Struggling with Pricing My AI Tool, Need Some Thoughts (I Will Not Promote)

[u/Ok_Question_9555]

Hey everyone,

I’m currently building an AI tool and I’ve hit a wall with pricing. I know pricing can make or break adoption, but honestly I feel stuck and not sure which direction to take.

Here’s the situation:

• The product: It’s an AI tool where usage depends on tokens (similar to how most LLM APIs work).
• My idea: I was thinking of going with a pay-as-you-go model. For example, charge X dollars for 1M tokens, and if someone wants 2–3M tokens, the price doubles/triples accordingly.
• The confusion: I’m not sure if this is the best approach for early users. Should I instead go with subscriptions (like $20/month for Y tokens)? Or a hybrid model (base subscription + pay-as-you-go overages)?

I want to keep things simple for users while also making sure the model is sustainable. Right now, I’m torn between what’s fair, scalable, and attractive enough for people to try without friction.

If anyone here has experience pricing SaaS tools, API-based products, or AI apps, I’d really appreciate your thoughts. What has worked for you or what have you seen done well?

Thanks in advance!