.

I can't find my answer

Write to us from Support (in the user menu, when you click your avatar in the sidebar) or at support@areacacao.com. We'll show you how in Contact support.