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Sign up, choose a workspace, and activate billing

Sign up for ATOM, start a 14-day cardless trial, verify your email, join or invite teammates, upgrade billing, and recover common signup issues.

This guide shows you how to create an ATOM account, start a 14-day cardless trial workspace, and upgrade from Settings > Billing when you are ready.

Use it when you sign up, accept a teammate invite, verify email, recover trial access, or fix a billing upgrade. Signup and workspace onboarding happen in the web app. The field app does not have its own signup path — see `Web app vs field app` at the end.

#Choose your starting path

Pick the path that matches the email you received or the action you are taking:

#Start a 14-day cardless trial

Open https://atomworks.app/signup.

Fill the signup form:

  • Maintenance company name: the workspace name your team sees in ATOM.
  • Name: the human-readable name for the workspace owner.
  • Email address: use the email you want as the workspace owner.
  • Password: set the password you will use after email verification.
  • Country: pick from the supported country list.
  • Plan: choose monthly or annual as the paid plan you expect to use after the trial. The visible plan label and price come from Stripe; if the price fails to load, use Try again. Stripe still shows the final price before payment when you upgrade.
  • Marketing emails: optional, opt-in.

Select Start trial workspace.

ATOM creates your owner account, workspace access, email verification, and 14-day trial immediately. You do not enter card details, ATOM does not redirect you to Stripe, and the workspace exists before any paid checkout.

The signup page records these states:

  • Already have an account? Sign in: if you already have an ATOM account, use /login instead. Signing up again with the same email is blocked.
  • A red error banner: ATOM could not start the trial. Read the message and try again. Duplicate email, validation, rate-limit, and temporary service errors are shown explicitly.
  • An offline banner: the submit is blocked while the browser is offline. Reconnect and submit again.

#After signup: verify email and start your trial

Successful trial signup lands on /signup/success?session_id=billing-intent-….

The page heading is Trial workspace ready. The body confirms one of:

  • Your 14-day ATOM trial workspace is ready. We sent a verification link to: <your-email>. Verify your email, then sign in to start using your workspace.
  • Your 14-day ATOM trial workspace is ready. Check your inbox for the email verification link before signing in.
  • Your 14-day ATOM trial workspace is ready for <email>. Your email is already verified — sign in to continue.

If ATOM is still confirming the trial intent, the heading is Trial signup received. The page keeps checking trial status automatically, and manual refresh copy refers to trial status, not Checkout or Stripe. You still do not enter payment details on this path.

Open your inbox. If you can't find the email:

  • Check your spam or junk folder.
  • Confirm the email shown on /signup/success is the one you intended.
  • Select Resend verification email. The button is rate-limited per signup session, so the page shows Try again in 30s or Try again in <n>m while the cooldown is active. The cooldown clears on its own.
  • If the page says Resend unavailable. next to the disabled button, your email is already verified — use the Sign in button.

After email verification, sign in at /login. ATOM takes you to the new workspace if it is your only active workspace, or to the workspace chooser if you have multiple possible destinations.

#Set your first password

Cardless trial signup sets your password during signup. If you forget it or your password manager did not save it:

1. Open /login. 2. Select Forgot password?. 3. Enter the same email you used at signup. 4. Open the reset email and follow the link to set a new password. 5. Return to /login and sign in.

#Choose your workspace

The first time you sign in to ATOM without a workspace, the app takes you to /onboarding/workspace. The page heading is Choose your ATOM workspace and offers three actions:

  • Join an existing workspace — paste an invite code your team sent you.
  • Create a new workspace — set up a fresh workspace, with you as owner.
  • Explore the demo workspace — browse ATOM with fictional, public-safe data.

Each option expands inline so you stay on the same screen. If you have an existing real workspace, the page also shows Skip for now so you can land straight on /dashboard.

The page is offline-aware. Most actions disable when the browser is offline and show You're offline. Reconnect and try again. near the button.

#Join an existing workspace

Use this when a teammate sent you an invite email. The email has an Open invite link such as https://atomworks.app/onboarding/workspace?token=<your-code>, and an invite code you can paste manually.

  • If you opened the link from the email, the Join an existing workspace card auto-expands with the code already filled in.
  • Otherwise, select I have an invite code, paste the code into Invite code, and select Join workspace.

