Connector-Based Pricing
Each connector has its own independent tier and billing. Start with 25,000 free requests per connector, then scale automatically as you grow.
Why Connector-Based Pricing?
Always Get 25K Free
Every new connector starts at LITE tier with 25000 free requests
Transparent Costs
Know exactly which connector costs what with detailed breakdowns
Independent Scaling
Connectors upgrade independently based on their usage patterns
Fair Pricing
Only pay for what each connector uses - no hidden fees
Unlimited Connectors
Create as many LITE-tier connectors as you need
Workspace Aggregation
One consolidated invoice with per-connector breakdown
Example Workspace Cost:
Acme Corp (5 connectors) - Monthly usage:
| Connector | Type | Tier | Requests | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ASI | De.auth | LITE | 12,000 | $0 |
| MSI | UI Bridge | LITE | 18,000 | $0 |
| API | Core | SCALE | 80,000 | $200 |
| IoT | Devices | LITE | 9,000 | $0 |
| WES | Webhooks | LITE | 5,000 | $0 |
| Total | 124,000 | $200/month |
99K requests were free across LITE connectors
Pricing Tiers
1. LITE Tier - Free Development
Free to start - zero cost until 25K requests
Features:
- 25,000 free requests per connector (one-time)
- Full API access (no feature restrictions)
- Community support (Discord/Forum)
- Public documentation
- 99.5% uptime SLA
- Auto-upgrade at 25,000 requests to SCALE tier
Pricing:
First 25,000 requests: $0 (completely free)
No overage charges - Auto-upgrade to SCALE at 25K
Ideal Use Cases:
- Development and testing environments
- Early production apps with low traffic
- Side projects and MVPs
- Proof of concepts
Total Free Capacity:
5 Connectors × 25K free = 125,000 total free requests
Perfect for: Full development cycle + early production launch
2. SCALE Tier - Production Ready
$0.0025 per request - billed monthly
Features:
- All LITE features included
- Email support (24hr response)
- 99.9% uptime SLA
- Enhanced rate limits (50 req/s - burst: 200)
- Beta feature access
- Monthly usage reports
- Auto-upgrade at 1,000,000 requests to VOLUME tier
Pricing:
$0.0025 per request from first request
No free allowance (already used on LITE tier)
Billed monthly per connector
Ideal Use Cases:
- Production apps with real users
- Business applications
- SaaS platforms
- Customer-facing APIs
Cost Examples:
- Small Production App: 50,000 requests × $0.0025 = $125/month
- Growing App: 250,000 requests × $0.0025 = $625/month
- High-Traffic App: 800,000 requests × $0.0025 = $2,000/month
3. VOLUME Tier - Enterprise Scale
$0.001 per request (60% discount vs SCALE)
Features:
- All SCALE features included
- Dedicated account manager
- Priority support (4hr response via Slack)
- 99.95% uptime SLA with penalties
- Custom contract terms
- On-premise deployment options
- White-label capabilities
- Custom feature development
- Quarterly business reviews
Pricing:
$0.001 per request (60% discount vs SCALE)
No free allowance
Custom contracts for 100M+ requests/month
Ideal Use Cases:
- Enterprise applications
- High-traffic platforms
- IoT device management at scale
- Multi-tenant SaaS platforms
Cost Examples:
- Enterprise App: 3,000,000 requests × $0.001 = $3,000/month
- High-Volume Platform: 15,000,000 requests × $0.001 = $15,000/month
- Custom Pricing: 100M+ requests = Contact sales for negotiated rates
Automatic Tier Upgrades
LITE → SCALE Upgrade
Threshold: 25,000 requests per connector
When your connector reaches 25K requests:
- Automatic upgrade to SCALE tier
- All future requests billed at $0.0025
- Email notification sent immediately
- Dashboard updated with new tier status
Notifications:
- 80% (20K) - "Approaching upgrade"
- 95% (23.75K) - "Upgrade imminent"
- 100% (25K) - "Tier upgraded"
SCALE → VOLUME Upgrade
Threshold: 1,000,000 requests per connector
When your connector reaches 1M requests:
- Automatic upgrade to VOLUME tier
- 60% discount ($0.001/request)
- Dedicated account manager assigned
- Priority support activated
Notifications:
- 80% (800K) - "Approaching VOLUME tier"
- 95% (950K) - "Upgrade imminent"
- 100% (1M) - "Welcome to VOLUME tier"
Important: Auto-upgrades are immediate and permanent for the billing cycle. This protects you from surprise costs by moving you to the appropriate tier as soon as you exceed thresholds.
