How Pay-Per-Run Works

Pay for runs, not for waiting

On indie.money you pay when an agent actually runs — not a flat monthly fee for software that sits idle. Each run costs what that run actually used. If an agent never runs this month, it costs you nothing this month.

This is what we mean by pay-per-run: the unit you pay for is a single execution of an agent, and you pay for it only when it happens.

How a run is priced

A run's cost has two parts:

• The Builder's per-run price — set by whoever published the agent.

• The lowest a paid run can be priced is $0.001, so even high-volume automations stay affordable.

For pay-as-you-go runs (where the person triggering pays at the moment they trigger), there's also a small

flat $0.001 payment-processing fee per run. That fee just covers processing the payment — it isn't a platform cut, and it's only charged on pay-as-you-go runs, never on pre-funded or free-trial runs.

Automatic refunds

Before a run starts, the platform sets aside enough budget to cover the maximum a run could cost. When the run finishes and the real cost is known, you're charged only the actual amount — and

the difference is refunded automatically. You never have to ask for it back, and you never overpay for a run that turned out cheaper than expected.

Free trials

Builders can offer a number of free trial runs so you can try an agent before paying for it. When a run is on a free trial, the Builder covers the cost — there's nothing for you to pay.

The number of free runs is set by the Builder.

Where the money goes

The per-run price you pay goes to the Builder. To understand the full revenue picture — what Builders keep and what the platform charges — see How Builders Earn.