The button label changes to Joining workspace… while ATOM validates the invite, then redirects you to /dashboard in the joined workspace.

Specific errors and how to resolve them:

  • That invite code isn't valid. Ask the inviter to resend it to your account email. — the code is wrong, expired in a different way, or the invite was sent to a different email. Check the email used at signup and ask the inviter to re-send the invite to the same address.
  • That invite has expired. Ask the inviter to send a new one. — the invite is past its expiry. Ask an admin in the inviting workspace to revoke the old invite and send a new one.
  • That invite has already been accepted. Sign in to that workspace from /login. — you (or someone with this account) already accepted the invite. Sign in normally; use `Switch workspaces` if the workspace doesn't appear by default.
  • Set up two-factor authentication from your account before joining this workspace. — the role the invite grants requires two-factor authentication because the target workspace MFA policy is required. Open /account and complete TOTP enrolment from your account, then return to this page and resubmit the code. An owner or admin in the target workspace can make MFA optional from Settings > Security.

If the page shows We couldn't accept that invite. Try again., retry the form. If it keeps failing, contact support.

#Create a new workspace

Use this when you are the workspace owner and your team will join later.

  • Select Create my workspace.
  • Enter Workspace name (between 2 and 80 characters; this is the label your team sees in the sidebar).
  • Select Create workspace.

ATOM creates the workspace, makes you owner, switches your session to the new workspace, and forwards you to /dashboard.

If the page shows Set up two-factor authentication before entering this workspace., your account does not have TOTP enrolled yet. New workspaces default to Require MFA for privileged roles, so the owner role is gated by two-factor authentication. Open /account to enrol TOTP, then return and resubmit the form. After the workspace exists, an owner or admin can change the policy from Settings > Security.

A workspace name that is too short or too long is rejected inline. Reconnect first if the form rejects the submit with You're offline..

#Explore the demo workspace

Use this when you want to look around ATOM without affecting a real workspace.

Select Explore demo. The button changes to Opening demo… while ATOM joins you to the shared demo workspace as staff and forwards you to /dashboard.

The demo workspace is the same H&R Maintenance Docs Demo tenant the rest of these docs use. It is intentionally fictional and public-safe:

  • Names, phone numbers, emails, street addresses, and financial values are not real.
  • Email addresses use .example domains; phone numbers use safe demo ranges.
  • Gmail and Xero values are inert demo strings — connecting Gmail or Xero in the demo workspace does not move real customer mail or invoices.
  • Records have fixed IDs and dates so screens stay deterministic.

You can perform any action your staff role allows on the demo. Nothing you do touches real customer records.

If the page shows The demo workspace isn't available right now. Try again or pick another option., the demo workspace is not currently active in this environment. Contact support, or come back later. Demo entry requires TOTP when the demo workspace MFA policy is required; if you see Set up two-factor authentication before entering this workspace., enrol from /account first.

To leave the demo later, use the `workspace switcher` to move into a real workspace, or `create a real workspace` from the same /onboarding/workspace page. The demo membership stays on your account so you can return at any time.

The examples in these docs use stable demo records so screenshots and walkthroughs stay consistent.

#Accept an invite from email

When an admin invites you from Settings > Team, ATOM sends an invite email that contains:

  • An Open invite link to /onboarding/workspace?token=<your-code>.
  • The invite code you can paste manually.
  • The role you'll receive on accept.
  • An expiry date.

To accept:

1. Sign in to ATOM with the email the invite was sent to. If you don't have an account yet, `sign up` with the same email first. 2. Open the Open invite link in the email. The /onboarding/workspace page opens with the invite card already expanded and the code prefilled. 3. Select Join workspace.

If you signed in to a different account by mistake, sign out from the account menu and sign in again with the invited email. Invites are bound to the email address they were sent to, so signing in with the wrong account always returns That invite code isn't valid. Ask the inviter to resend it to your account email.

Invite emails contain a one-time-use token. Once accepted, the same email link returns That invite has already been accepted. Sign in to that workspace from /login.. Future invites need a new email — ask the inviter to send a fresh one from Settings > Team.

