API Credit
Purchased API Credit is an independent, non-expiring balance for direct REST API usage. It does not require an OpenPatent Pro subscription.
This page covers purchasing and discount qualification. For the credits charged by each operation, see Pricing in the API Reference .
Buying credits
Open Settings > API Management to start a purchase, choose an amount, and review the final price before checkout.
- List price: $200 per 10,000 credits
- Minimum purchase: 10,000 credits
- Purchase step: 5,000 credits after the minimum (for example, 10,000, 15,000, or 20,000 credits; $100 per step at list price)
- Expiration: Never
Starter credits
Eligible accounts receive 10,000 non-expiring API credits after creating their first API key. The grant does not start an OpenPatent Pro trial and does not require a credit card.
Standard graduated pricing
| Qualified credit range in the program year | Discount for that range |
|---|---|
| 0–199,999 | 0% |
| 200,000–299,999 | 10% |
| 300,000–399,999 | 20% |
| 400,000–499,999 | 30% |
| 500,000 and above | 40% |
For example, if you have already purchased 190,000 credits and then buy 20,000 more, the first 10,000 cost $200 at list price and the next 10,000 cost $180 after the 10% discount, for a pre-tax total of $380.
Program year
Your first paid API Credit purchase starts a 12-month program year. Purchases made during that period count toward the volume-discount tiers. You can see the dates and your progress in API Management.
When a new program year begins, your progress toward the discount tiers starts again. Your purchased API Credit stays in your balance and never expires.
Check your balance and usage
API Management shows the current balance. For programmatic monitoring, use the Usage API to retrieve the balance, individual usage records, or aggregated usage statistics.
Custom pricing
Organizations with larger or specialized requirements can arrange custom rates, volume commitments, and renewal terms. API Management shows the pricing and program dates that apply to the account before checkout. Contact Sales to discuss custom pricing.