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Is there an easier alternative to Stripe for Usage Metering?

Stripe Can Bill for Usage — But You Have to Build Everything Around It
Stripe Doesn't Enforce Limits
Stripe can track usage, but your app still needs to enforce limits.
Enforcing Limits is Only the Start
Users expect real-time updates, dashboards, and the ability to buy additional usage.
A Full Solution Requires a Team
A quick implementation can quickly turn into a full team's roadmap.
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    The Problem: Stripe Doesn’t Enforce Metering

    Stripe Alone

    • You have to log and persist usage in your own infrastructure
    • You have to rate limit and enforce usage rules manually
    • You have to map usage to tiers with custom logic
    • You have to format events for Stripe’s metered price model
    • You’re responsible for accuracy, refunds, and billing disputes

    With Schematic

    • A built-in usage tracking layer (via SDK, API, or logs)
    • Real-time syncing to Stripe metered prices
    • Usage-to-tier mapping and enforcement
    • Sync usage resets and entitlements
    • Rate limiting and entitlement gating (no Redis)
    • Configurable thresholds, soft/hard limits, and overages
    Capability
    Stripe Alone
    Schematic + Stripe
    Usage data capture
    Manual
    Built-in
    Usage-to-plan-tier mapping
    Custom
    Automatic
    Rate limiting / enforcement
    Custom
    Built-in
    Usage formatting for billing
    Manual
    Declarative
    Soft/hard caps + alerts
    ❌
    ✅
    Sync usage to Stripe metered prices
    Custom
    ✅

    Example Use Cases

    • LLM APIs – bill per token or second
    • Analytics tools – bill per row scanned or event ingested
    • Storage or compute – charge per GB or second used
    • SaaS apps – apply limits by tier, then upgrade paths

    Why it Matters

    • Save weeks of custom metering + billing plumbing
    • Prevent billing gaps and customer disputes
    • Keep usage data accurate, structured, and billable
    • Launch pricing changes faster
    • Align infrastructure cost with monetization

    Built for

    AI Founders
    Balancing infra costs with monetization
    Product Managers
    Managing usage-based pricing without dev bottlenecks
    Engineers
    Engineers who want billing to “just work” — especially at scale

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