Pricing and Fees
Lava's Pricing Model
Lava charges a simple, transparent fee on usage-based transactions. There are no monthly platform fees, no setup costs, and no minimum commitments.
Service Fee
Lava charges a 5% service fee on all usage-based transactions processed through the platform. This fee is calculated on the total transaction amount and is deducted automatically before merchant payouts.
For example, if a customer uses $10.00 worth of AI credits, the 5% service fee is $0.50, and the merchant receives $9.50 (minus any additional Stripe processing fees).
Payment Processing
Payment processing is handled by Stripe. Standard Stripe processing fees apply when customers add funds to their wallet (typically 2.9% + $0.30 for card payments). These are separate from Lava's service fee.
What's Included
The 5% service fee covers:
- AI proxy infrastructure — Low-latency request routing to 38+ providers
- Usage metering — Sub-cent accuracy for every API call
- Billing and settlement — Automated revenue calculation and payouts
- Dashboard and analytics — Real-time usage, revenue, and customer data
- Webhooks and SDKs — Developer tools for integration
- Support — Access to Lava's support team
AI Spend Keys
For individual users of AI Spend keys, Lava charges a small service fee (1.9%) on usage through spend keys. This covers the proxy infrastructure and usage tracking.
No Hidden Fees
Lava does not charge:
- Monthly platform fees
- Setup or onboarding fees
- Per-seat or per-user fees
- Minimum transaction volumes
- Fees for unused capacity
You only pay when your customers use the platform.