Why I tried to kill token billing (and why we kept it)

Token-based billing is presented as useful for internal cost tracking and margin management but often ineffective as a customer-facing pricing model because it ties perceived value to underlying model costs and markups. A unified credit system can conceal token and model complexity by charging customers for recognizable product operations, while preserving token-level data internally for routing and cost optimization. The discussion argues that output-based pricing, based on objective and verifiable actions such as images generated or support conversations resolved, is generally more practical than outcome-based pricing, which is difficult to measure and attribute except in high-value or highly controlled situations. Pricing models can shift rapidly once categories mature, as seen with hybrid pricing and AI support companies adopting resolution-based metrics, and the growth of AI agents may further enable complex, task-specific pricing by creating auditable records of work and allowing buyers to evaluate more granular pricing structures.

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