> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.magichour.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Usage-Based Pricing

> Pay only for what you use with automatic monthly billing and volume discounts.

export const PricingCard = ({title = "", prices = [], benefits = []}) => {
  return <Card title={title}>
      {prices && prices.length > 0 && <div class="flex items-end mb-6 gap-2">
          {prices.map((price, index) => {
    return <>
                <div class="flex items-end gap-2">
                  <div>
                    <span class="text-2xl text-primary">
                      ${price?.amount?.toLocaleString() || "0"}
                    </span>
                    {price?.label || ""}
                  </div>
                </div>
                {index < prices.length - 1 && <span class="">or</span>}
              </>;
  })}
        </div>}
      {benefits && benefits.length > 0 && <ul class="flex flex-col space-y-2">
          {benefits.map((benefit, index) => {
    return <li key={index}>{benefit}</li>;
  })}
        </ul>}
    </Card>;
};

## How Usage-Based Pricing Works

**Simple concept:** You pay only for the credits you actually use each month. No upfront payments, no unused credits going to waste.

### **The Basics**

1. **Add a payment method** to your account
2. **Choose your tier** based on resolution needs and expected usage
3. **Use the API** - credits are consumed as you generate content
4. **Get billed monthly** based on your actual usage
5. **Automatic volume discounts** apply as you use more credits

### **Key Benefits**

✅ **No upfront costs** - Start using immediately without buying credits in advance\
✅ **Pay for actual usage** - Only pay for credits you actually consume\
✅ **Automatic billing** - Monthly invoices based on previous month's usage\
✅ **Volume discounts** - Up to 50% savings as you scale\
✅ **No waste** - Never lose unused credits

### **How It Differs from Subscriptions**

| Usage-Based                | Subscription               |
| :------------------------- | :------------------------- |
| Pay after you use          | Pay upfront                |
| Automatic monthly billing  | Manual credit purchases    |
| Volume discounts included  | Fixed credit amounts       |
| No unused credits          | Credits can expire unused  |
| Perfect for variable usage | Good for predictable usage |

## Choose Your Tier

Each tier offers different resolution limits and credit pricing. Higher tiers unlock better resolution but cost more per credit.

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <PricingCard
    title="Starter"
    prices={[{ amount: "0.90", label: "/ 1000 credits" }]}
    benefits={[
"512x512 resolution",
"Access to all image modes",
"Access to Animation, Face Swap, Lip Sync, Subtitle Generator, Talking Photo",
]}
  />

  <PricingCard title="Creator" prices={[{ amount: "1.20", label: "/ 1000 credits" }]} benefits={["1024x1024 resolution", "Access to all image modes", "Access to all video modes"]} />

  <PricingCard title="Pro" prices={[{ amount: "1.95", label: "/ 1000 credits" }]} benefits={["1472x1472 resolution", "Access to all image modes", "Access to all video modes"]} />

  <PricingCard
    title="Business"
    prices={[{ amount: "2.50", label: "/ 1000 credits" }]}
    benefits={[
"4096x4096 resolution for select modes",
"Access to all image modes",
"Access to all video modes",
]}
  />
</CardGroup>

## Volume Discounts (Automatic)

The more credits you use each month, the cheaper each credit becomes. Discounts apply automatically to different usage ranges within the same month.

**Example:** If you use 150,000 credits on Starter tier:

* First 100,000 credits: \$0.90 per 1000 credits
* Next 50,000 credits: \$0.81 per 1000 credits (10% discount)
* **Total cost:** \$90 + \$40.50 = \$130.50

