Introducing Usage-Based Billing for API-Heavy Teams
Since we launched the CraftDesk API, we've watched teams push it in incredible ways. Some teams are making 500K+ API calls per month—far beyond what our standard plans anticipated. Those teams have been asking the same question: "What if we only pay for what we actually use?"
Starting today, that's possible.
How Usage-Based Billing Works
Instead of hitting a hard ceiling, your plan now includes a baseline monthly allowance, and anything beyond that gets billed transparently at the end of the month.
- Starter – 1,000 API calls included. Overages: $10 per 100K calls.
- Professional – 50,000 API calls included. Overages: $8 per 100K calls.
- Business – 500,000 API calls included. Overages: $5 per 100K calls.
Your plan remains the same—we're not changing pricing or feature availability. We're just removing the hard wall and replacing it with transparency.
Real-Time Usage Dashboard
Starting today, you'll see a Usage Dashboard in your account settings. It shows:
- Current month's API calls in real-time
- Your plan's included allowance
- Estimated overage cost (if you're on track to exceed)
- Trending graph so you can see usage patterns
- Breakdown by endpoint (which parts of the API are you hitting hardest?)
No surprises at the end of the month. Check the dashboard anytime to see where you stand.
How We Handle Overages
If you're approaching your limit, we send warnings—multiple times, so you don't miss them. We're not here to surprise you with a massive bill.
Soft enforcement means we don't block your API requests when you hit the limit. Instead:
- You get a warning notification (in-app and via email)
- Your usage dashboard lights up with alerts
- We reach out to discuss your usage pattern
- You can upgrade to a higher plan, negotiate custom limits, or optimize your usage
The goal is collaboration, not punishment. If your usage is legitimate and growing, we want to find a plan that works for you. If you've got an integration that's polling unnecessarily, maybe we can help optimize it together.
Why We Built This
Transparent billing is one of our core values. We hate surprise charges, and we assume you do too. By moving to usage-based overages instead of hard limits, we're saying: "Use CraftDesk how you need to. We'll trust you, and we'll bill you fairly."
It also unlocks new use cases. Teams doing real-time syncing, continuous monitoring, or frequent exports aren't punished for being sophisticated. They just pay a bit more, proportional to value received.
A Note on Stability
The plans themselves haven't changed—Professional still gives you 15 team members, Business still gives you unlimited members. Feature access is identical. This is purely about API call billing getting more flexible.
For 99% of teams, your monthly bill won't change. If you're consistently approaching limits, usage-based pricing gives you breathing room to grow without guessing which plan tier will fit.
Getting Started
Your usage dashboard is live in account settings right now. No action needed—if you're already on a plan, the new pricing applies automatically. Log in and check it out.
If you have questions about your usage patterns or want to discuss custom limits, reach out to support. We're here to help.
Transparent billing isn't a feature—it's table stakes. We're excited to offer it.
The CraftDesk Team