> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.getlago.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# New subscriptions

> How Lago counts subscription starts, and why a plan change is not a new customer.

How many customers did we add this month? The answer is on this page, but only if you read the right line.

## What's on this dashboard

Four charts. All of them count subscription starts, and all are **activity**: each value covers the period it sits in.

| Chart                     | What it answers                                    |
| ------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------- |
| New subscriptions         | How many starts, split fresh against plan changes? |
| Day of new subscriptions  | Which weekday do customers sign up on?             |
| New subscriptions by plan | Which plans are they starting on?                  |
| New subscriptions details | Which exact starts, and where did they come from?  |

Everything here is dated on the subscription's start date.

## Fresh subscriptions

A start with nothing behind it. This is the line to quote when someone asks how many customers you added.

|                                                | Counted? | If not, where is it?         |
| ---------------------------------------------- | -------- | ---------------------------- |
| A brand new subscription relationship          | ✅ Yes    |                              |
| A customer who churned and came back           | ✅ Yes    |                              |
| A start that replaces an existing subscription | ❌ No     | Plan changes, below          |
| A subscription that has not started yet        | ❌ No     | It appears on its start date |

## Plan changes

A start that replaces a subscription the customer already had: an upgrade, a downgrade, or a move at the same price.

|                                              | Counted? | If not, where is it?       |
| -------------------------------------------- | -------- | -------------------------- |
| An upgrade, a downgrade or a same-price move | ✅ Yes    |                            |
| A first-time start                           | ❌ No     | Fresh subscriptions, above |

<Note>
  **A plan change is not a new customer.** It creates a new subscription record, so it adds one to the total. The customer was already yours. The details table names the plan they came from.
</Note>

Upgrade or downgrade is decided on the **monthly equivalent** of each plan. A move from 100 per month to 1,200 per year is neither: both are worth 100 a month.

## Day of new subscriptions

The same starts, plotted Sunday to Saturday. It answers "when do customers sign up", not "how many".

## Filters

| Filter               | What it does                                       |
| -------------------- | -------------------------------------------------- |
| Date range           | Keeps starts inside the period                     |
| Currency             | Keeps one billing currency                         |
| Country              | Keeps customers in one country                     |
| Customers            | Keeps one or more named customers                  |
| Customer type        | Keeps companies or individuals                     |
| Plan code            | Keeps starts on one plan                           |
| Subscription ext. ID | Isolates a single subscription                     |
| Customer has tax ID  | Keeps customers with, or without, a tax ID on file |

⚠️ There is no granularity selector here. The trend is always monthly.

## What's not included (for now)

* **Money.** This counts starts, never the revenue they bring. For that, read New and Expansion in [MRR](/guide/analytics/revenue/mrr).
* **Future starts.** A subscription scheduled to begin later is counted on its start date, not before.
* **Weekly or daily trends.** The trend chart is monthly only.

## Common questions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="How many customers did we actually add?">
    Read fresh subscriptions, not the total. The total also contains plan changes, which are existing customers moving between plans.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Why does the by-plan chart show more starts than fresh subscriptions?">
    Because it counts every start for that plan, including customers upgrading into it. An upgrade is a start for the plan but not a new customer for you.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="A customer churned and resubscribed. Where does it show?">
    As a fresh subscription, because the new subscription has nothing behind it. In [MRR](/guide/analytics/revenue/mrr) the same event counts as expansion, since the customer is not new to you.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Does a trial count as a start?">
    Yes, from the day the subscription starts. Subscriptions with a future start date are not counted until that date arrives.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>