So i have a confusion. As name suggests usage based pricing should be, how much i use, i pay for that + some minimum default.
but looks like minimum is $20 and i can just use extra if i choose “Usage based pricing”.
Is my understanding correct? or if i choose “Usage based pricing” i will pay like $5 if i use it less for that month.
Also some dashboard to show my daily expense would be helpful.
Usage based pricing is for usage on top of the base pro tier, but you always need a pro subscription to be able to access the usage based pricing feature.
Therefore, your minimum cost would always be $20 per month, but if you use more than 500 fast requests and enable usage pricing, any requests above that 500 would be charged extra based on what you’ve used.
Let me know if I can clear anything else up here!
I see, tbh it should be named better or some clarification should be mentioned just after its name. From name it appears its pay as you go version like we have in openai or anthropic.
Hey, this is explained in our docs here, but there is possibly more we can to ensure people are aware of how this works: Get Started / Usage – Cursor
On the usage page there is this text:
Single invoice
375 fast requests made with a premium model ($15) will be billed at the beginning of the next month since the total value is under $20
I might suggest changing the wording to clarify that the $20 Pro amount will be billed.
With the current wording, I struggle to find any interpretation other than charging a reduced amount ($15) for reduced usage.
Your confusion is completely valid — the term usage-based pricing often suggests that you only pay for what you use, and if your usage is low, your bill should be low too. However, many platforms set a minimum base charge (like $20/month), and then add usage costs on top. So in reality, you’re not always paying just for what you use — there’s often a threshold. In the usage based vs subscription pricing debate, this is where things can feel unclear, especially when usage-based plans start to mimic subscriptions with fixed minimums. That’s why platforms like Invoicera offer more transparent and flexible billing options, letting businesses implement true usage-based models or combine them with subscription billing—plus dashboards to track daily expenses so there are no surprises.