Until now, Commet supported one way to bill for usage: the classic Metered model (included amounts + overage at period end).
That works great for traditional SaaS. But the AI era brought new pricing patterns that didn't fit. So we built two new consumption models: Credits and Balance.
The Three Models
Every plan in Commet now uses one of three consumption models:
| Model | How it works | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Metered | Base price + overage at end of period | APIs, infrastructure, email |
| Credits | Prepaid credits consumed by usage | AI tools, generators |
| Balance | Prepaid dollar balance for consumption | Multi-product platforms |
Metered (the classic)
Customers pay a base price and get included usage. If they exceed the limit, they're charged overage at the end of the billing period.
Pay $99/month → Get 10,000 API calls → Use 15,000 → Pay $50 overageThis is how Twilio, SendGrid, and AWS work.
Credits (for AI products)
Customers receive credits with their subscription. Feature usage consumes credits. When credits run out, they can buy more via Credit Packs in the Customer Portal.
Pay $49/month → Get 1,000 credits → Image generation costs 10 creditsThis is how Midjourney, ChatGPT, and Cursor work.
Balance (prepaid spending)
Customers pay a base price that becomes their spending balance. Feature usage costs real money that's deducted from the balance.
Pay $50/month → Balance: $50 → API call costs $0.001 → Spend as you goThis is how Supabase, Vercel, and Railway work.
What Changes
When creating a Plan
You now select a Consumption Model when creating a plan. This determines how features are consumed and billed.
When adding Features to a Plan
Feature configuration depends on the plan's consumption model:
Metered plans: Configure included amount and overage price
Credits plans: Configure credits consumed per use
Balance plans: Configure cost per use in dollars
Documentation
We've updated the platform documentation to cover all three models:
Consumption Models - Deep dive into each model
Credit Packs - Configure purchasable credit packages
Customer Portal - Self-service for your customers
Choosing the Right Model
Use Metered for traditional SaaS with variable usage
Use Credits for AI products where you want to encourage credit purchases
Use Balance for platforms where customers want dollar-based transparency
If you're not sure which model fits your product, reach out and we'll help you figure it out.