Manual Tier Changes
Manual Upgrades
Flexible and immediate
- Allowed anytime
- Takes effect immediately
- No cooldown period
- No restrictions
- Upgrade whenever you need enhanced features
Manual Downgrades
30-day cooldown enforcement
- 30-day cooldown period per connector
- Prevents tier cycling abuse
- Must wait 30 days before next downgrade
- Protects against gaming the billing system
Workspace Billing
Consolidated Invoicing
Your workspace receives one consolidated invoice with:
- Total usage across all connectors
- Per-connector breakdown
- Tier distribution (X LITE, Y SCALE, Z VOLUME)
- Itemized costs per connector
Sample Invoice: Acme Corp - February 2026
Connector Breakdown:
| Connector | Type | Tier | Usage | Rate | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ASI Connector | De.auth | LITE | 18,000 | $0.0000 | $0.00 |
| API Connector | Core | SCALE | 85,000 | $0.0025 | $212.50 |
| MSI Connector | UI Bridge | SCALE | 120,000 | $0.0025 | $300.00 |
| IoT Connector | De.iotb | LITE | 14,000 | $0.0000 | $0.00 |
| WES Connector | Webhooks | LITE | 9,000 | $0.0000 | $0.00 |
Invoice Summary:
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Total connectors | 5 (3 LITE, 2 SCALE, 0 VOLUME) |
| Total requests | 246,000 |
| Billable requests | 205,000 |
| Free requests used | 41,000 |
| Subtotal | $512.50 |
| Tax | $0.00 |
| Total Due | $512.50 |
Connector Lifecycle
New Connector (LITE Tier)
Starting fresh with free requests
- Create connector - Starts at LITE tier automatically
- First 25,000 requests - Completely FREE
- At 25,001st request - Auto-upgrade to SCALE tier
Growing Connector (SCALE Tier)
Production-ready and scaling
- Reaches 25,000 requests - Auto-upgrade to SCALE
- All future requests - Billed at $0.0025 each
- Email notification sent to workspace admins
- Dashboard shows new tier and cost estimates
High-Volume Connector (VOLUME Tier)
Enterprise-level usage
- Reaches 1,000,000 requests - Auto-upgrade to VOLUME
- All future requests - Billed at $0.001 each (60% discount)
- Dedicated account manager assigned
- Custom contract options available
Disabled Connector
Paused and no longer incurring costs
- Connector disabled - All requests blocked
- Billing paused for that connector
- Can be re-enabled anytime
Best Practices
Development Strategy
Maximize free tier benefits
- Use separate connectors for dev/staging/production
- Disable unused connectors to avoid accidental usage
- 5 connectors = 125K free requests total
Cost Optimization
Keep expenses under control
- Monitor usage in real-time via dashboard
- Watch for 80% threshold notifications
- Keep dev/test connectors separate
- Create new connectors strategically
Scaling Strategy
Grow efficiently with De.
- Let auto-upgrade handle growth
- Stay on LITE as long as possible
- Plan for SCALE costs ($0.0025/request)
- Contact sales at 1M+ requests
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I have unlimited LITE-tier connectors?
Yes! There's no limit on the number of LITE-tier connectors. Each gets 25K free requests.What happens when I exceed 25K on a LITE connector?
Automatic upgrade to SCALE tier. All future requests for that connector are billed at $0.0025/request.Do I get another 25K free after upgrading to SCALE?
No. The 25K free allowance is a one-time benefit on LITE tier only. SCALE bills from the first request.What happens when a connector is disabled?
Disabled connectors block all API requests and don't incur charges. Billing resumes when re-enabled.Can I downgrade a connector?
Yes but there's a 30-day cooldown period per connector to prevent tier cycling abuse.How does workspace billing work?
Your workspace gets one invoice that aggregates all connector usage with a detailed breakdown by connector.Can I mix tiers in one workspace?
Absolutely! You can have LITE SCALE and VOLUME connectors in the same workspace.How many free requests do I get total?
25K free per connector. With 5 connectors that's 125000 free requests total.What if I'm still developing but hit 25K?
Create a new connector for continued development. Each new connector gets 25K free. Or upgrade to SCALE and accept the costs.Are there setup fees or monthly minimums?
No setup fees. No monthly minimums. No credit card required for LITE tier. Pay only for what you use.How do I track connector costs?
Use the billing dashboard to see real-time usage and estimated costs per connector with notifications at 80% and 95% thresholds.What support do I get on each tier?
LITE tier: Community support via Discord/Forum. SCALE tier: Email support with 24hr response. VOLUME tier: Priority support with 4hr response via Slack.Real-World Cost Examples
Solo Developer
Development phase with 5 connectors
| Connector | Usage | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| ASI | 8K requests | $0 |
| MSI | 12K requests | $0 |
| API | 20K requests | $0 |
| IoT | 5K requests | $0 |
| WES | 3K requests | $0 |
| Total | 48K requests | $0/month |
Launched Startup
Early production with growing traffic
| Connector | Usage | Tier | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| ASI | 18K | LITE | $0 |
| MSI | 22K | LITE | $0 |
| API | 80K | SCALE | $200 |
| IoT | 12K | LITE | $0 |
| WES | 8K | LITE | $0 |
| Total | 140K requests | $200/month |
Growing Business
All connectors on SCALE tier
| Connector | Usage | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| ASI | 65K | $162.50 |
| MSI | 95K | $237.50 |
| API | 280K | $700.00 |
| IoT | 45K | $112.50 |
| WES | 35K | $87.50 |
| Total | 520K requests | $1,300/month |
Getting Started
- Create your workspace (free, no credit card)
- Add your first connector (starts at LITE tier automatically)
- Get 25,000 free requests per connector
- Scale automatically as you grow
- Pay only when you succeed (billing starts after 25K requests)