Pricing AI features and agents by the work they do
The Pricing work group on billable events, credits, work packages and letting users try an agent before they pay.
Updated
Bill for a unit customers can understand and verify, check it against the cost of serving heavy users, and let people finish a real task before they pay.
- Define the billable event. Kyle Poyar cites Intercom's Fin at $0.99 per resolution, where the definition of a resolution matters as much as the rate. Dan Hockenmaier would define an outcome customers can verify, then test adoption at different prices alongside margin after delivery costs. Where outcomes are hard to verify, Alvaro Morales says tasks and workflows can be practical billing proxies.
- Test how people buy. At Lovable, Elena Verna's team charges for building with credits and has no per-user fee in self-serve. It tested one-off top-ups at 20% and 40% premiums: 20% raised engagement and bookings, 40% had too few buyers, and paid retention improved 7% after the change.
- Give buyers a budget. Kyle would sell an agent to a department head as a monthly package of work, such as the accounts an AI SDR researches, so the buyer can compare it with hiring. Alvaro points to Notion's then-$20 AI add-on, a simple price that let people try the feature, and tracks cost per customer behind it.
- Let users finish a task first. Lauryn Motamedi would give a limited trial allowance so a customer can complete a real task, drawing on Airtable's reverse trial. Elena says to check first that users can see what the paid agent does and what it costs, so low conversion isn't blamed on the price.
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Pricing
Frequently Asked Questions
How should a consultant or agency price its services?
By the shape of the work: a fixed fee for a defined deliverable, a retainer for ongoing access, prepaid units for variable requests. Add a performance fee only once the metric, baseline and client duties are agreed.
How does a young startup or community choose a business model?
Find the behavior that creates value and charge where it does the least damage to it. Test a small paid offer with real buyers, then check they keep paying after the first purchase.
Should a transaction fee be flat or a percentage?
Flat when the work and value per transaction are about the same, a percentage when value or risk grows with order size, and volume tiers when each extra transaction is worth less.
How do you present a pricing change to executives?
Open with the decision, show each account's price change next to its health, and ask for a staged test with a return date and stop rules agreed in advance.
How many pricing tiers should a SaaS product have?
Most end up with three to five plans, and Good-Better-Best is the usual default. Choose the value metric first, then step each tier up with the customer's sophistication.
How do you break down a competitor's pricing?
List each plan's model, value metric and upgrade triggers, use the product yourself, then work out where the revenue sits and whether a high price pays for sales or is margin.
How do you move existing customers to a new pricing model?
Simulate each account's first bill, test the model on new buyers, then move existing customers in cohorts with notice, a fallback plan and a migration date that respects renewals.
How long should a free trial be?
Long enough for retained customers to reach the paid value. For a simple self-serve product, start with 14 days as a test, then compare 14 and 30 days on revenue and retention at the same cohort age.
What makes people pay at a paywall?
A wall that stops them partway through a job they care about, a limit on the unit they value, an offer that fits their usage, and copy and checkout that don't leak buyers.
