The SDK initializations metric isn't perfect — it's our fairest possible way to keep pricing both simple and extremely competitive.
Example:
Your company has 100 employees testing your iOS, Android, and staging web apps. Because web SDK initializations are discounted 7✕, the total count is:
100 + 100 + (100/7) = 214 initializations
Every plan includes 10 000 initializations for free, so you’re using only 2% of that quota.
If you also initialize Shake in production apps for internal users (another 214), you’re at 428 total.
That's just 4% of the quota.
Even with employee churn and app re-installs, you might get to 600.
Still only 6% of the free quota.
Larger teams (200+ employees), heavy daily testing, or automated runs may reach the full quota in 1 – 2 years.
Even then, the $100/month “10k to 100k initializations” add-on expands your quota 10✕, enough for many years to come.
Teams with 100–500 employees routinely report saving thousands of dollars in developer time each month, so the extra $100/mo is a no-brainer.
If you initialize Shake SDK for all your production users (e.g. 200k MAU), that’s 200k initializations in the first month, with new users then being added too.
Q: What exactly is an “SDK initialization”?
A: It’s each time Shake.start(API-KEY) runs. The grand total is a sum across all active apps in your workspace.
Web initializations are discounted 7✕ because web visitors report fewer tickets.
Notes:
Inactive apps don’t count.
Having Shake SDK in your code but not calling
Shake.start()doesn’t count.You can conditionally initialize Shake (iOS / Android / React Native / Flutter / Web) only for certain users, e.g. testers.
Q: What about uninstalls, reinstalls, and browser behavior?
A:
Uninstalls don’t reduce the count.
Reinstalls count again.
For web, the ID is stored in local storage. Refreshing or clearing cache doesn’t count again—only manually deleting cookies or using Private Browsing does.
Q: How do SDK initializations differ from monthly/daily active users?
A:
Initializations = how many times the Shake SDK was started.
MAU/DAU = how many users are active in a period.
Those numbers are uncorrelated, but roughly, 100k SDK initializations ≈ 20–30k MAU or 3–6k DAU.
Q: Are archived apps counted? Can any plan use add-ons?
A: Only active apps count, and you can activate or deactivate apps anytime. Add-ons are available on any plan.
Q: How can I reduce my SDK initializations count?
A: Deactivate any apps you’re not actively using to lower your total SDK initializations count.
Still have questions? Email friends@shakebugs.com and we'll clarify everything unclear.