The Three Modes
Free Tier
250 rows/month includedNo setup needed
BYOK
Bring Your Own Key10-50x cheaper at scale
Managed
We handle everythingSimplest billing
Free Tier
Best for: Trying Smelt, small tests, evaluating the product| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Monthly limit | 250 rows |
| Cost | $0 |
| API key needed | No — uses Smelt’s platform key |
| Setup | None — works immediately |
How It Works
- Sign up for free
- Upload a CSV
- Run jobs immediately
- Smelt’s platform API key handles all AI calls
Free tier is fully functional. Same features as paid plans, just limited to 250 rows/month.
BYOK (Bring Your Own Key)
Best for: High volume users, cost-conscious teams, maximum savings| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Monthly cost | 79 / $199 (by tier) |
| API key needed | Yes — your OpenAI key |
| AI costs | You pay OpenAI directly (~$0.001-0.002/row) |
| Total cost | Subscription + raw API costs |
How It Works
- Subscribe to a paid plan (Starter/Growth/Scale)
- Choose BYOK billing mode
- Add your OpenAI API key in Settings
- Jobs use your key — you pay OpenAI directly
Cost Comparison
| Rows | Per-Credit Tools | BYOK (API only) | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10,000 | $200-1,000 | $10-20 | 10-50x |
| 50,000 | $1,000-5,000 | $50-100 | 10-50x |
| 100,000 | $2,000-10,000 | $100-200 | 10-50x |
BYOK Requirements
- OpenAI account with API access
- API key with available credits
- Added to Smelt in Settings > API Keys
Managed Mode
Best for: Teams wanting simplicity, those who prefer one invoice| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Monthly cost | 129 / $299 (by tier) |
| API key needed | No — uses Smelt’s platform key |
| AI costs | Included in subscription |
| Total cost | Just the subscription |
How It Works
- Subscribe to a paid plan (Starter/Growth/Scale)
- Choose Managed billing mode
- No API key setup needed
- Smelt handles all AI costs
Why Choose Managed
- ✅ One invoice, one vendor
- ✅ No API key management
- ✅ No monitoring OpenAI credits
- ✅ Simpler for teams
Comparison Table
| Factor | Free | BYOK | Managed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rows/month | 250 | 5K-100K | 5K-100K |
| Subscription | $0 | $29-199 | $49-299 |
| API costs | Included | You pay OpenAI | Included |
| API key needed | No | Yes | No |
| Best for | Testing | High volume | Simplicity |
Switching Modes
You can change billing modes:- Go to Settings > Billing
- Click Manage Subscription
- Select different plan/mode
- If switching to BYOK, add API key in Settings
Switching modes takes effect on your next billing cycle.
Which Should You Choose?
Just starting out?
Just starting out?
Start with Free tier. You get 250 rows to test everything.
Less than 5,000 rows/month?
Less than 5,000 rows/month?
Managed is simpler. The cost difference vs BYOK is small at this volume.
5,000-25,000 rows/month?
5,000-25,000 rows/month?
BYOK starts saving meaningful money. Worth the API key setup.
More than 25,000 rows/month?
More than 25,000 rows/month?
BYOK is significantly cheaper. Could save hundreds or thousands monthly.
Team prefers one invoice?
Team prefers one invoice?
Managed keeps billing simple, even if slightly more expensive.