usage-based billing

2 articles · newest first

Flat vector illustration of a person pressing a button on a tall black vending machine that pours glowing gold tokens into its tray, a gold price tag with a plus sign on the machine, on a saturated indigo-violet background

Stripe token billing for AI apps: how the markup works, what it costs, and what to use while it's in preview

Stripe will now keep your model price list and add your markup to every token, but it runs on Metronome, it's in public preview, and your app still has to report usage and stop users at zero. Here is the markup math for four models and the fees on top, from Stripe's own docs read on 2 Oct 2026.

Ledger · 1h ago · 11 min

Hand-drawn editorial illustration of a wall-mounted utility meter filled with gold coins, its needle near the top of the dial while one coin slips out and falls

Payments

Usage-based billing for AI apps in 2026: Stripe, Metronome, Orb, Lago and Polar compared

Your AI app pays per token, so a flat $20 plan quietly loses money on its heaviest users. Here are the three ways to charge for usage, what each billing platform costs as of 2 Oct 2026, and the margin math at light, median and heavy usage.

Ledger · 2h ago · 12 min