CleverTap: CleverTap for Startups (Leap)

Deal Highlights

CleverTap runs its own startup program instead of leaving the discount to third-party perk sites. The program is called CleverTap Leap, and it sits inside the wider CleverTap for Startups offering. Eligible new startups get a discount on the CleverTap Core plan, including add-ons, applied straight to the monthly invoice. The Core plan starts at $85/month for 5,000 monthly active users and comes with a 30-day free trial. This page explains what the program gives you, who qualifies, how the pricing works in 2026, and how to apply.

CleverTap launched its startup program in November 2022 and has partnered with more than 50 venture capital firms, incubators, and accelerators to run it. The benefit flows through those partners, so the discount rewards startups already backed by a name CleverTap works with. Everything below comes from CleverTap's own pages, not from third-party perk directories.

What CleverTap Is

CleverTap is a customer engagement and retention platform for mobile apps and websites. It combines behavioral analytics with a full set of messaging channels, so you track what users do and act on it in the same tool.

The analytics side covers funnels, cohorts, event and trend reporting, session analytics, uninstall tracking, and a unified user profile that stitches activity across devices. The messaging side covers push notifications, in-app messages, App Inbox, web push, web pop-ups, email, SMS, and webhooks. Journeys is the automation builder that ties these channels into multi-step flows triggered by user behavior.

CleverTap also ships segmentation (behavioral, psychographic, and live user segments), A/B testing on messages, send-time and channel optimization, and data tools like schema design, CSV uploads and downloads, and import and export APIs. Access management includes two-factor authentication, single sign-on, and role-based access. The point of the platform is retention. You find where users drop off, build segments around that behavior, and run campaigns to bring them back, all without gluing together separate analytics and messaging vendors.

The CleverTap for Startups Program

CleverTap for Startups is the umbrella. It pairs the Core plan with the Leap program.

Leap is the part that carries the startup benefit. It gives growing companies a discount on the Core plan and its add-ons. The discount is applied to your monthly invoice. It covers the base plan and add-ons. It does not cover overages, so usage above your plan is billed at standard rates.

Leap members get more than a lower price. CleverTap assigns an onboarding manager plus a Customer Success Manager to help you set up tracking and launch your first campaigns. Members join an invite-only community of founders and CleverTap experts, and get access to product documentation, webinars, and events. CleverTap also runs joint marketing with members, such as case studies.

The benefit is a discount, not cash and not free credits. CleverTap's own program terms are explicit that there is no cash assistance and that the discount is a one-time offer that cannot be renewed. Treat it as a reduced rate on a tool you plan to pay for, not a grant.

CleverTap Pricing in 2026

The Essentials plan was renamed Core. Existing Essentials customers migrate to Core over time. The Core plan is the entry point for startups.

A few details matter for budgeting. CleverTap bills on the higher of your monthly active users or processed data points, so heavy event volume can push your billable tier up even if your user count is modest. User history is retained for one year on Core. The plan scales in MAU tiers up to 100,000, and beyond that pricing is custom. CleverTap's developer docs still reference a $75/month starting figure for the same plan, while the live pricing and Leap pages show $85/month, so confirm the current number in the signup flow before you commit.

CleverTap does not publish a fixed Leap discount percentage on its own pages. The exact rate is confirmed by a CleverTap sales representative during the application. Do not rely on the discount figures quoted by third-party perk sites, because they conflict and CleverTap does not state them publicly.

Eligibility and How to Apply

1. Confirm you are a new CleverTap customer. Existing and past customers do not qualify.
2. Open a new CleverTap Core account.
3. Confirm you have not previously received CleverTap discounts or credits.
4. Check your startup partner status. The Leap discount requires that you are a current participant or alumnus of one of CleverTap's supported startup growth partners. The partner list includes Y Combinator, Techstars, Antler, Accel, Elevation Capital, Kalaari Capital, Peak XV Surge, Plug and Play, AWS Activate, Silicon Valley Bank, and dozens more accelerators, incubators, and VC firms.
5. Review the funding and revenue cutoffs. CleverTap's earlier published Startup Program terms capped eligibility at consolidated annual turnover under $2M and total funding under $5M. These figures come from CleverTap's own older terms page, so treat them as a guide and confirm the current cutoffs with a sales rep.
6. Apply through the CleverTap Leap page. Check eligibility, start the Core plan, and if you already subscribed, submit the Leap application form.
7. Wait for pre-qualification. Every application is pre-qualified by a CleverTap sales representative, who confirms your discount before it is applied to your invoice.