#Switch workspaces

After your first workspace is active, ATOM keeps the workspace switcher in the app shell so you can move between any workspace where you are an active member. The switcher lives at the top of the sidebar (or the top bar, depending on the view) and includes the workspaces you joined, plus the demo workspace if you chose Explore demo.

Switching rules:

  • You can only switch to workspaces where your membership is active. Archived, removed, or revoked memberships do not appear.
  • Switching to a workspace where your role requires two-factor authentication is blocked until TOTP is enrolled. This applies when the target workspace MFA policy is required and your role is owner, admin, dispatcher, or staff. The app shows Set up two-factor authentication before switching to this workspace.; open /account to complete enrolment, or ask an owner/admin in that workspace to review Settings > Security.
  • ATOM rate-limits very rapid switching. If you see Too many workspace switches. Please try again later., wait a few seconds and retry.
  • Support staff impersonating your account cannot switch workspaces. If you see Workspace switching is disabled during support impersonation., the active session belongs to a support impersonation; end the impersonation in the admin tooling first.
  • If your session was archived or expired between the switch attempt and the response, the app shows Your session has expired. Sign in again.. Sign in again from /login.

If a workspace is missing from the switcher, you don't have an active membership there. Ask an admin to re-invite you from Settings > Team, or use the `Join an existing workspace` flow with a fresh invite code.

#Upgrade from Settings Billing

Trial workspace owners and admins can upgrade from Settings > Billing. Staff and other roles without billing access cannot start upgrade checkout.

The Billing tab shows a trial-aware subscription summary:

  • The workspace is on a 14-day cardless trial.
  • Trial access ends on <date> shows the fixed trial expiry timestamp.
  • No paid Stripe subscription is linked yet confirms the workspace is still cardless.
  • Upgrade after trial lets an owner/admin choose Monthly subscription or Annual subscription and select Upgrade in Stripe Checkout.

Stripe Checkout opens only after you choose to upgrade. Stripe collects the payment method and billing details, then sends you back to /settings?tab=billing&upgrade=success or /settings?tab=billing&upgrade=cancelled.

  • On success, ATOM links the Stripe customer and subscription to the existing workspace. It does not create a duplicate workspace. If the summary has not updated yet, refresh the tab after a few minutes.
  • On cancellation, no billing change is made and the trial remains active until its trial end date. Choose a plan and start checkout again when ready.
  • If checkout creation fails, the tab shows a retryable error and a support link. Do not send card details to support.

After upgrade, the Stripe Customer Portal appears on the same tab for card updates, invoice history, cancellations, and plan changes.

#Legacy checkout recovery

The current public signup path is cardless trial signup, not Stripe-first signup. Older checkout links and the retired checkout-cancelled page may still appear in browser history, support emails, or an interrupted legacy flow.

#/signup/cancelled

Heading: Checkout cancelled. Body: This legacy checkout did not create a workspace. Return to signup to start the current cardless trial flow with no payment details.

  • Return to signup opens /signup with any safe email and plan query values preserved.
  • Sign in goes to /login if you already have an account.
  • Contact support opens a mail draft to support@atomworks.app for help choosing a plan or resolving a billing block.

Nothing is charged when legacy checkout is cancelled. No workspace is created from that cancelled checkout.

#/signup/success recovery states

The success page accepts both cardless trial signup IDs (billing-intent-…) and legacy Stripe Checkout Session IDs (cs_…) so old links can still recover safely.

When a legacy success link cannot be confirmed, the page switches into recovery mode with one of three headings:

  • `Checkout needs attention`: Stripe redirected you back to ATOM, but ATOM could not complete billing confirmation. Contact support and include your Stripe Checkout email.
  • `Signup link expired`: the signup confirmation link is no longer available. Return to signup to start the current cardless trial flow, or contact support.
  • `Confirming checkout`: ATOM hit a temporary error reading the legacy Checkout session. Refresh confirmation to retry.

For cardless trial signup, a valid success link should show Trial workspace ready; it should not ask you to complete payment.

If a cardless trial success link is temporarily pending, it should show Trial signup received, say ATOM is confirming the workspace, and keep all recovery copy about trial status rather than Stripe Checkout.

#Billing portal and subscription state

After your workspace has a paid Stripe subscription, manage billing from Settings > Billing in the web app. The tab is visible only to owner and admin.

