Use Case · Applications

Your users do more, you earn more. Usage-based billing for AI apps.

Per-seat pricing underprices power users and overcharges light ones. UsageTap lets you bill on real consumption (AI actions, workflow runs, generated outputs) so revenue scales with the value you deliver. Add a React hook or route handler and your entire billing pipeline is live.

Align price with value

Bill on AI actions, workflow runs, or generated outputs, not seat-count guesswork.

Protect gross margins

Entitlement gates and quotas prevent over-consumption before it erodes unit economics.

Unlock expansion revenue

Usage naturally grows with customer success. Pricing grows with it, with no awkward upgrade conversations.

Three steps to usage-based billing

1

Add the React hook or route handler

useChatWithUsage gives your frontend streaming chat with built-in entitlement checks. streamOpenAIRoute wires up your Next.js API route in one call.

2

Define plans in the dashboard

Set quotas, rate limits, model access, and feature gates per tier. Adjust anytime without redeploying code.

3

Ship and scale

Usage flows to Stripe automatically. Customers see real-time consumption. Finance gets accurate invoices. Product gets pricing agility.

Full-stack billing in a few lines

useChatWithUsage gives your React frontend a streaming chat with built-in entitlement checks and usage reporting. streamOpenAIRoute wires up the server side in one function call. Or use withUsage for any backend action.

AIChatPanel.tsx
import { useChatWithUsage } from "@usagetap/sdk/react";

export default function AIChatPanel({ customerId }: { customerId: string }) {
  const {
    messages,
    input,
    setInput,
    handleSubmit,
    isLoading,
    stop,
    clear,
  } = useChatWithUsage({
    api: "/api/chat",           // your Next.js route
    customerId,
    feature: "ai-assistant",
    tags: ["app", "chat"],
  });

  // That's it. Every message automatically:
  //   ✓ Checks entitlements (premium model access, tool gating)
  //   ✓ Streams the response with real-time token counting
  //   ✓ Reports usage to UsageTap for billing
  //   ✓ Respects rate limits per customer tier

  return (
    <div className="flex h-full flex-col">
      <div className="flex-1 overflow-y-auto space-y-3 p-4">
        {messages.map((m) => (
          <div key={m.id} className={m.role === "user" ? "text-right" : ""}>
            <p className="inline-block rounded-lg bg-gray-100 px-3 py-2">
              {m.content}
            </p>
          </div>
        ))}
      </div>
      <form onSubmit={handleSubmit} className="flex gap-2 border-t p-4">
        <input
          value={input}
          onChange={(e) => setInput(e.target.value)}
          placeholder="Ask anything..."
          className="flex-1 rounded-lg border px-3 py-2"
          disabled={isLoading}
        />
        <button type="submit" disabled={isLoading}>Send</button>
      </form>
    </div>
  );
}

DIY billing stack

  • Custom usage-tracking tables, aggregation cron jobs, reconciliation scripts
  • Manual entitlement checks scattered across every feature endpoint
  • Stripe meter sync logic you built, maintain, and pray doesn't drift
  • Every pricing change requires a code deploy

With UsageTap

  • Usage metered automatically from SDK wrappers with no manual counting
  • Entitlements checked and enforced in every begin/end call
  • Stripe invoices and meters updated in real time, zero drift
  • Change plans, quotas, and pricing in the dashboard with no redeploy

Example application plan definitions

These map to customer-facing product outcomes, not raw infrastructure counters. Use them as launch templates, then tune entitlements by segment in the dashboard.

Free Tier

20 AI actions/mo · 5 exports/mo

Users can evaluate core features with hard limits. When allowances are hit, a contextual upgrade prompt drives conversion.

Best for: Self-serve PLG onboarding and fast activation.

Prepaid Credits

$250 → 50,000 workflow credits

Each workflow consumes credits by complexity. Teams buy predictable budget blocks and consume over a quarter without seat negotiations.

Best for: B2B buyers who need committed budget before production.

Pure PAYG

$0 platform fee · per-action billing

Bill per generated report, per automation run, or per AI action. Revenue is directly proportional to value delivered.

Best for: Usage that varies by season, campaign, or customer segment.

Hybrid: Prepaid + PAYG

$999 includes 100K actions + overage

Included usage covers baseline demand. Overage at a lower per-action rate rewards commitment while giving elastic headroom.

Best for: Scaling customers that want committed value and burst capacity.