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Billing & Pricing Guide

Korad.AI uses a pure USD balance model — no artificial credits, no subscriptions. You pay real dollars and get dollar balance that you spend as you use the API.

Prepaid Balance Model​

How It Works​

  1. Add funds to your account via Stripe (card, Apple Pay, Google Pay)
  2. Use the API — costs are deducted per-request
  3. Track spending in real-time via dashboard or API
  4. Top up when needed — no automatic charges

Benefits​

  • ✅ No subscriptions — No monthly charges or commitments
  • ✅ Transparent pricing — Know exactly what each request costs
  • ✅ No expiration — Your balance never expires
  • ✅ Promo bonuses — Get extra value on larger packages
  • ✅ Spend control — Set your own limits

Credit Packages​

PackagePriceBonusTotal ValueBest For
Starter$10—$10.00Testing, small projects
Basic$50—$50.00Regular development
Pro$100$10$110.00Heavy use, production
Enterprise$500$100$600.00Teams, high volume

Adding Funds​

Via Dashboard​

  1. Go to korad.ai/dashboard
  2. Click "Add Funds"
  3. Select a package
  4. Pay with Stripe (card, Apple Pay, Google Pay)
  5. Funds added instantly

Via Customer Portal​

curl https://korad.ai/dashboard/billing
  # Opens customer portal with top-up options

Checking Your Balance​

Via Dashboard​

Visit korad.ai/dashboard → Balance shown at top

Via API​

curl https://api.korad.ai/v1/user/balance \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sk-korad-YOUR-KEY"

Response:

{
  "api_key": "sk-korad-...",
  "balance": 42.50,
  "currency": "USD"
}

In Response Headers​

Every API response includes your remaining balance:

curl https://api.korad.ai/v1/messages \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sk-korad-YOUR-KEY" \
  -H "X-Balance-Remaining: true"

Response Headers:

X-Balance-Remaining: 42.50
X-Balance-Currency: USD
X-Request-Cost: 0.018

Understanding Costs​

Per-Request Pricing​

Each request costs based on:

  • Model used — Different models have different rates
  • Input tokens — Tokens sent to the model
  • Output tokens — Tokens generated by the model
  • Tools used — Tool calls add small fees

Cost Examples​

# Example: 1,000 input + 500 output tokens with Claude 4.5 Sonnet
input_tokens = 1000
output_tokens = 500

# Approximate cost (varies by provider)
cost = (input_tokens * 0.003 + output_tokens * 0.015) / 1000
# ≈ $0.0105

Model Cost Comparison (per 1M tokens)​

ModelInputOutputTotal (50/50)
Claude 4.5 Haiku$0.80$4~$2.40
Gemini 2.5 Flash$0.40$1~$0.70
DeepSeek V3$0.10$0.10~$0.10
Gemini 2.5 Pro$1$4~$2.50
Claude 4.5 Sonnet$3$15~$9.00

Tool Costs​

ToolCost Per Use
web-search$0.01
web-fetch$0.02
image-analysis$0.02
browser-session$0.05
code-sandbox$0.10

Transaction History​

View in Dashboard​

korad.ai/dashboard → Billing → Transactions

Via API​

curl https://api.korad.ai/v1/user/transactions \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sk-korad-YOUR-KEY" \
  -G \
  -d "limit=10"

Response:

{
  "transactions": [
    {
      "id": "txn_1234",
      "type": "usage",
      "amount": -0.018,
      "model": "claude-sonnet-4-5",
      "tokens": 1500,
      "timestamp": "2026-02-02T12:00:00Z"
    },
    {
      "id": "txn_1235",
      "type": "topup",
      "amount": 50.00,
      "package": "Basic",
      "timestamp": "2026-02-01T10:00:00Z"
    }
  ]
}

Cost Optimization Tips​

1. Use Cost-Effective Models​

# For simple tasks, use cheaper models
response = client.messages.create(
    model="deepseek-v3-chat",  # 90% cheaper
    max_tokens=512,
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Summarize this"}]
)

2. Set Max Tokens​

# Limit response length to control cost
response = client.messages.create(
    model="claude-sonnet-4-5",
    max_tokens=1000,  # Cap output tokens
    messages=[...]
)

3. Monitor Spending​

# Check balance after requests
balance_response = client.messages.create(
    model="claude-sonnet-4-5",
    max_tokens=1024,
    messages=[...],
    extra_headers={"X-Balance-Remaining": "true"}
)

# Check response header
remaining = balance_response.headers.get("X-Balance-Remaining")
print(f"Remaining: ${remaining}")

4. Use Streaming for Large Outputs​

# Stream to get early results and potentially stop early
with client.messages.stream(
    model="claude-sonnet-4-5",
    max_tokens=4096,
    messages=[...]
) as stream:
    for text in stream.text_stream:
        print(text, end="", flush=True)
        # Can stop early if you have what you need

What Happens When Balance is $0​

When your balance reaches zero:

  • API requests return 402 Payment Required
  • No charges are made automatically
  • You must add funds manually
  • Existing API keys remain valid

402 Response:

{
  "error": {
    "type": "payment_required",
    "message": "Prepaid balance is zero. Visit https://korad.ai/dashboard to add funds."
  }
}

Payment Methods​

We accept:

  • ✅ Credit/Debit Cards (Visa, Mastercard, Amex)
  • ✅ Apple Pay
  • ✅ Google Pay
  • ✅ Link (bank transfer, via Stripe)

Invoices & Receipts​

Automatic Invoices​

  • Generated for every top-up
  • Available in dashboard → Billing → Invoices
  • PDF download
  • Email confirmation sent

Invoice Details​

Each invoice includes:

  • Date and time
  • Package purchased
  • Amount paid (USD)
  • Transaction ID
  • Payment method
  • Billing address (if set)

Refunds​

Unused Balance Refunds​

Contact support@korad.ai for:

  • Full refund of unused balance within 30 days
  • Refund amount = Current balance
  • Processing time: 5-10 business days

Disputed Charges​

For unauthorized charges:

  • Contact support immediately
  • Chargeback investigation via Stripe
  • Account suspension during investigation

Billing FAQ​

Do credits expire?

No, your USD balance never expires.

What happens if my balance is $0?

API requests return 402 until you add funds. No automatic charges.

Can I get a refund?

Yes, unused balance can be refunded within 30 days.

Is there a minimum purchase?

Minimum is $10 (Starter package).

Can I set spending limits?

Yes, you can set daily/weekly limits in dashboard → Settings.

Do you offer invoices for businesses?

Yes, detailed invoices with tax information available.

What's the minimum balance to keep my account?

None — $0 balance is fine, your account remains active.

Next Steps​

Monitoring →