# How can I compare per-call, per-result and per-second tool pricing? Compare AI agent tool prices by the units a task consumes. By [Agentik](/about.md). Updated: 2026-10-19. Normalize tool prices around the deliverable you need. One call can return several records, one image can have size adjustments, and a browser task can report actual consumed cost. Agentik publishes the selected operation’s pricing contract so your agent can distinguish the reservation maximum from the final charged units. - [Connect your agent](/docs/clients.md) ## Read the unit before multiplying the rate Per-call pricing charges an operation according to its contract. Per-unit pricing can measure returned records, seconds, characters or provider credits. Reported-cost tools use declared provider cost fields and their bounded reservation rules where available. Inspect defaults, rounding, multipliers and maximums with the actual input. A requested result limit does not always equal billable units. A provider credit is not necessarily one record, and changing output size or audio settings can alter the quote. ## Compare equivalent outputs and acceptance criteria For lead enrichment, compare accepted records with the required fields and verification states. For media, compare the same dimensions, duration and audio requirements. A rate comparison is misleading when one output includes useful fields the other lacks. Record total settled usage for the authorized task, including partial work and necessary retries. Keep model bills, funding fees, taxes and existing subscriptions separate. No savings percentage should be claimed without the underlying records and comparable scope. ## Keep unknown or unbounded cases explicit When the catalog cannot provide a supported maximum for the selected input, ask for a quote or an acceptable alternative rather than inventing a number. A zero displayed estimate is not an appropriate substitute for an unknown price. A key spending cap also depends on the tool’s supported reservation contract. Do not bypass a configured cap to make an actual-cost operation run. Review the pricing and policy together before proceeding. ## What you pay for Agentik uses a prepaid workspace balance. Supported provider tools are billed for measured usage at the provider price, with no markup on tool calls. Funding the balance can carry a separate platform fee. The published standard top-up fee is 5.5%, with a minimum of $0.80. The fee is added to the requested credit. The minimum top-up is $5.00. Check the Pricing page for any first-top-up waiver and the payment screen for the applicable fee and tax. A call can reserve its maximum before dispatch, settle what it consumed and release the unused part. A partial result or an interrupted connection can still have consumed provider resources. Follow the existing run and its receipt rather than starting another paid call. Your assistant or model provider bills its own usage separately. Existing credits at another provider are not transferred into Agentik. Connecting your own private accounts can require their own permissions or plans. ## Normalize three different task units These are calculation rules, not provider prices. Read the live contract for each selected implementation. Normalize three different task units | Operation | Inputs to normalize | Comparison unit | | --- | --- | --- | | Email verification | Requested addresses and actual charged status units. | Cost per accepted checked record. | | Voiceover | Final text characters and supported settings. | Cost for the approved script. | | Video | Seconds, audio mode, size and attempts. | Cost for the accepted clip specification. | ## A prompt to try [Connect your agent](/docs/clients.md), then use this prompt with your connected assistant. Keep credentials in the authorized connection. ```text Compare the pricing of [tools] for [same deliverable]. Use Agentik inspect_tool to read rates, units, defaults, rounding, multipliers and maximums for the proposed inputs. Show each reservation calculation and the output differences. Keep unknown maxima explicit, separate funding and model costs, and define how settled cost per accepted deliverable will be measured after an approved trial. Do not invent savings or substitute zero for an unknown price. ``` ## A related workflow [Keyword research](/keyword-research.md). Seed terms in, a ranked keyword list out, with what page one covers and how people ask in forums. Example tool-call maximum: at most $0.54. 3 seed keywords for the United States in English, 100 ideas scored, page one read for the top 5 keywords, 5 forum searches. This catalog-based reservation maximum belongs to the playbook’s inputs, separately from this guide’s worked example. It is not an executed charge. Optional calls, funding fees, taxes and model usage are excluded. - [dataforseo/dataforseo-labs-google-keyword-ideas](/providers/dataforseo/dataforseo-labs-google-keyword-ideas.md) - [dataforseo/dataforseo-labs-google-bulk-keyword-difficulty](/providers/dataforseo/dataforseo-labs-google-bulk-keyword-difficulty.md) - [dataforseo/dataforseo-labs-google-search-intent](/providers/dataforseo/dataforseo-labs-google-search-intent.md) [View every step, input and tool in the playbook](/keyword-research.md). ## Questions ### Is the reservation the final tool charge? No. It bounds or holds credit according to the contract. Settlement follows the actual pricing and consumed usage. ### Can I compare tools using only price per call? Only when the operations and outputs are equivalent. Normalize result limits, fields, duration, quality settings and expected accepted output. ## Sources and next steps Agentik publishes this guide. The editorial update date is 2026-10-19; provider terms and availability can change. - [Measured billing](/docs/billing.md) - [Limits and reservations](/docs/limits.md) ### Continue with Agentik - [Billing contract](/docs/billing.md) - [Published pricing](/pricing.md) ## Related guides - [One balance for your agent's tool calls](/ai-agent-tool-billing.md) - [Reduce the cost of your agent's tool work](/reduce-ai-agent-tool-costs.md) - [Compare providers for the same agent task](/compare-ai-agent-tool-providers.md) [Browse all agent tool guides](/agent-tool-guides.md) --- [HTML page](/ai-agent-tool-pricing-models) · [Agent index](/llms.txt)