> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.secapi.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Plans, usage, and commercial rights

> Choose an SEC API plan for evaluation or internal use, then identify when a customer-facing product needs commercial terms

Choose a plan based on who uses the output and how predictably you expect to call the API. The [public pricing page](https://secapi.ai/pricing) is the buyer-facing comparison; authenticated billing and limits responses describe the account that will actually run your workload.

## Start with the intended use

* New organizations receive `150` included calls. This starter grant does not renew automatically.
* Pay As You Go supports uneven or early internal usage without a fixed monthly fee.
* Personal and Team suit sustained in-house use.
* Commercial terms are required before you redistribute, embed, white-label, or resell SEC API-derived output.

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="Create an account" icon="key-round" href="https://secapi.ai/signup">
    Get an organization and create the API key for a first request.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Price a real workload" icon="calculator" href="/evaluate/pricing-and-limits">
    Quote the paths and units you plan to run.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Read billing answers" icon="circle-help" href="/billing-faq">
    Check common account, budget, and quota boundaries.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Choose the operating model

| Plan          | Use it for                                                            | Billing posture                                      |
| ------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------- |
| Starter grant | A bounded evaluation before paid usage.                               | One-time included usage; not a recurring allowance.  |
| Pay As You Go | Early, uneven, or low-volume internal use.                            | Metered usage with prepaid credits.                  |
| Personal      | Sustained work by one analyst or developer.                           | Subscription plan with budget gates.                 |
| Team          | Sustained shared internal work.                                       | Subscription plan with budget gates.                 |
| Commercial    | Customer-facing products, redistribution, or negotiated requirements. | Contract terms determine scope, rights, and billing. |

## How usage is metered

Requests are classified by meter family. The current account-readable catalog at [billing rates](/api-reference/platform/get-v1-billing-rates) is the source of truth for rates; the response can identify the class for an individual request with `SECAPI-Meter-Class`.

| Meter family           | Typical work                                                              |
| ---------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `light_reads`          | Entity resolution and lightweight metadata                                |
| `standard_reads`       | Filings, facts, statements, ownership, compensation, and full-text search |
| `heavy_extracts`       | Section extraction, comparisons, and document retrieval                   |
| `artifact_jobs`        | Artifact generation and export jobs                                       |
| `delivery_events`      | Webhook and stream delivery                                               |
| `email_notifications`  | Customer-configured monitor email recipients                              |
| `intelligence_queries` | Intelligence and analysis routes                                          |
| `market_data_reads`    | Factor returns, macro indicators, and market snapshots                    |
| `semantic_search`      | Vector-based search across supported content                              |

The meter class, route limits, and billing decision can vary by request. Before a batch, quote each actual path rather than applying a rate from a related endpoint.

## AI-query allowance and budget controls

The `ai_queries` quota covers documented intelligence routes and enhanced dilution routes. The sandbox grant has a monthly trial allowance of 10. Paid tiers are metered and governed by billing and budget controls rather than a fixed monthly AI-query cap.

Quota-counted responses include `SECAPI-AI-Quota-Limit`, `SECAPI-AI-Quota-Used`, `SECAPI-AI-Quota-Remaining`, and `SECAPI-AI-Quota-Reset`. `GET /v1/billing` also returns the current values under `monthlyQuotas.ai_queries`. A budget, billing, or quota response is a stop condition: resolve the stated account condition before retrying.

## Rights boundary

Self-serve plans cover evaluation and internal use. Commercial terms are required for redistribution, embedding, white-labeling, resale, and Bulk Factor Export. A successful API request does not grant those rights.

For an external-facing product or a negotiated requirement, use the [public pricing page](https://secapi.ai/pricing) before launch. For an internal recurring workload, continue with [Pay As You Go](/pay-as-you-go) or [billing-aware agent runs](/agent-billing).