> ## 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 & Subscription

> Plans, pricing, and usage limits

## Available Plans

| Plan        | Rows/Month | BYOK Price | Managed Price |
| ----------- | ---------- | ---------- | ------------- |
| **Free**    | 250        | \$0        | \$0           |
| **Starter** | 5,000      | \$29/mo    | \$49/mo       |
| **Growth**  | 25,000     | \$79/mo    | \$129/mo      |
| **Scale**   | 100,000    | \$199/mo   | \$299/mo      |

## BYOK vs Managed Pricing

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="BYOK Mode">
    **Bring Your Own Key**

    * You provide your own OpenAI API key
    * Pay OpenAI directly for AI costs (\~\$0.001-0.002 per row)
    * Lower monthly subscription fee
    * Best for high volume users

    **Monthly cost:** $29 / $79 / \$199
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Managed Mode">
    **Smelt Handles Everything**

    * Smelt handles all AI costs
    * No API key needed
    * Simpler billing — one invoice
    * Best for simplicity

    **Monthly cost:** $49 / $129 / \$299
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Free Tier">
    **Try Before You Buy**

    * 250 rows/month included
    * Uses Smelt's platform API key automatically
    * No setup required
    * No credit card needed

    **Monthly cost:** \$0
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

<Tip>
  **Which should you choose?**

  * Low volume (\<5K/month): Managed is simpler
  * High volume (>25K/month): BYOK saves significant money
  * Testing: Start with Free tier
</Tip>

## Viewing Current Usage

<Steps>
  <Step title="Go to Settings">
    Click Settings in the sidebar
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click Billing">
    Navigate to the Billing section
  </Step>

  <Step title="View Your Usage">
    See your current plan, rows used, and rows remaining
  </Step>
</Steps>

The usage meter shows:

* **Rows used** this billing period
* **Rows remaining** in your allowance
* **Percentage consumed** of your monthly limit

## Upgrading or Downgrading

<Steps>
  <Step title="Navigate to Settings > Billing">
    Go to the Billing section
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click Manage Subscription">
    Opens the Stripe customer portal
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select Your Desired Plan">
    Choose a new plan tier
  </Step>

  <Step title="Complete Checkout">
    Confirm via Stripe
  </Step>
</Steps>

## What Happens at Your Limit

When you reach your monthly row limit:

* ❌ **Jobs are blocked** from starting
* ⚠️ **Clear error message** displays with usage details
* 💡 **Upgrade prompt** appears
* ⏸️ **Running jobs** pause if mid-processing

<Note>
  You won't be charged overage fees. Jobs simply won't run until you upgrade or your usage resets.
</Note>

## Billing Cycle and Reset

* **Usage resets** at the start of each billing cycle
* **No rollover** of unused rows
* **Monthly billing** cycle

<Warning>
  Unused rows do NOT roll over to the next month. Use them or lose them!
</Warning>

## How Rows Are Counted

Each template × each row = 1 usage

**Examples:**

| Rows  | Templates | Usage |
| ----- | --------- | ----- |
| 100   | 1         | 100   |
| 100   | 3         | 300   |
| 1,000 | 5         | 5,000 |

<Warning>
  Template tests also count toward usage! Each test consumes 1 row of your monthly allowance.
</Warning>

## Payment Methods

Smelt uses Stripe for secure payment processing:

* Credit/debit cards
* Some regions support additional methods

All payments are processed securely through Stripe. Smelt never sees your full card details.