How AI usage is metered across QuantLogix — a single monthly token budget per tier, the $20 refill pack, and auto-recharge. One meter powers every AI surface: QL Intelligence, Research, and Portfolio AI analysis.
A token is the unit of AI compute — roughly ¾ of an English word. Every AI interaction (your prompt + the AI's full response, including reasoning and tool-use rounds) is priced in tokens. Every paid plan comes with one generous monthly token budget — no separate caps to juggle.
Every AI surface — QL Intelligence company chat, Research tab reports & follow-ups, Portfolio AI analysis — draws from the same monthly token pool. Heavier requests just consume more tokens and naturally self-ration under the cap.
Custom token budgets, dedicated rate limits, white-label, SOC 2 / GDPR DPA. From $1,499/mo. Talk to sales →
| Meter | Free | Starter | Pro | Institutional | Enterprise |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly tokens | 50K | 500K | 2,000K | 5,000K | Custom |
| Refill pack ($20 / 200K) | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Auto-recharge | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Every AI surface inside QuantLogix shares a single token meter. You can see live counters on your profile page under AI Tokens & Billing.
| Surface | Approx token cost |
|---|---|
| Due Diligence analysis (Research tab) | 3–10K |
| Monte Carlo simulation | 3–8K |
| Portfolio AI analysis (full tool loop) | 20–60K |
| QL Intelligence company AI (every company page) | 5–25K per turn |
| Research tab follow-ups | 5–25K per turn |
| Portfolio follow-ups | 8–30K per turn |
| Signal engine scoring · indicator lookups · charts | Free (non-AI) |
| 5-factor signals · Day/Swing signals · news & sentiment | Free (non-AI) |
Token costs include the AI's extended reasoning ("Thinking", ~4K budget), tool-use rounds (market-data lookups, web-search, chart rendering, up to 6 rounds) that balloon input as tool results accumulate, and the final answer (up to 16K output). Heavy multi-tool turns with web-search + multiple chart renders can push a single QL Intelligence or follow-up turn past 40K. Reports are cheaper because they pre-build the bulk of the page in JavaScript and use the AI only for a short commentary layer.
Blown through your monthly budget before the calendar renews? Any paid tier can top up with a one-click refill pack. Higher tiers get a cheaper per-token rate, so the same $20 / $50 / $100 buys you more tokens on Pro than Starter, and more again on Institutional. Bonus tokens never expire and are drawn down after your monthly allotment is exhausted.
| Tier | Monthly base | Base rate / 1K tokens | Refill rate / 1K tokens |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $49 · 500K | $0.098 | $0.100 |
| Pro | $149 · 2M | $0.0745 | $0.080 |
| Institutional | $299 · 5M | $0.0598 | $0.060 |
Each tier's refill rate sits just above that tier's base monthly-plan rate, so the refill pack is always genuine overage — never a tier-bypass arbitrage. A Starter buying $100 of refills still pays more per token and gets fewer total tokens than just upgrading to Pro.
| Pack | Starter | Pro | Institutional |
|---|---|---|---|
| $20 | 200K | 250K (+25%) | 333K (+67%) |
| $50 | 500K | 625K (+25%) | 833K (+67%) |
| $100 | 1.00M | 1.25M (+25%) | 1.67M (+67%) |
Free tier uses the Starter rate when refilling, though Free users usually refill rarely (no Stripe card on file from a prior subscription).
Go to /profile → AI Tokens & Billing card → pick one of the three pack tiles ($20 / $50 / $100). The token count shown on each tile reflects your current tier rate. Secure checkout via Stripe using your card on file. Credits land in under a minute, no subscription change. See recent purchases + history directly on the card.
POST /api/research/credits
Content-Type: application/json
{
"user_id": "<your-clerk-id>",
"action": "purchase",
"pack_usd": 20 // 20 | 50 | 100 (default 20)
}
→ returns {
"checkout_url": "https://checkout.stripe.com/...",
"pack_usd": 20,
"pack_tokens": 250000, // tier-aware, computed server-side
"tier": "pro"
}
Tier is resolved server-side from your Clerk session / Supabase user_profiles.tier — never trusted from the client. Invalid pack_usd values (anything not 20/50/100) return 400.
Turn on auto-recharge and we'll automatically apply the $20 refill pack the moment your remaining balance drops below a threshold you pick. Token count credited follows your current tier (Starter 200K / Pro 250K / Institutional 333K), same Stripe card on file, zero interruption to any in-flight AI request.
| Threshold | Who it's for |
|---|---|
25K tokens | Light users — only want a backstop after a heavy burst. |
50K tokens | Typical — recharges when a small working buffer remains. |
100K tokens (default) | Active users — guarantees headroom for a full deep-dive analysis. |
150K tokens | Power users — always keep a fresh refill in reserve. |
Card expired, declined, or insufficient funds → the auto-charge fails and a warning banner appears on the profile card. Update your payment method, click Buy Credits once to confirm the new card works, and auto-recharge re-arms. You're never cut off silently — we log the error so you know.
On /profile in the AI Tokens & Billing card, flip the Auto-Recharge toggle on. Pick a threshold from the dropdown (25K / 50K / 100K / 150K) — we remember it forever. Turn it off anytime; one-click refills always stay available.
PATCH /api/research/credits
Content-Type: application/json
{ "user_id": "<your-clerk-id>", "auto_recharge": true, "auto_recharge_threshold": 100000 }
→ returns { "ok": true, "auto_recharge": true, "auto_recharge_threshold": 100000 }
Every AI endpoint checks your remaining budget before calling the model. If you're out of monthly tokens but have bonus credits, we draw from bonus automatically. If you're out of both and auto-recharge is off, the request returns 402 Payment Required with a JSON body pointing at the refill link.
| Status | Meaning | What to do |
|---|---|---|
200 | Request served, tokens deducted. | Keep going. |
402 | Monthly budget + bonus both exhausted. | Buy a $20 refill or enable auto-recharge. |
403 | Feature requires a higher tier (e.g. Portfolio AI on Free). | Upgrade on /pricing. |
Admin accounts and Enterprise seats bypass all token limits. Per-user limits can also be overridden server-side on any paid account.
No. Monthly tokens reset on the 1st; bonus tokens roll forever until used.
No — only bonus tokens roll. Budget reset on the 1st of each month.
Yes. Click any pack tile ($20 / $50 / $100) as many times as you want — each purchase adds bonus tokens at your tier rate. Auto-recharge also fires as many times as your threshold is tripped.
No — the bots use a separate command-count meter (5 / 50 / 500 / 5,000 per month by tier). The AI token budget covers only the web dashboard's Research, Portfolio, and QL Intelligence surfaces.
Yes — /profile shows Tokens Left, Bonus Credits, a Token Budget bar, recent purchase history, and the last 5 auto-recharges (if enabled).