Last updated: October 2026
Also called: Flat recurring price
Think of it as A gym membership or a streaming plan.
The customer pays a fixed amount each period: every week, month, quarter or year. Kill Bill can bill it at the start of the period or at the end.
In Kill Bill terms: A recurring price on a plan phase, with a billing period such as MONTHLY.
Billing modes example →The same invoice every month.
Also called: Setup fee plus recurring price
Think of it as An internet box with an installation fee.
The first invoice adds a one-time fee to the monthly price. After that, only the monthly price is billed.
In Kill Bill terms: A fixed price and a recurring price on the same phase.
Fixed and recurring example →Also called: Plan phases
Think of it as A newspaper offer: first month free, then cheap for three months.
A plan is a sequence of steps, each with its own length and price. Kill Bill moves each customer to the next step on the right date, with no manual work.
In Kill Bill terms: Phases of type TRIAL, DISCOUNT, FIXEDTERM and EVERGREEN.
Phases example →The plan moves to the next step on its own.
Also called: Graduated tiers
Think of it as Income tax brackets: each band is taxed at its own rate.
The first units are billed at the first price, the next units at the next price, and so on. Here: the first 1,000 messages at $0.10, the rest at $0.05.
In Kill Bill terms: A consumable usage section with the ALL_TIERS policy.
Graduated example →Also called: Volume tiers
Think of it as A bulk discount: buy more than 1,000 and the whole order is cheaper.
The level reached at the end of the month sets one price for all units. Same prices as above, but 1,500 messages are all billed at $0.05.
In Kill Bill terms: The same tiers with the TOP_TIER policy.
Volume example →Also called: Capacity or peak pricing
Think of it as Renting a room sized for your biggest meeting of the month.
Kill Bill looks at the highest value of the month, such as the most users at the same time, and bills the matching package. Here the peak was 32 users, so the 11 to 50 package applies.
In Kill Bill terms: A capacity usage section: the peak value picks the tier, each tier has a flat price.
Capacity example →Also called: Hybrid pricing
Think of it as A phone plan with a monthly fee plus calls.
A fixed monthly fee and a usage charge on the same invoice. The fee stays the same, the usage part changes with consumption.
In Kill Bill terms: A recurring price and one or more usage sections on the same plan.
Base plus usage example →Also called: Add-ons
Think of it as Extra storage or premium support added to a software plan.
Each option has its own price and is billed on the same invoice as the main plan. Options can start, change and stop on their own.
In Kill Bill terms: Add-on products attached to a base plan.
Add-on example →Also called: Usage metering, AI tokens
Think of it as A taxi meter that adds up every kilometer.
Your application sends each event as it happens: tokens, API calls, minutes. Aviate adds them up for the month and the invoice applies the price, here $2 per million tokens. Sending the same event twice does not bill it twice.
In Kill Bill terms: Aviate Metering: billing meters with SUM, MAX, COUNT, LATEST or UNIQUE_COUNT. Kill Bill open source takes totals you add up yourself.
Metering guide →Also called: Prepaid credits with top-off
Think of it as A prepaid phone card that refills itself.
The customer pays in advance and usage draws down the balance. When it falls below a threshold, Aviate refills it automatically and charges the customer. Credits can be free or paid, and can expire.
In Kill Bill terms: Aviate Wallet: free and paid credits, top-off to a fixed amount or a target balance, expiration and a ledger.
Wallet guide →Also called: Coupons
Think of it as A promo code at checkout.
A code gives a fixed amount or a percentage off. It can be limited to some plans, a number of uses or a date, and shows as a negative line on the invoice.
In Kill Bill terms: Aviate Coupons. In Kill Bill open source, discount phases and price overrides per subscription cover many cases.
Coupons guide →Also called: Custom rating rules
Think of it as Off-peak electricity rates.
The price of each unit depends on a rule you write: the day, the time, the customer or a formula. Changing a rule does not need new code.
In Kill Bill terms: Aviate Usage Rating: expressions, tiers and time functions in versioned usage catalogs.
Usage Rating guide →isWeekend(timestamp) ? quantity * 0.002 : quantity * 0.005Like tax brackets. Each band is billed at its own price.
Like a bulk discount. The level reached sets one price for everything.
| Messages in the month | Graduated | Volume |
|---|---|---|
| 500 | $50 | $50 |
| 1,000 | $100 | $100 |
| 1,500 | $125 | $75 |
| 3,000 | $200 | $150 |
Prices: $0.10 a message up to 1,000, $0.05 above. Up to 1,000 messages, both give the same invoice. Above, volume rewards the customers who use the most.
| Model |  Kill Bill open source |  Aviate |
|---|---|---|
| Same price every month | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| One-time fees | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Trials and launch prices | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Graduated and volume tiers | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Capacity or peak pricing | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Base fee plus usage | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Add-ons | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Custom price for one customer | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Prices in several currencies | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Usage counted event by event | ✗ NoSend totals instead | ✓ YesMetering |
| Prepaid credit with automatic top-off | ✗ No | ✓ YesWallet |
| Discount codes | ✗ NoDiscount phases and price overrides instead | ✓ YesCoupons |
| Catalog editor in the browser | PartlySimple plans in Kaui, full catalog in XML | ✓ YesCatalog editor |
| Custom rating rules | ✗ No | Insider Preview |
