Usage, plans and wallet¶
AI Studio has two layers: a monthly plan with a bag of tasks and pod lead hours, and a prepaid wallet that covers the work above that bag. Tokens are measured for cost and support, but they are not a customer quota and never block a task.
In summary
For: organization owners and admins who need to understand or control AI Studio spend.
Time: 7 minutes.
Result: a clear picture of what the plan includes, what the wallet pays and how to cap it.
The two layers¶
| Layer | What it is | When it is charged |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly plan | The Stripe subscription: a bag of tasks, pod lead minutes and a concurrency limit. | Every billing period, in advance. |
| Prepaid wallet | A balance in USD that covers overage and extra pod lead time. | Only when the bag or the included hours are exhausted. |
The bag resets every period. Usage is derived from timestamps inside the current billing period, so nothing accumulates and no counter drifts. If the bag and the wallet cannot cover a task, the pod pauses with a budget approval and a top-up call to action instead of producing a surprise invoice.
Plans¶
| Plan | Monthly base | Tasks / month | Pod lead / month | Pods at once | Extra task |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lite | $390 | 10 | On demand ($75/h) | 1 | $9 |
| Starter | $790 | 15 | 2 h | 1 | $9 |
| Pro | $1,590 | 40 | 6 h | 3 | $7.50 |
- Lite is self-serve: no included pod lead hours, so a pod lead is billed on demand at $75/h.
- Starter adds 2 h of pod lead per month, useful for a first MVP.
- Pro adds 6 h of pod lead and up to 3 pods at once, for teams running several deliveries.
Only delivered work is billable. A failed attempt and one retry are recorded as non-billable and absorbed by 4Geeks.
What counts as a task¶
A task is an atomic, reviewable unit of work with acceptance criteria: one merge request, one bugfix, one document, one migration script, one test pass. The plan decides how many tasks the outcome needs.
| Outcome | Typical tasks | What the tasks produce |
|---|---|---|
| Feature | 3–5 | Code, tests and one merge request |
| Bugfix | 3–5 | A failing test, the fix and a regression test |
| Documentation | 3–5 | Docs in the repo and a published page or issue |
| Audit | 3–4 | A prioritised report, no code changes |
| QA + E2E | 3–5 | Reproduced failures, tests and a browser report |
| Upgrade | 3–4 | The upgrade, the fixes and a changelog |
| Database migration | 5+ | A schema map, reviewed DDL, a shadow run and a runbook |
A typical project consumes 3–5 tasks. The plan shows the estimate before you approve it, and every task shows its cost before it runs.
Overages and the wallet¶
When the task bag is empty, the next task is charged to the wallet at the plan’s overage price ($9 on Lite and Starter, $7.50 on Pro). The wallet also pays for pod lead time above the included hours.
- Top-ups use Stripe Checkout and are credited when the payment completes.
- Credits do not expire for 12 months.
- A task reserves an estimate, then captures the real amount and releases the difference.
- The balance may go negative on purpose for pod lead time: the work already happened, and the next task asks for a top-up.
- Any member can top up the wallet, even if only the owner or an admin can change the plan.
Rate card¶
The wallet is priced from a versioned rate card. The main meters:
| Meter | Client price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Compute 1 GB | $0.0305/h | Small sandbox |
| Compute 2 GB | $0.1145/h | JVM and heavier builds |
| Compute 4 GB | $0.2293/h | Large builds |
| Storage | $0.375/GB-month | Sandbox volumes |
| Egress | $0.05/GB | Outbound traffic |
| Tokens | Model cost × 1.35 | Tracked for cost and support; never a quota |
| Pod lead | $75/h | Outside the included hours |
The rate card is mirrored in the platform and the shared core; a test fails if the two drift. Prices are in USD.
Monitor usage¶
Plan and balance card¶
The AI Studio home shows the current plan, the tasks used and included, the pod lead minutes used and included, the prepaid balance and the concurrency limit. It warns when you are close to the allowance and blocks only when the bag and the wallet are both exhausted.
Pod details¶
Open a pod and expand Pod details to see its sandbox, session, token usage, spend of the last 30 days, creation date and SLA. Every task also shows its estimate and its result.
Timeline export¶
The pod timeline records tasks, checks, approvals and messages. Export it as JSON for an internal review or an audit; credentials are redacted.
Budget controls¶
- Per-pod cap: set a spend cap in USD and choose whether the pod pauses or only notifies when it is reached.
- Wallet threshold: the console warns when the available balance falls below the threshold.
- Plan allowance: the card warns at 80% and stops covering tasks when the bag is exhausted; the wallet takes over.
- Budget approval: a task that cannot be covered pauses the pod and asks for a top-up before it runs.
A runaway pod is capped twice: by the AI Studio budget and by the Console service-account budget behind the model gateway.
Buying and changing a plan¶
The plan belongs to the organization, not to the person who pays. The workspace owner or an active admin can buy or change it; every member can read the plan, its usage and top up the wallet.
- Open AI Studio.
- Click View plans or Change plan.
- Pick Lite, Starter or Pro. The current plan is marked and never offered again.
- If there is no card, add one in the same dialog.
- Confirm. A change is prorated and applied immediately; there is never a second subscription.
An expired or canceled subscription stops covering tasks, and the wallet becomes the only source until the plan is active again.
Best practices¶
- Start with the smallest plan that covers your first delivery. A typical project uses 3–5 tasks.
- Top up before the wallet hits zero. A paused pod costs more time than a top-up.
- Set a per-pod cap on exploratory work. It prevents a wide scope from consuming the whole bag.
- Use the plan for planned work and the wallet for surprises. Mixing them hides the real cost.
- Review the estimate before approving the plan. The plan is the contract; scope changes after approval cost a new task.
- Export the timeline at the end of a project. It is the cleanest record of what was delivered and what was waived.
Frequently asked questions¶
Do I pay for tokens separately?
No. Tokens are tracked for cost and support, but they are not a customer quota. You pay for tasks through the plan and the wallet, and for pod lead time.
What happens if a task fails?
A failed attempt and one retry are not billable. If the task still cannot be delivered, the pod blocks it with evidence instead of burning the budget.
Can I change my plan mid-cycle?
Yes. The owner or an admin can upgrade or downgrade from AI Studio. Stripe prorates the difference and the change applies immediately.
Does unused allowance roll over?
No. The bag resets every billing period; unused tasks and pod lead minutes do not accumulate.
Can I see what a pod spent?
Yes. Pod details shows the spend of the last 30 days, and the timeline export includes tasks, checks and approvals.
Next steps¶
Still have questions? Ask on Discord or explore the tutorials.