Question 1

Can I use the symbols in commercial projects?

Accepted Answer

Yes, on a paid plan. Official catalog symbols you download on Starter, Studio or Enterprise include a commercial license for unlimited projects, yours and your end clients’. Free-plan downloads are for evaluation only. Community symbols are CC BY 4.0 on every plan: commercial use is allowed with attribution to the author.

Question 2

What do the download quotas mean?

Accepted Answer

Each plan includes a number of downloads per calendar month: Free 5, Starter 50, Studio 1,000. Every symbol downloaded from the library counts, and so does every PNG or SVG export, whether it comes from the official catalog, from a community symbol or from your own draft in the Symbol Builder. Browsing, building and previewing are free and unlimited. Exports of symbols you have published under CC BY 4.0 have a separate monthly allowance of the same size as your plan: 5 on Free, 50 on Starter, 1,000 on Studio. Once it is used up, each export counts as a normal download.

Question 3

Which plan is right for me?

Accepted Answer

Start on Free: you can browse the whole library, draw and publish without limit and download 5 symbols a month. Starter (€19.99/month) is for people who download regularly or need a commercial license for client projects: 50 downloads a month. Studio (€39.99/month) is for people who draw screens every week: up to 1,000 downloads a month and 20 drafts in the Symbol Builder.

Question 4

What happens when I reach the 5 free downloads?

Accepted Answer

Nothing breaks: your symbols, drafts and published work stay where they are and you can keep building. Only downloads pause until the next calendar month, when the quota goes back to 5, or until you change plan. Your own published symbols have a separate allowance: 5 more exports a month. If you need more, move to Starter or Studio from your dashboard.

Question 5

Who owns the symbols I publish?

Accepted Answer

You do. You keep authorship and, by publishing, you license the symbol to everyone under CC BY 4.0 (free use with attribution). You can unpublish from your dashboard at any time; copies already downloaded keep their license.

Question 6

Can I use community symbols commercially?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The CC BY 4.0 license allows commercial use, modification and redistribution as long as you credit the author (for example in the project documentation). Every symbol page includes ready-to-copy attribution text.

Question 7

What formats do I get?

Accepted Answer

From the library, each symbol as editable SVG or as PNG. From the catalog and the Symbol Builder, transparent PNG (up to 1024×512 px) and editable vector SVG.

Question 8

Can I download everything at once?

Accepted Answer

No. Symbols are downloaded one at a time and each download counts against the month’s quota. For now there are no packs or bulk downloads.

Question 9

Does it work with my HMI / SCADA?

Accepted Answer

Yes. They are standard PNG and SVG files, so they import into any HMI or SCADA that accepts images: Weintek EasyBuilder Pro, WinCC, FactoryTalk, Ignition, Citect, Wonderware… They are not native objects for any brand: you import them as images.

Question 10

Can I cancel anytime?

Accepted Answer

Yes. No lock-in, no termination fee. If you cancel mid-month you keep access until the end of the paid period. Symbols you already exported remain yours under the commercial license.

Question 11

How does the Studio free trial work?

Accepted Answer

When you start monthly Studio you get 3 days free with the Studio features, 20 drafts included, and up to 50 downloads during the trial (1,000 a month from the first payment). Stripe asks for your card at the start but charges nothing during the trial. If you do not cancel before the 3 days end, the subscription continues at €39.99/month and is charged automatically. Cancel anytime from your dashboard (Billing → Stripe portal) and you pay nothing.

Question 12

Are there any discounts?

Accepted Answer

On the annual plan you pay €120 (Starter) or €228 (Studio) once a year: that works out at €10 and €19 a month, about half the monthly price.

Question 13

Do you offer a refund?

Accepted Answer

Yes — 14-day no-questions-asked refund on the first paid month/year of any subscription. Reach out at hello@hmilibrary.com.

Question 14

Do you issue EU VAT invoices?

Accepted Answer

Yes, every subscription generates an invoice with your VAT/NIF and legal name automatically. EU B2B reverse charge supported (no VAT charged with valid VIES VAT ID).

Question 15

Is payment secure?

Accepted Answer

Yes. All payments are processed by Stripe (PCI-DSS Level 1 certified). We never see or store your card details. Bank transfer available for Enterprise plans.

Question 16

How do you compare to Symbol Factory / HMIcons?

Accepted Answer

Everything runs in the browser, with nothing to install: our own library of more than 7,000 symbols in three styles, the Symbol Builder to draw the ones that are missing, a creator community and a live editor to adapt colors and typography to each client’s style guide. Our default palette reserves color for alarms and states, which is what ISA-101 recommends. Detailed comparison table above.

Question 17

Can I get custom symbols?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Enterprise plan includes custom symbol design tailored to your equipment library. Studio customers can request custom symbols at additional cost.