The Billing tab shows:

  • Current plan: the active Stripe price label, or Unknown plan if Stripe has not returned one.
  • Status: badges such as Active, Trialing, Past due, Paused, Canceled. ATOM overrides an Active badge to Active — canceling when Stripe has flagged the subscription to cancel at period end.
  • Renewal: short copy such as Renews on <date>, Trial ends on <date>, Cancels on <date>, Payment due — period ends <date>, or Ended on <date> after cancellation completes.

Select Manage billing in Stripe to open the Stripe Customer Portal in the same tab. Use the portal for:

  • Updating the payment method.
  • Reviewing or downloading past invoices.
  • Cancelling the subscription (Stripe handles the cancel-at-period-end behaviour).
  • Changing the plan if Stripe exposes plan changes for your account.

Stripe handles failed-payment dunning with Stripe defaults; ATOM does not send its own dunning email.

Error states on Settings > Billing:

  • Billing details are temporarily unavailable. with Try again — retry from the same tab.
  • A billing/portal_unauthorized error shows a Sign in again link to /login.
  • A billing/portal_forbidden error shows Contact support to support@atomworks.app.
  • A cardless trial workspace shows the upgrade section instead of the Stripe Customer Portal until the paid subscription is linked.
  • This workspace isn't linked to Stripe billing yet. appears for missing or support-only billing states that are not customer-created cardless trials. Contact support if you expected a paid subscription.

When the browser restores the tab from the back-forward cache after a Stripe portal or checkout change, ATOM reloads the subscription summary so the page does not show stale data.

For full administration of the Billing tab, including role gating and lifecycle blocks, see `Administer workspace settings`.

#Subscription state and workspace access

Billing state controls whether the workspace can accept changes:

  • Active trial — the workspace is writeable until the fixed 14-day trial end date.
  • Active paid subscription — the workspace stays writeable.
  • Past due — the workspace remains writeable for now, but Settings > Billing shows Payment due — period ends <date>. Use the portal to update payment before the period ends.
  • Expired trial — ATOM moves the workspace to read-only until billing is resolved.
  • Canceled, unpaid, paused, or expired checkout — ATOM keeps reads available but blocks changes with Workspace changes are temporarily unavailable..

Contact support if you need a non-Stripe billing arrangement, trial extension, or separate contract.

#Web app vs field app

Signup and workspace onboarding live in the web app. There is no signup or workspace-choice flow in the field app.

| Surface | Web app (atomworks.app) | Field app (native iOS, Android, and browser app) | | ------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Cardless trial signup | Yes, at /signup | Not available — sign up on the web first. | | Workspace creation, invite acceptance, demo entry | Yes, at /signup and /onboarding/workspace | Not available. | | Workspace switcher | Yes, in the app shell sidebar | Not available — the field app uses the active workspace of your session and does not surface a switcher. | | Billing upgrade and portal | Yes, Settings > Billing for owner / admin | Not available. | | Sign in | Yes, /login | Yes — same email and password, plus TOTP when you already enabled it or when the active workspace requires it for your role. |

The field app uses the workspace access you set up in the web app. A field user with no active workspace sees auth/no_workspace_access after sign-in. Complete /signup or /onboarding/workspace in the web app first, then return to the field app and sign in. If you have multiple workspaces, choose the active workspace in the web app, then re-launch the field app.

See `Use the ATOM field app` for the field sign-in flow once a workspace is active.

#Support

Email support@atomworks.app if any of these are true:

  • Trial signup says it succeeded but the verification email never arrives after using Resend verification email.
  • /signup/success reports Resend unavailable. even though you never verified.
  • Your trial workspace shows Settings > Billing without the trial end date or upgrade checkout.
  • Stripe Checkout for a trial upgrade returned successfully but Settings > Billing still shows no paid subscription after refreshing.
  • An invite email arrived for an email you no longer control, and the inviter can't re-send it to a current address.
  • Your workspace shows This workspace isn't linked to Stripe billing yet. when you expect billing to be active.
  • You need a non-Stripe billing arrangement (trial extension, internal customer, separate contract).

Include the signup email, workspace name, visible error text, and page URL where the error appeared. Do not include card numbers or other secrets in support emails.

#See also

Last updated 15 June 2026