Should I sell credits or a subscription for my AI product?
The problem“My AI tool costs me money every time someone uses it. A flat monthly plan feels risky, but credits feel fiddly.”
Most AI products sell credits. Of 1,170 AI products we read, 63% sell credit packs (median $34.90) and 30% sell monthly or yearly plans (median $23.50 a month). Credits fit uneven, compute-heavy use; a plan fits a tool people open every week. Many products do both: a plan with some credits included, plus packs to top up.
What 1,170 AI products charge
| Billing model | Share of AI products | Median price | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|
| Credit packs | 63% | $34.90 | $10 to $99 |
| Monthly plan | 17% | $23.50 | $10 to $70 |
| Yearly plan | 13% | $179 | $90 to $479 |
| One-time purchase | 7% | $40 | $9 to $149 |
1,170 products from 242 AI startups on public merchant-of-record storefronts, read 17 October 2026; list prices in USD; share of products with a clear billing model. Full method and CSV: How AI products price in 2026. For non-AI products, credit packs are 42%.
Credits, a plan, or both
- Credits fit when usage is uneven.Each generation, call or minute costs you compute, and buyers use it in bursts. Credits keep your margin per use and let a buyer start small.
- A plan fits when value is steady.If the product is used every week (a workspace, a dashboard, a daily tool), a monthly plan matches how people use it and gives you predictable revenue.
- Many do both.A plan that includes some credits each month, plus packs to top up. That is how the 63% and the 30% meet.
This is our reading of the data, not a rule. Test it with your own buyers.
Selling credits without a billing system
- Credit packs. Create each pack as a one-time product (for example 100 credits for €29). When the payment webhook arrives, add the credits to the buyer’s balance in your app.
- A plan. Create a monthly or yearly subscription product. A yearly plan at 7 to 8 months of the monthly price is where the median sits.
- Both. One subscription plus one or more packs, each with its own buyer link. Your app grants the monthly credits on each renewal webhook.
AgentaOS sells one-time products and subscriptions and sends a webhook for each payment and renewal; the credit balance lives in your app. Your AI agent can set this up over MCP: “create a €29 pack of 100 credits and a €19 monthly plan”.
Related questions
Should I sell credits or a subscription for my AI product?
Most AI products sell credits: 63% of 1,170 AI products with a clear billing model sell credit packs, 17% monthly plans and 13% yearly plans. Credits fit uneven, compute-heavy usage; a plan fits steady weekly use. Many products combine a plan with top-up packs.
What do AI credit packs cost?
The median AI credit pack costs $34.90; the middle half costs $10 to $99 (1,170 AI products, October 2026).
What does a monthly AI plan cost?
The median monthly AI plan is $23.50 and the median yearly plan $179, so a year costs about 7.6 months at the median.
Can I sell credit packs without building a billing system?
Yes. Sell each pack as a one-time product through a merchant of record and add the credits in your app when the payment webhook arrives. The merchant of record handles the payment, tax and invoice.
Do AI products offer a free plan?
Rarely on the storefront: only 2.5% of AI stores list a free product.
Can you sell from your country?
Pick your country. See how you get paid, what it costs and which platforms work there.
86 countries, checked 6 October 2026No company needed