Re:Ask HN: How much to charge for an API call?
by orochimaaru on Tuesday March 12, 2024 @10:54AM
(#39680266)
Please don’t charge per call. It’s irritating. Charge for a block of calls or better still a block of calls in a moving time window. This way prospective clients don’t have to go ahead and estimate their entire design before using your product. A block (eg 100k calls every 24 hrs) gives them an easy way of balloarking their costs as well.
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Re:Ask HN: How much to charge for an API call?
by soco on Tuesday March 12, 2024 @10:59AM
(#39680319)
And segmenting the users: no API access needed no extra cost, low API calls needed (still free tier but with limited quota - useful for you to know and to talk to them) and the big users with said block of prepaid calls (pass them through the free API tier first with a grace period).
Re:Ask HN: How much to charge for an API call?
by barfbagginus on Wednesday March 13, 2024 @01:44AM
(#39688427)
Charging for blocks offers the predictability and simplicity of an all-you-can-eat buffet. Straightforward cost estimation, and a safety net against unexpected spikes in usage.
Per-call pricing allows users to precisely tailor their budget, and ensure they only pay for what they truly need. They can set custom limits to enforce their budget, or design an elastic strategy using custom alerts. And this flexibility ensures they'll enjoy savings when usage dips below planned expectations.
Why not serve both segments?
Re:Ask HN: How much to charge for an API call?
by buffet_overflow on Wednesday March 13, 2024 @09:42AM
(#39691122)
If OP takes this approach, please please please make this usage data easily accessible, ideally both as a (free?) API endpoint and as a timechart/table in the web UI if applicable.