### **Discount Tiers by Plan**

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Starter">
    | Credit usage per month  | Discount on credits in this range | Cost per 1000 credits |
    | ----------------------- | --------------------------------- | --------------------- |
    | 0 - 100,000             | 0%                                | \$0.900               |
    | 100,001 - 1,000,000     | 10%                               | \$0.810               |
    | 1,000,001 - 5,000,000   | 20%                               | \$0.720               |
    | 5,000,001 - 10,000,000  | 30%                               | \$0.630               |
    | 10,000,001 - 50,000,000 | 40%                               | \$0.540               |
    | 50,000,000+             | 50%                               | \$0.450               |
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Creator">
    | Credit usage per month  | Discount on credits in this range | Cost per 1000 credits |
    | ----------------------- | --------------------------------- | --------------------- |
    | 0 - 100,000             | 0%                                | \$1.200               |
    | 100,001 - 1,000,000     | 10%                               | \$1.080               |
    | 1,000,001 - 5,000,000   | 20%                               | \$0.960               |
    | 5,000,001 - 10,000,000  | 30%                               | \$0.840               |
    | 10,000,001 - 50,000,000 | 40%                               | \$0.720               |
    | 50,000,000+             | 50%                               | \$0.600               |
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Pro">
    | Credit usage per month  | Discount on credits in this range | Cost per 1000 credits |
    | ----------------------- | --------------------------------- | --------------------- |
    | 0 - 100,000             | 0%                                | \$1.950               |
    | 100,001 - 1,000,000     | 10%                               | \$1.755               |
    | 1,000,001 - 5,000,000   | 20%                               | \$1.560               |
    | 5,000,001 - 10,000,000  | 30%                               | \$1.365               |
    | 10,000,001 - 50,000,000 | 40%                               | \$1.170               |
    | 50,000,000+             | 50%                               | \$0.975               |
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Business">
    | Credit usage per month  | Discount on credits in this range | Cost per 1000 credits |
    | ----------------------- | --------------------------------- | --------------------- |
    | 0 - 100,000             | 0%                                | \$2.500               |
    | 100,001 - 1,000,000     | 10%                               | \$2.250               |
    | 1,000,001 - 5,000,000   | 20%                               | \$2.000               |
    | 5,000,001 - 10,000,000  | 30%                               | \$1.750               |
    | 10,000,001 - 50,000,000 | 40%                               | \$1.500               |
    | 50,000,000+             | 50%                               | \$1.250               |
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

<Note>Usage resets at midnight on the first of each month PST time</Note>

## Practical Examples

### **Small Developer (5,000 credits/month)**

* **Starter Tier**: 5,000 × \$0.0009 = **\$4.50/month**
* **Creator Tier**: 5,000 × \$0.0012 = **\$6.00/month**

*Choose Starter for basic resolution, Creator for higher quality*

### **Growing Business (75,000 credits/month)**

* **Starter Tier**: \$67.50/month (all at base rate)
* **Creator Tier**: \$90/month (all at base rate)
* **Pro Tier**: \$146.25/month (all at base rate)

*Volume discounts kick in at 100,000+ credits*

### **High Volume (500,000 credits/month)**

**Starter Tier with volume discounts:**

* First 100,000: \$90 (base rate)
* Next 400,000: \$324 (10% discount)
* **Total: \$414/month** (vs \$450 without discounts)

**Use our [cost calculator](https://magichour.ai/api#api-cost-calculator) for precise estimates with volume discounts included.**

## Getting Started

<Warning>
  **Currently requires setup assistance** - Usage-based pricing is not yet self-serve. We're working
  on making this automatic.
</Warning>

**To get started:**

1. **Contact our team** to set up usage-based billing:
   * Email: [support@magichour.ai](mailto:support@magichour.ai)
   * Use the Intercom chat widget on our website

2. **Choose your tier** based on resolution needs and expected usage

3. **Add payment method** - We'll help you set this up securely

4. **Start using the API** - Credits are tracked automatically

### **Billing Process**

* **Monthly billing** on the same date each month
* **High usage accounts** may be billed earlier (e.g., at \$500 threshold)
* **Detailed invoices** show credit usage breakdown by tier
* **Volume discounts** applied automatically

## Tracking usage

In the [Developer Hub](https://magichour.ai/developer), you can see your usage analytics for specific time ranges.

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/magichour/zDVRebwg0vCIeSNP/billing/images/usage-analytics.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=zDVRebwg0vCIeSNP&q=85&s=4c63c5d4e174571f7e30e037be8b9241" alt="Usage Analytics" width="2558" height="1280" data-path="billing/images/usage-analytics.png" />

Also, you can view your upcoming invoice amount and total credit usage broken down by tier.

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/magichour/zDVRebwg0vCIeSNP/billing/images/upcoming-invoice-breakdown.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=zDVRebwg0vCIeSNP&q=85&s=496d4fc958b44d860e84bded0e80b226" alt="Developer Hub" width="2556" height="1464" data-path="billing/images/upcoming-invoice-breakdown.png" />