---
title: "Pay-per-Use Software: Pay for What You Use Instead of Licenses"
description: "What pay-per-use means for software, how it differs from licensing and subscription models, and when usage-based billing is the better choice."
type: "wissen"
product: "webRichtung"
slug: "pay-per-use-software"
language: "en"
source_id: "wissen/pay-per-use-software"
published: "2026-06-10"
status: "publish"
faq_json:
  - q: "What does pay-per-use mean for software?"
    a: "Pay-per-use means: you pay for actual consumption – such as calls handled, documents processed, or media created – instead of a fixed license or subscription fee per user per month. Use little, pay little; use much, pay accordingly."
  - q: "What is the difference between pay-per-use and a subscription?"
    a: "A subscription buys access: fixed price per user per month, regardless of usage. Pay-per-use buys performance: costs only arise when something is actually consumed. Subscriptions are more predictable; pay-per-use is more cost-justified."
  - q: "Who benefits most from pay-per-use?"
    a: "Especially small teams and variable usage: no fixed costs in quiet months, no license fee for occasional users, no subscription stack across multiple tools. At very high, constant usage, flat-rate models can be cheaper – it pays to do the math."
  - q: "How does pay-per-use work at webRichtung?"
    a: "The account is free and has no base fee. You pay for consumption via Credits: 1 Credit equals 1 euro net. Upon self-registration, you receive 7.5 Credits as a test budget."
  - q: "Are costs predictable with pay-per-use?"
    a: "Yes, if the model is transparent: prices per action should be clear beforehand, and consumption should remain traceable."
---

Pay-per-use software bills based on actual consumption: you pay for calls handled, documents processed, or media created – not for licenses, user seats, or mere access. Everyone understands the principle from electricity: the connection costs you nothing per person in the household; you pay for what goes through the meter.

## Three billing models compared

Software today is sold essentially in three ways:

- **Purchase license:** Pay once, use forever. Sounds fair, but means high upfront investment, plus often update and maintenance costs.
- **Subscription (per user/month):** The dominant model. Predictable – but the fee is charged regardless of usage: for the colleague who opens the tool twice a month, just as much as for the power user. Across many tools, the familiar subscription stack builds up, charging every month no matter what happens.
- **Pay-per-use:** Costs arise only with actual usage. Cost-justified – who uses little, pays little.

None of these models is inherently "right." But they create different incentives – and fit different situations.

## Where the subscription model pinches

For small and mid-sized companies, the per-user subscription has two structural weaknesses. First, it penalizes inclusion: every additional employee costs money, so occasional users don't get access – and work around the system. Second, it penalizes diversity: every additional tool is another subscription, so useful software stays unbought or gets used via shared logins, which is neither clean nor secure. The result is often a company paying for software hardly anyone uses – and not using what would help many.

## Where pay-per-use has its strengths

- **Variable usage:** Seasonal business, project peaks, quiet months – costs move with the tide.
- **No base fee:** The account incurs no recurring access charge.
- **Limited experimentation:** Upon self-registration you get 7.5 Credits as a test budget.
- **Honest incentives:** The provider only earns when their software actually does work – not on forgotten subscriptions.

To be fair: at very high, constant usage, a flat-rate model can be cheaper. If you consume the same large volume every month, you should calculate both options.

## What to watch for with pay-per-use

1. **Transparency before the action:** You should see what something costs before it incurs a charge.
2. **Visible consumption:** An account balance visible at all times instead of surprise at month-end.
3. **No hidden fixed costs:** "Pay-per-use plus base fee plus minimum purchase" is a subscription with extra steps.

## How webRichtung implements it

The [webRichtung platform](https://www.webrichtung.de/en/platform/) is built consistently on pay-per-use: your account is free and has no base fee. You pay for work completed via Credits: **1 Credit equals 1 euro net**. Upon self-registration you receive 7.5 Credits as a test budget. How the model works in detail is explained in the [documentation](https://docs.webrichtung.de/en/konto/guthaben/).