Creator Account — Build PenTools With Us

Yes. Signing up is free and comes with no obligation. You get early access and a direct line to the founders.

Active contributors lock in their pricing on all tools — keep contributing and your rate stays fixed, even as prices rise for new customers. Your locked rate is protected by a tier-based grace period in case you decide to stop contributing or close your account.

As much or as little as you want. Try features, fill out a quick survey, or just follow along. No minimum commitment.

Yes, obviously that would be a bummer!

BUT as we value highly your input as a Contributor, your locked-in pricing stays in place for a grace period after your last approved contribution — 12 months at Bronze, 18 months at Silver, and 24 months at Gold. Keep contributing and your rate stays locked indefinitely. If you step away, your grace period is based on the tier you held when you last contributed, and your rate moves to current pricing only after that window expires at your next renewal.

Q: What is the Creator Program?

The Creator Program is PenTools' way of rewarding the people who help us build better tools. If you report a bug, test a beta feature, write about us, or share your referral link, you earn points. Points convert to store credit you can spend on any PenTools product or subscription.

Q: Who can join?

Anyone with a PenTools account. Sign up with your email on the Creator Program page, and we'll activate your profile. Once your profile is active, you can start submitting contributions from your Creator Dashboard.

Q: What counts as a contribution?

There are four types:

• Bug Report — Found something broken? Tell us what happened and how to reproduce it. (50 points)
• Beta Test — Try a new feature before it launches and share your honest feedback. (100 points)
• Blog Post — Write about PenTools on your blog, newsletter, or social media. (200 points)
• Affiliate Share — Share your unique referral link publicly. (30 points)

Q: How does the submission process work?

1. Go to your Creator Dashboard and click "Submit New."
2. Pick a contribution type, write a title and description, and optionally add an evidence link (screenshot, blog post URL, social media post).
3. Your submission goes into "Pending" status.
4. Our team reviews it — usually within a few days.
5. When approved, points are credited to your account instantly.

Q: What's the evidence link for?

It helps us verify your contribution faster. A screenshot of a bug, a link to your blog post, or a link to the page where you shared your referral code. It's optional for most types, but recommended — and required for instant auto-approval of affiliate shares.

Q: Are affiliate shares approved automatically?

Yes — if you include a link to the public page where you shared your referral code, our system checks the page for your code. If it finds your code, your contribution is approved instantly and points are credited immediately. No waiting for manual review.

Q: How do points turn into store credit?

Every 10 points equals €1 in store credit. So a single approved blog post (200 points) earns you €20 in credit. Your credit balance is shown on your Creator Dashboard and can be applied at checkout on any eligible product or subscription.

Q: How much of my order can credit cover?

That depends on your tier. Bronze creators can cover up to 30% of an order with credit, Silver up to 40%, and Gold up to 50%. Credit can never make an order completely free — you'll always pay the remaining balance. Some individual products may have lower limits.

Q: What are the tiers and how do I level up?

There are three tiers based on your total number of approved contributions:

• Bronze — Starting tier. 1× point multiplier, up to 30% credit per order, 12-month locked pricing grace period.
• Silver — Reached after a set number of approved contributions. 1.2× point multiplier (20% more points on every contribution), up to 40% credit per order, 18-month grace period, plus early access to new features and beta releases.
• Gold — The highest tier. 1.5× point multiplier (50% more points), up to 50% credit per order, 24-month grace period, plus a direct founder line — a monthly call with the PenTools team.

Q: What is "locked pricing"?

When you reach a tier, your pricing is locked in for a grace period (12–24 months depending on tier). Even if our prices go up, you keep your current rates for that period. The grace period resets each time you make a new approved contribution, so active contributors stay locked in indefinitely.

Q: What happens if my contribution is rejected?

You'll see the status update to "Rejected" in your dashboard, along with admin feedback explaining why. You're welcome to resubmit with more detail or better evidence. Common reasons for rejection: duplicate reports, insufficient detail, or evidence that doesn't match the contribution type.

Q: Do points expire?

No. Once points are awarded and converted to credit, your credit balance stays until you spend it. Your tier, however, is maintained by staying active — if you stop contributing, your locked pricing grace period will eventually expire and you'll revert to current pricing.

Q: Can I apply credit automatically to every subscription renewal?

Yes. In your Creator Dashboard, you can toggle "auto-apply credit." When enabled, your available credit is automatically applied to every recurring subscription charge until your balance runs out. Turn it off if you'd rather save credit for a specific purchase.

Q: Is there a limit on how many contributions I can submit?

No hard limit, but each submission is reviewed individually. Quality over quantity — well-documented bug reports and genuine blog posts get approved faster than rushed ones.