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

# Billing Deconstructions

> Learn how to build sophisticated billing models by studying how top AI companies charge their users, then replicate each model with Dodo Payments.

## Overview

| App        | Primary Metric            | Unique Innovation                                           | Dodo Feature                                      |
| :--------- | :------------------------ | :---------------------------------------------------------- | :------------------------------------------------ |
| OpenAI     | Tokens (fiat-denominated) | Prepaid fiat credits with never-expiring balance            | Credit-Based Billing (Fiat Credits)               |
| Cursor     | Premium Requests          | Model-weighted credit depletion (different costs per model) | Credit-Based Billing (Custom Unit)                |
| ElevenLabs | Characters                | Character quotas with rollover + tiered overage pricing     | Credit-Based Billing (Rollover + Overage)         |
| Midjourney | GPU Time                  | "Relax Mode" unlimited fallback after quota                 | Subscription + Usage Meters                       |
| Replicate  | Execution Seconds         | Per-second hardware-specific pure metering                  | Pure Usage-Based Billing                          |
| Lovable    | Messages (credits)        | Daily bonus drip + team-wide shared credit pool             | Credit-Based Billing (Custom Unit) + Subscription |

Each deconstruction breaks down the billing model of a real company and shows you how to replicate it with Dodo Payments.

Pick the app closest to what you are building:

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="OpenAI" icon="https://mintcdn.com/dodopayments/LYWHtNbGSpS1P01t/images/logos/openai.svg?fit=max&auto=format&n=LYWHtNbGSpS1P01t&q=85&s=f08aceb692b25e49fd5e0a4e86d760ed" href="/developer-resources/billing-deconstructions/openai" width="24" height="24" data-path="images/logos/openai.svg">
    Replicate the token-based prepaid credit model.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Cursor" icon="https://mintcdn.com/dodopayments/QMrmQEutc1DEUdTz/images/logos/cursor.svg?fit=max&auto=format&n=QMrmQEutc1DEUdTz&q=85&s=7e16fe8cba52f3f509c54be8e1ae15da" href="/developer-resources/billing-deconstructions/cursor" width="24" height="24" data-path="images/logos/cursor.svg">
    Build model-weighted usage limits.
  </Card>

  <Card title="ElevenLabs" icon="https://mintcdn.com/dodopayments/LYWHtNbGSpS1P01t/images/logos/elevenlabs.svg?fit=max&auto=format&n=LYWHtNbGSpS1P01t&q=85&s=87aa61a0985fcecc109bb442e0e4795e" href="/developer-resources/billing-deconstructions/elevenlabs" width="24" height="24" data-path="images/logos/elevenlabs.svg">
    Implement character quotas with rollover and overages.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Midjourney" icon="https://mintcdn.com/dodopayments/LYWHtNbGSpS1P01t/images/logos/midjourney.svg?fit=max&auto=format&n=LYWHtNbGSpS1P01t&q=85&s=f8d9144eb2f6afb0bbada40c2d5cddf1" href="/developer-resources/billing-deconstructions/midjourney" width="256" height="214" data-path="images/logos/midjourney.svg">
    Combine subscriptions with usage-based fallback.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Replicate" icon="https://mintcdn.com/dodopayments/LYWHtNbGSpS1P01t/images/logos/replicate.svg?fit=max&auto=format&n=LYWHtNbGSpS1P01t&q=85&s=7e3ac9c3c3df1773b9fd375d2bf39784" href="/developer-resources/billing-deconstructions/replicate" width="24" height="24" data-path="images/logos/replicate.svg">
    Set up pure per-second consumption metering.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Lovable" icon="https://mintcdn.com/dodopayments/LYWHtNbGSpS1P01t/images/logos/lovable.svg?fit=max&auto=format&n=LYWHtNbGSpS1P01t&q=85&s=2313952f22719a239ceb1f5b01a9b24f" href="/developer-resources/billing-deconstructions/lovable" width="24" height="24" data-path="images/logos/lovable.svg">
    Replicate message-credit subscriptions with daily bonus drip.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Dodo Features

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Credit-Based Billing" icon="coins" href="/features/credit-based-billing">
    Manage prepaid credits and virtual units.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Usage-Based Billing" icon="chart-line" href="/features/usage-based-billing/introduction">
    Meter consumption in real-time.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Subscriptions" icon="calendar" href="/features/subscription">
    Handle recurring billing and plan management.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Hybrid Billing" icon="shuffle" href="/features/hybrid-billing">
    Combine multiple billing models for maximum flexibility.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Ingestion Blueprints

Each deconstruction includes integration with Dodo's [Ingestion Blueprints](/features/usage-based-billing/ingestion-blueprints), pre-built SDKs that handle event tracking automatically. Instead of manually constructing usage events, use a blueprint to get production-ready metering in minutes.

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="LLM Blueprint" icon="brain-circuit" href="/developer-resources/ingestion-blueprints/llm">
    Automatic token tracking for OpenAI, Anthropic, Groq, and more.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Stream Blueprint" icon="tower-broadcast" href="/developer-resources/ingestion-blueprints/stream">
    Track audio and video streaming bandwidth.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Time Range Blueprint" icon="clock" href="/developer-resources/ingestion-blueprints/time-range">
    Bill by compute duration down to the millisecond.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>