Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to the most common questions about SeedGovernance.
Plans & Pricing
What plans are available?
SeedGovernance offers three plans: Starter ($99/month), Pro ($299/month), and Enterprise (custom pricing). All plans include access to document templates, gap analysis, and the assessment wizard. They differ in the number of active frameworks, team members, and advanced features like consultant access and auditor links. See the Pricing page for a full comparison.
Is there a free trial?
Yes. Every new account starts with a 14-day free trial on the Pro plan. You get full access to all Pro features, including up to 10 frameworks and 10 team members. No credit card is required to start the trial.
What happens when my trial ends?
When the trial expires, your workspace enters a 7-day read-only grace period. You can still log in and view your content, but you cannot create or edit anything. If you subscribe to a paid plan during this period, full access is restored immediately. If you do not subscribe within 7 days, your workspace is archived. Archived data is retained for 90 days before permanent deletion.
Can I switch plans?
Yes. You can upgrade or downgrade your plan at any time from Settings → Billing. Upgrades take effect immediately and are prorated. Downgrades take effect at the start of your next billing cycle. If you downgrade to a plan with a lower framework limit, you will need to deactivate frameworks until you are within the new limit.
Do you offer annual billing?
Yes. Both the Starter and Pro plans are available with annual billing at a 20% discount. Annual billing is charged upfront for the full year. Enterprise plans have custom billing terms.
Billing & Payments
What payment methods do you accept?
We accept all major credit and debit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express) through our payment processor, Stripe. Enterprise customers can also pay via invoice and bank transfer.
How do I access my invoices?
Go to Settings → Billing in your dashboard. All past invoices are listed there and can be downloaded as PDFs. Invoices are also emailed to the workspace Owner automatically after each payment.
Can I get a refund?
Monthly subscriptions are non-refundable, but you can cancel at any time and retain access until the end of your current billing period. Annual subscriptions are eligible for a prorated refund within the first 30 days. Contact support@seedgovernance.com for refund requests.
Data & Security
Where is my data stored?
Your governance data is stored in the Azure data centre you selected during account creation: EU (Netherlands), Middle East (Dubai), or US (Virginia). Your data never leaves that region. See Choosing Your Region for full details.
Can I change my data residency region after signup?
No. The data residency region is permanent and cannot be changed after account creation. If you need to move to a different region, you must export your data, create a new account in the desired region, and re-import your documents. We recommend discussing the region choice with your compliance team before signing up.
Is my data encrypted?
Yes. All data is encrypted at rest using AES-256 encryption and in transit using TLS 1.2+. Database backups are also encrypted. Encryption keys are managed by Azure Key Vault and are specific to each data residency region. See the Security page for our complete security overview.
Do you have SOC 2 or ISO 27001 certification?
SeedGovernance is working toward SOC 2 Type II certification. Our infrastructure runs on Microsoft Azure, which holds SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, ISO 27017, and ISO 27018 certifications. We publish our current security practices and controls on the Security page.
Frameworks
How many frameworks does SeedGovernance support?
SeedGovernance currently supports 33 compliance and governance frameworks across six categories: Data Protection & Privacy, Cybersecurity, Healthcare & Life Sciences, Financial Services, AI Governance, and General Governance & IT. See the full list on the Frameworks page.
What if a framework I need is not listed?
We are continuously expanding our framework library. If you need a framework that is not yet supported, let us know and we will prioritise it based on demand. Enterprise customers can request custom framework development as part of their plan.
What happens to my work if I deactivate a framework?
Your customisations (document edits, assessment answers, uploaded evidence) are preserved even after deactivation. If you reactivate the framework later, all your previous work is restored. Deactivated frameworks simply do not appear in your active Document Library or Gap Analysis dashboard.
Team & Collaboration
How many team members can I add?
Starter plans support up to 3 users. Pro plans support up to 10 users. Enterprise plans have no user limit. All counts include the Owner. See Roles & Permissions for the full breakdown.
Can I invite external consultants?
Yes, on Pro and Enterprise plans. Use the Consultant role to grant external advisors access to your governance documents and assessments. Consultant access can be set with an expiration date and does not include billing, team management, or bulk export permissions. See Working with Consultants for details.
How do auditor links work?
Auditor links are time-limited, read-only URLs that you can share with external auditors. When creating an auditor link, you choose exactly which documents and frameworks to include. The auditor can view (but not edit or download) the shared content until the link expires. No SeedGovernance account is required for the auditor. See Auditor Links for setup instructions.
Documents & Export
What document formats can I export?
SeedGovernance supports export in three formats: PDF (for formal distribution and audits), DOCX (for editing in Microsoft Word or Google Docs), and Markdown (for version-controlled repositories or technical documentation sites). You can export individual documents or all documents for a framework in a single ZIP file.
Can I import existing governance documents?
Not currently via automated import. However, you can copy content from your existing documents into SeedGovernance templates. The templates are pre-structured with sections and guidance notes, so you can paste in your existing text and adapt it to the template format. Automated DOCX import is on our roadmap.
Account Management
How do I delete my account?
The workspace Owner can delete the account from Settings → Account → Delete Workspace. You will be asked to confirm by typing your workspace name. Once confirmed, all governance data is scheduled for permanent deletion within 30 days from primary storage and 90 days from backups. This action cannot be undone. See Deleting Your Account for the full process.
Can I export all my data before deleting?
Yes. Before deleting your account, we strongly recommend exporting all documents via Settings → Export → Full Workspace Export. This generates a ZIP file containing all your documents in PDF and Markdown format, plus a JSON manifest of your workspace metadata (frameworks, team members, assessment scores). The export is available for download for 7 days.
I was using spreadsheets and Word documents before. Can I migrate?
Many of our users start with offline governance tools -- spreadsheets, shared drives, and Word documents. While SeedGovernance does not have an automated migration tool, the platform is designed to make the transition straightforward:
- Take the Quick Assessment to identify which frameworks apply to you
- Activate those frameworks to generate pre-built templates
- Copy relevant content from your existing documents into the corresponding templates
- Use the gap analysis dashboard to identify areas where your existing documentation has gaps
- Fill those gaps using the guidance notes built into each template
Most teams complete the initial migration in 1-2 weeks, depending on the volume of existing documentation. If you need hands-on help, consider working with one of our partner consultants.
Security & Privacy
Who can access my governance data?
Only users with an active role in your workspace can access your data. SeedGovernance employees do not have access to your governance content. Our infrastructure team has access to system-level operations (database maintenance, backups) but cannot read your documents. All access is logged and auditable.
Do you use my data to train AI models?
No. SeedGovernance does not use your governance data, documents, or any workspace content to train, fine-tune, or improve AI or machine learning models. Your data is used solely to provide the Service as described in our Terms of Service.
How do I report a security vulnerability?
If you discover a security vulnerability, please report it responsibly by emailing security@seedgovernance.com. We acknowledge reports within 24 hours and aim to resolve critical vulnerabilities within 72 hours. See the Security page for our full responsible disclosure policy.