> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://altostrat.io/docs/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Usage and billing > Understand Studio usage, per-chat and per-model cost, limits, plans, top-ups, payment methods, tax details, and invoices. Studio separates operational usage from billing administration. **Usage** explains where AI, calls, and transcription consumption came from. **Billing** manages the organization's plan, payer information, payment methods, tax IDs, and invoices. The status bar can show the remaining allowance or top-up balance while you work. Open the usage control for the detailed Usage view; use the display preference if you do not want the balance pinned persistently. ## Usage view | Tab | What it shows | | ------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | Overview | Remaining usage, headline counters, active limits, and current windows. | | AI | Daily token use, model breakdown, cost context, and usage by member where permitted. | | Per-chat | Your own conversations with model, tokens, and cost drill-down. | | Calls | Calling consumption and usage by member. | | Transcription | Daily transcription minutes and related totals. | | Limits | Organization and per-user soft or hard limits. | Per-chat detail is intentionally self-only. Organization aggregate or member summaries do not grant an admin access to another person's chat content. ## Understand AI cost Studio records input, output, cache, model, and billed usage for AI work. In the model table, use filters to narrow the date, surface, or member and inspect the records behind a total. The conversation cost view shows the models used in that conversation and a cost breakdown when pricing is available. **Auto** can route individual turns to different models, so one conversation can contain more than one model. Cost is most affected by: * Model and context-window choice. * Large attachments, tool results, and long un-compacted history. * Browser AI Grounding and image-heavy work. * Agentic turn count and sub-agent work. * Repeated polling or retries against an unavailable source. Use `/compact` with optional focus instructions when a long chat still matters but most history no longer needs to remain verbatim. ## Allowance, top-ups, and windows Your plan provides an allowance over a defined usage window. The UI shows percentage remaining instead of exposing implementation-level raw credits. Purchased top-up balance is shown separately in currency and can cover additional eligible usage. Top-up balance carries across plan changes and expires 12 months after purchase. The top-up review shows the exact charge and saved card before payment. When a rolling allowance window is full, a top-up may let work continue immediately. Otherwise, wait for the window reset or ask an administrator to review the limit. ## Top up safely Use the persistent balance or a usage-limit prompt. Only an authorized billing owner can complete organization billing writes. Select a preset or enter the supported amount in currency. Confirm the amount, organization, saved payment method, and top-up expiry statement. Some cards require Strong Customer Authentication in a Stripe-hosted flow. Return to Studio after the payment completes. Confirm the balance updates and open **Billing → Invoices** for the hosted invoice or PDF receipt. Do not retry repeatedly when payment status is unclear. Refresh invoices and balance first so an in-flight authorization does not become an accidental duplicate attempt. ## Usage limits Authorized administrators can set soft or hard limits for supported metrics at organization scope and, where supported, user scope. * A **soft limit** warns while allowing continued use. * A **hard limit** blocks covered usage when the threshold is reached. Limits can cover AI spend or tokens, call minutes, transcription seconds, and transcription sessions. Treat a limit as a guardrail, not an accounting report: check the Usage and Billing views for the financial picture. ## Billing pages | Page | What you manage | | --------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Plan | Current tier, upgrade, downgrade, subscription state, and cancellation. | | Billing details | Legal name, billing contact, and invoice address. | | Payment methods | Cards saved with Stripe for the organization. | | Tax IDs | VAT, GST, EIN, and other supported invoice identifiers. | | Invoices | Stripe-hosted invoices and PDF receipts, including top-ups. | Plan downgrades take effect at the end of the billing cycle when Studio shows them as scheduled. Confirm the effective date in the Plan view before assuming access or allowance has changed. ## Billing ownership Billing writes are restricted to the organization's responsible billing owner. Transfer billing ownership before that person leaves the organization. A normal organization admin may be able to inspect usage without being authorized to change the plan or payment method. ## Troubleshooting | Symptom | What to check | | --------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Balance did not update after payment | Refresh billing events and invoices; complete any Stripe authentication tab that is still open. | | Top-up button is unavailable | Confirm you are the billing owner or ask the owner to complete the purchase. | | A conversation cost seems high | Open **Per-chat**, inspect models and tokens, then check attachments, context window, turns, and browser grounding. | | Usage is blocked with balance remaining | Check hard limits and the active allowance window, not only top-up balance. | | An invoice needs corrected company data | Update **Billing details** and tax IDs before the next charge; ask support about an already-issued invoice. | ## Related Set the default model, context window, turn limit, and follow-up behavior. Understand models, context, compaction, turns, and Browser AI Grounding.