Locus product guide · Updated November 10, 2026

Per-seat vs usage-based pricing for AI products

Per-seat pricing charges a fixed fee per user; usage-based pricing charges for what each customer consumes. Seats are easy to budget but lose money when AI cost varies by user: a $30 seat earns $182 on a 10-person team yet loses $40 on its heaviest user. Many AI vendors now combine the two, such as Claude Enterprise at $20 a seat plus usage at API rates, or GitHub Copilot Pro at $10 a user with $15 of monthly AI credits.

What is the difference between per-seat and usage-based pricing?

Seat pricing sells the right to use the product. Usage pricing sells the work it does. With AI features each request has a real cost, which is what strains seat pricing.

What is the difference between per-seat and usage-based pricing?
Factor	Per seat	Usage-based
Customer pays for	Each user with access	Units consumed, such as calls, tokens or tasks
Bill predictability	Fixed each month	Varies with use
Your cost risk	You absorb heavy users	Revenue moves with cost
Growth	Grows with headcount	Grows with use, even on a small team
Billing system needed	Subscriptions	Metering, rating and balances or invoices

Why do AI features strain per-seat pricing?

Classic software costs about the same to serve a light or a heavy user. AI does not: each request costs model tokens and often paid API calls. One person who runs an agent all day can cost more than the seat price.

Vendors respond by adding a usage layer. Zendesk prices mainly per agent seat, but bills features such as Action Builder and Voice on consumption beyond plan allowances, and charges for AI agents per automated resolution. Intercom charges per seat plus $0.99 per Fin outcome. On GitHub Copilot Business and Enterprise, admins set usage limits and decide whether paid usage beyond the allowance is allowed.

How do seat, usage and hybrid pricing compare on one team?

Take a 10-person team. Monthly AI cost per person: 6 light users at $2, 3 regular users at $12 and 1 heavy user at $70, so $118 in total. Compare three price plans.

The hybrid plan earns on every user and keeps a predictable base. Its overage is $7 of cost for each regular user, billed at $10.50, and $65 for the heavy user, billed at $97.50.

How do seat, usage and hybrid pricing compare on one team?
Pricing	Team revenue	Team margin	Heavy user result
$30 per seat	$300	$182 (60.7%)	Loses $40
Usage at cost plus 50%	$177	$59 (33.3%)	Earns $35
$20 seat with $5 of usage included, overage at cost plus 50%	$329	$211 (64.1%)	Earns $47.50

How do AI vendors combine seats and usage today?

Seat and usage terms come from vendor pricing pages. Prices checked November 10, 2026.

How do AI vendors combine seats and usage today?
Vendor	Seat price	Usage component
Claude Enterprise	$20 per seat a month, billed annually	Usage billed at API rates
GitHub Copilot Pro	$10 per user a month	$15 of AI credits included; more usage at $0.01 per credit within a budget you set
Intercom Advanced	$85 per seat a month	$0.99 per Fin outcome, plus messaging channels
Zendesk Suite Team	$55 per agent a month, paid yearly	AI agents billed per automated resolution beyond the plan allowance
Salesforce Agentforce	$5 per user a month for the Agentforce User License	Requires Flex Credits, at $500 per 100,000

How do I add usage billing to a seat plan with Locus Pro?

Keep seats in your billing system and put paid API usage on Locus Pro Enterprise. Each customer gets a credit balance. Each month, allocate their included usage from your pool: $5 per seat is 5,000 credits, and allocation moves credits without charging a card.

Calls name the customer with X-Locus-End-User and draw that balance at the catalog base price plus your markup. When the included credits run out, the customer tops up by card through Locus-hosted checkout or the in-app widget, and that top-up is your overage. A customer with no balance gets HTTP 402 before the call runs, so unpaid overage never builds up.

The ledger shows usage and margin per customer, which tells you whether your seat price and allowance are set right.

When should I use per-seat, usage-based or hybrid pricing?

Whichever you pick, look at your top 10% of users by cost before you set the price.

Per seat: AI cost per user is small and even, and buyers budget by headcount.
Usage-based: cost varies a lot, buyers are developers or other software, or one user can drive heavy volume.
Hybrid: most business software with AI features. The seat covers typical use, and the allowance caps what you absorb.

How to track LLM cost per user

Frequently asked questions

Is usage-based pricing better than per-seat pricing?

Neither is better in general. Usage-based pricing tracks cost and grows with use; seats are easier to buy and budget. For AI features with uneven cost per user, a seat with an allowance and overage often works best.

How do I move existing customers from seats to usage?

Show each customer their past usage priced under the new plan, offer an allowance that covers typical users, and give notice before the first usage bill.

What is a usage allowance?

An amount of usage included in a seat or plan price. GitHub Copilot Pro includes $15 of AI credits a month for $10, of which $5 is a variable flex amount. Usage above the allowance is paid separately or paused, depending on settings.

Does usage-based pricing make revenue unpredictable?

Each bill varies, but revenue across many customers follows usage you can forecast. Prepaid credits and annual commitments make it steadier.

Implementation references

Use these first-party references for current request contracts and account requirements. Tool availability, prices, and negotiated terms can change.

Sources

Third-party details were checked on November 10, 2026. Vendors change pricing and features often, so confirm on their site before you decide.