Understanding and Configuring Usage-Based Pricing in the App Marketplace

What is Usage-Based Pricing and Agency Rebilling?

Usage-based pricing is a model where charges for an app are tied directly to its activity. Instead of a flat subscription fee, costs scale with actual consumption, such as the number of times an action runs or messages are sent. Agency rebilling allows your agency to resell these usage-based charges to your clients. You can add your own markup to the developer's base price and control which account—your agency's or your client's sub-account—is billed for the usage.

Key Benefits

This model offers several advantages for managing apps and client billing:

• Cost Alignment: Clients pay for what they actually use, not for unused capacity.
• Flexible Pricing Models: Choose from different modules to match how the app is consumed.
• Agency Profit: Add a markup to developer pricing to maintain your margin.
• Spend Control: Set daily usage limits to prevent unexpected overages.
• Billing Clarity: Clear rules determine which wallet is charged for usage.

Usage-Based Pricing Modules

App developers can offer three primary types of usage-based pricing. When you resell these apps, you can apply your markup to the following modules:

Per-Execution Pricing

This model charges a fee each time a specific workflow Action or Trigger from the app is executed. It is ideal for apps that perform data processing, integrations, or other automated tasks within workflows.

• Unit: Each run of a supported Action or Trigger.
• Configuration: The developer enables this in the app's Pricing settings.

Per-Message Pricing for Conversation Providers

Apps that function as Conversation Providers can charge separately for inbound and outbound messages. This allows pricing to reflect the different costs associated with receiving versus sending messages.

• Unit: Each message processed.
• Directional Pricing: Separate rates can be set for Inbound and Outbound messages.
• Configuration: The developer sets these rates in the app's Pricing section.

Custom Per-Usage Pricing

For unique consumption metrics, developers can define custom events. They then post usage for these events (e.g., per minute, per token) via the Marketplace billing APIs.

• Unit Examples: Minutes of usage, AI tokens, items processed.
• Configuration: The developer defines the event and price in the app's Pricing area and uses APIs to report usage.

Billing Controls and Protections

As an agency, you have important controls to manage pricing and client spending.

Agency Markup

You can add a profit margin on top of the developer's base usage price. This markup is configured at the app level within the App Marketplace and applies to all usage charges for that app when billed to your clients.

Charge Flow (Rebilling)

The Rebilling setting determines which wallet is charged for usage fees:

• Rebilling ON: Usage charges (including your markup) are billed directly to the client's sub-account wallet. Ensure the client's wallet is funded.
• Rebilling OFF: All usage charges are billed to your agency's master wallet. You must then invoice your client separately.

Daily Usage Limits

To protect your clients (and your agency) from unexpected high usage, you can set a daily cap on billable units for each app per sub-account. Once the limit is reached, billable usage for that app pauses until the next day.

How to Set Up Usage-Based Pricing and Agency Rebilling

Follow these steps to configure usage-based pricing for an app you are reselling.

1. Navigate to the App Marketplace and open the details page for the specific app.
2. Locate and access the App Reselling (Usage-Based) settings area.
3. Select the option to Set Usage-Based Pricing (or similar).
4. Enter your desired markup percentage and save the configuration.
5. Go to the Usage Limits section in the App Marketplace.
6. Set daily usage caps for your clients or sub-accounts as needed and save.
7. Verify that your overall agency Rebilling settings are configured correctly (ON or OFF) to direct charges to the intended wallet.

Viewing Usage Charges

If an app uses this pricing model, its pricing details will be listed in the Pricing section of the app's details page in the Marketplace. For workflow Actions and Triggers, the per-execution pricing is also displayed in the Discover tab when you are building a workflow.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who gets billed when rebilling is on versus off?

With rebilling ON, the client's sub-account wallet is charged. With rebilling OFF, your agency's master wallet is charged.

Can I set different prices for inbound and outbound messages?

Yes. For Conversation Provider apps, the developer can set separate inbound and outbound per-message rates, and your markup will apply to those base rates.

Are markups set per app or per client?

Markups are configured at the app level. All your clients will be charged the same marked-up price for that app's usage.

What happens when a daily usage limit is reached?

Billable usage for that specific app is paused for the remainder of the calendar day. It automatically resumes after the daily reset.

Can an app have both a subscription and usage-based pricing?

Yes, if the developer has configured it that way. An app might use a subscription for base access and add usage-based fees for specific high-volume features.