> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.getsmelt.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Billing Modes

> Understanding Free, BYOK, and Managed billing options

Smelt offers three ways to handle AI costs, giving you flexibility based on your needs.

## The Three Modes

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="Free Tier" icon="gift">
    250 rows/month included

    No setup needed
  </Card>

  <Card title="BYOK" icon="key">
    Bring Your Own Key

    10-50x cheaper at scale
  </Card>

  <Card title="Managed" icon="hands">
    We handle everything

    Simplest billing
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

***

## 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

1. Sign up for free
2. Upload a CSV
3. Run jobs immediately
4. Smelt's platform API key handles all AI calls

<Info>
  Free tier is fully functional. Same features as paid plans, just limited to 250 rows/month.
</Info>

***

## BYOK (Bring Your Own Key)

**Best for:** High volume users, cost-conscious teams, maximum savings

| Aspect             | Details                                       |
| ------------------ | --------------------------------------------- |
| **Monthly cost**   | $29 / $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

1. Subscribe to a paid plan (Starter/Growth/Scale)
2. Choose BYOK billing mode
3. Add your OpenAI API key in Settings
4. 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  |

<Tip>
  BYOK is dramatically cheaper at scale. If you process 25K+ rows/month, BYOK saves serious money.
</Tip>

### 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**   | $49 / $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

1. Subscribe to a paid plan (Starter/Growth/Scale)
2. Choose Managed billing mode
3. No API key setup needed
4. 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:

1. Go to Settings > Billing
2. Click Manage Subscription
3. Select different plan/mode
4. If switching to BYOK, add API key in Settings

<Note>
  Switching modes takes effect on your next billing cycle.
</Note>

***

## Which Should You Choose?

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Just starting out?">
    Start with **Free tier**. You get 250 rows to test everything.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Less than 5,000 rows/month?">
    **Managed** is simpler. The cost difference vs BYOK is small at this volume.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="5,000-25,000 rows/month?">
    **BYOK** starts saving meaningful money. Worth the API key setup.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="More than 25,000 rows/month?">
    **BYOK** is significantly cheaper. Could save hundreds or thousands monthly.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Team prefers one invoice?">
    **Managed** keeps billing simple, even if slightly more expensive.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>