The question we ask
Does each use cost us something, or is the value in coming back? If every result has a real cost, such as an AI model generating an image, the price should follow use. If the value is an ongoing experience that people return to, a subscription matches how the app is used.
Three apps on credits
JobShot, Bite and AI Avatar generate images, and every generation costs money to run. So they sell credits through Apple’s in-app purchase, spent per result. Three details make credits feel fair rather than mean:
- Show the result before the spend. AI Avatar’s discovery feed shows each style as finished examples, so the credit goes on a style the person already likes. JobShot and Bite do the same with templates.
- Let people start free. Bite lets people generate their first images without paying.
- Make failure free. In JobShot, if a credit is used and no result arrives, for example because no face was detected, the credit is refunded automatically.
Two apps on subscriptions
Sola is an AI companion. People come back to the conversation, and the value is the ongoing relationship rather than any single answer, so Sola sells a Pro subscription.
Soul is a library of 1,500 questions for couples. It is free every day, with 10 questions in two categories, and Soul Premium unlocks everything as a weekly or yearly subscription. Version 1.7 added a one-time Lifetime purchase next to the subscription, and a three-day free trial on the weekly plan. Soul works fully offline, so a question costs nothing to show, and a Lifetime price has no running cost behind it. A content library is also something people may want to own rather than rent.
Side by side
| App | What it is for | What each use costs us | Model |
|---|---|---|---|
| JobShot | A professional headshot | An AI generation | Credits |
| Bite | A styled photo shoot | An AI generation | Credits, free to start |
| AI Avatar | A set of avatars in different styles | An AI generation | Credits |
| Sola | An ongoing conversation | A model reply | Pro subscription |
| Soul | A question to talk about | Nothing: it works offline | Subscription, or Lifetime |
Not a rule, a starting point
Sola shows that an AI app with a cost per use can still sell a subscription, when the value is in returning and the price is set with typical use in mind. And credits can sit beside a subscription in the same app. The model is a product decision as much as a pricing one, which is why we settle it in discovery, before anyone designs the paywall. See paywall best practices and what an AI app costs to run.
Related: Subscription app development · What an AI app costs · Paywall best practices