What You Save

Start with the list price. The Core plan at the 5,000 MAU tier is $85/month, which is $1,020 over a year on the base plan alone. Add-ons and higher MAU tiers raise that figure.

The Leap discount reduces the base plan and add-ons on every monthly invoice for as long as the program rate applies. Because CleverTap confirms the rate per applicant rather than publishing one number, the honest way to size the saving is against your own usage. Model your expected MAU tier and the add-ons you need, price it at list in the dashboard, then ask your sales rep for the Leap rate on that exact configuration. The 30-day free trial also means your first month of evaluation costs nothing, so you can validate tracking and run a first campaign before any billing starts. For a seed-stage team spending in the low thousands per year on engagement tooling, a recurring percentage off the base plan and add-ons compounds across the year, and the dedicated onboarding support shortens the time before the tool pays for itself.

CleverTap vs Alternatives

CleverTap's edge for an early team is that analytics and messaging live in the same product, and the Core plan is self-serve with a public starting price. Braze and MoEngage lean enterprise and sales-led. OneSignal is cheaper if you only need push. Customer.io is strong for email-led lifecycle messaging but lighter on mobile product analytics. Match the tool to where your users are and how many channels you actually need.

Who Should Use CleverTap

CleverTap fits startups with a mobile app or a product-led website where retention is the metric that matters. If you have enough users that manual messaging no longer scales, and you need to see funnels and cohorts next to the campaigns that move them, the platform earns its place.

It is a strong fit for consumer apps, fintech, e-commerce, media, gaming, and any product with repeat usage. It is less suited to pre-launch teams with no user data yet, or to businesses that only need basic email and would be overserved by a full engagement platform.

Real Startup Use Cases

A consumer fintech app uses funnels to find where new users stall before their first transaction, then builds a Journey that sends a push notification, falls back to email if the push is ignored, and shows an in-app message on next open. Activation rises without a separate automation tool.

An e-commerce app segments users by browsing behavior and cart activity, then triggers web push and app push for abandoned carts. The same cohort data shows which segment responds, so the team doubles down on what works.

A media app tracks session frequency and uninstall signals, spots a drop in weekly active users, and launches a re-engagement campaign through App Inbox and email before churn sets in. Because the analytics and messaging are in one platform, the loop from insight to campaign is fast.

How to Claim the Deal

1. Visit the CleverTap Leap page linked on this deal.
2. Check the eligibility criteria: new CleverTap customer, new Core account, no prior CleverTap discounts or credits, and current or alumni status with a supported startup partner.
3. Start the Core plan and begin your 30-day free trial, or submit the Leap application form if you already have an account.
4. Complete the application so a CleverTap sales representative can pre-qualify you.
5. Confirm your discounted rate with the rep, including which add-ons it covers, before billing starts after the trial.

Tips

Apply before you start paying, not after. The discount is for new accounts, so set up through Leap from day one rather than subscribing first and asking for a discount later.

Have your partner affiliation ready. Name the accelerator, incubator, or VC that connects you to CleverTap, since the Leap discount depends on it.

Model your MAU and data points before you sign. Billing is the higher of the two, so a spike in events can move your tier. Ask the rep how overages are priced, since the discount does not cover them.

Use the 30-day trial to prove value. Instrument one core funnel and ship one real campaign during the trial, so you know the tool works for your product before the first invoice.

Confirm the current numbers in writing. The starting price shows as $85/month on the live pages and $75/month in the docs, and the turnover and funding cutoffs come from an older terms page. Get your exact price, discount, and eligibility confirmed by the sales rep before you commit.

Who Is This Deal For?