The rules

Four rules.
No exceptions.

TechBench works the way it works for reasons. These aren't arbitrary product decisions — they're the architecture of a system designed to take you somewhere real.

01
Progression

One direction. No downgrading. Ever.

Once you reach a tier, you stay at that tier's subscription price permanently. There is no downgrading, no re-entering at a lower tier, no exceptions.

This is a commitment mechanism, not a restriction. The price you pay reflects the level you've earned. If you pause and come back, you return to exactly where you were — same tier, same price, same progress.

What this means in practice: If you reach T2 at €14.99/mo, that is your price forever. You will never be asked to pay more than the price of your current tier unless you choose to progress further. And progression requires completing the prior capstone — not just paying.
02
Capstone gate

You earn the next tier. You don't buy it.

Paying for the next tier is only possible after completing the capstone for your current tier. The upgrade option doesn't appear until you're eligible.

At Foundation, this means completing all three tracks — IT Foundation, Human Skills, and AI Foundations — then passing the Foundation capstone. At T2 and above, it means completing all modules in your active tree and passing that tree's capstone.

Why this matters: Platforms that let you pay your way to advanced content produce people who paid for advanced content. TechBench produces people who earned it. The capstone is not a formality — it is the moment where the platform confirms you're ready for what comes next.
03
Branch unlock

Add a second tree for a one-time fee.

Once you're at Tier 2, you can unlock additional career trees for a one-time fee of €44.99 per tree. There is no change to your monthly subscription.

Each tree you unlock starts at T2 and progresses independently. You unlock T3 content in that tree by completing the T2 capstone for that tree — the same capstone gate applies regardless of where you are in any other tree.

One subscription, multiple paths: Your subscription price reflects your highest tier across all trees. If you're T3 in Infrastructure and unlock Security at T2, you don't pay more — you're already at T3 pricing. Security T2 content is included at no extra subscription cost.
04
Access

Active subscription means everything. Paused means nothing is lost.

An active subscription unlocks everything you've earned: all your course content, all your unlocked packages, all your certificates, your position on the career map. Pause or cancel, and access pauses immediately.

Resubscribe, and everything is restored instantly. Progress, unlocks, certificates — nothing expires, nothing resets. You pick up exactly where you stopped.

On refunds: TechBench does not offer refunds once access to a tier or package has been granted. This is not a policy designed to trap you — it reflects the one-way, earned nature of progression. You have access to the full content of your current tier before committing to the next.
Access promise

What's included. What isn't.

Your active subscription covers everything listed below. Anything outside this list is available as a separate purchase.

Included with your subscription
All content at your current tier across all three tracks — IT, Human Skills, AI Foundations
Your primary career tree content up to your current tier
Any branch-unlocked trees, up to the tier you've reached in each
All TechBench certificates you've earned
Access to all software packages you've purchased
Access to all cert prep packages you've purchased
Full progress and career map visibility
Not included — available separately
Branch unlocks for additional career trees (€44.99 one-time per tree)
Third-party certification prep packages (€24.99 one-time per cert)
Software and tool packages (€14.99 standard / €24.99 premium, one-time)
Content at tiers above your current subscription level
The actual certification exam — booked directly with the relevant vendor

Ready to start?

Foundation is live. Everything else is in development — and you'll see it arrive as you progress.