Overview
Genie Helper offers four pricing tiers designed to scale from individual creators to professional studios. Each tier has specific usage limits based on server resource costs and operational overhead.
Pricing Structure
| Tier | Monthly Cost | Target User | Key Feature |
|---|
| Starter | $0 | Trial users | Basic platform access, no video |
| Creator | $49 | Individual creators | Unlimited scheduling, 3 platforms |
| Pro | $149 | Power users | Unlimited publishing, 6 platforms |
| Studio | $499 | Teams & agencies | 5 team seats, all 9 platforms |
Cost Basis
- Server: $100/mo fixed (IONOS dedicated, self-hosted)
- LLM inference: CPU-bound Qwen2.5 7B ~2-5s/call, ~4.8GB RAM pinned
- Stagehand sessions: ~300MB RAM/active browser session → ~33 concurrent sessions ceiling
- FFmpeg clip generation: ~30s CPU per clip (primary bottleneck)
- Watermark operations: ~100ms (Sharp/ImageMagick, effectively zero cost)
- Platform universe: 9 total platforms supported
Tier Limits Comparison
-1 indicates unlimited usage
Starter (Free)
Ideal for testing the platform with minimal resource commitment.
| Feature | Limit | Reasoning |
|---|
| AI-Assisted Posts | 3 | Taste of LLM capability, minimal CPU load |
| Posts Published | 5 | Not a production workflow, just testing |
| Scheduled Queue Size | 3 | Friction mechanic — forces frequent logins |
| Platforms Connected | 1 | Single platform test connection |
| Taxonomy AI Calls | 5 | Teaser of proprietary classification |
| Watermark Operations | Unlimited | Zero cost — drug dealer hook |
| AI Clip Operations | 0 | Video blocked (CSAM risk + bandwidth) |
| Thumbnail Operations | 0 | Requires video frame extraction |
| Team Seats | 1 | Solo only |
Creator ($49/mo)
Built for individual creators managing multiple platforms daily.
| Feature | Limit | Reasoning |
|---|
| AI-Assisted Posts | 30 | ~1 per day, acceptable CPU load |
| Posts Published | 90 | 3 platforms × ~1/day = 90 |
| Scheduled Queue Size | Unlimited | Primary upgrade hook from Starter |
| Platforms Connected | 3 | Most creators focus on 2-3 platforms |
| Taxonomy AI Calls | 75 | ~2.5 per day for content classification |
| Watermark Operations | Unlimited | Zero marginal cost |
| AI Clip Operations | 10 | Aligns with 5GB storage (~500MB avg clip) |
| Thumbnail Operations | Unlimited | Cheap FFmpeg frame extract |
| Team Seats | 1 | Solo creator |
Pro ($149/mo)
Power users with high publishing volume across multiple platforms.
| Feature | Limit | Reasoning |
|---|
| AI-Assisted Posts | 150 | Heavy user load, self-hosted can handle |
| Posts Published | Unlimited | Zero marginal Stagehand cost once connected |
| Scheduled Queue Size | Unlimited | No artificial friction |
| Platforms Connected | 6 | 2/3 of platform universe |
| Taxonomy AI Calls | 300 | Heavy classification usage |
| Watermark Operations | Unlimited | Zero marginal cost |
| AI Clip Operations | 50 | Aligns with 50GB storage |
| Thumbnail Operations | Unlimited | Cheap operation |
| Team Seats | 1 | Still solo operation |
Studio ($499/mo)
Full-featured tier for teams and agencies managing multiple creators.
| Feature | Limit | Reasoning |
|---|
| AI-Assisted Posts | Unlimited | At $499 they’re effectively paying for server |
| Posts Published | Unlimited | No restrictions |
| Scheduled Queue Size | Unlimited | Professional workflow support |
| Platforms Connected | 9 | Full platform universe |
| Taxonomy AI Calls | Unlimited | No restrictions |
| Watermark Operations | Unlimited | Zero marginal cost |
| AI Clip Operations | Unlimited | Full video processing access |
| Thumbnail Operations | Unlimited | No restrictions |
| Team Seats | 5 | Anchor differentiator for Studio tier |
Usage Limits JSON Schema
This configuration is stored in Directus and enforced server-side:
{
"starter": {
"posts_ai_assisted": 3,
"posts_published": 5,
"scheduled_queue_size": 3,
"platforms_connected": 1,
"taxonomy_ai_calls": 5,
"watermark_ops": -1,
"ai_clip_ops": 0,
"thumbnail_ops": 0,
"team_seats": 1
},
"creator": {
"posts_ai_assisted": 30,
"posts_published": 90,
"scheduled_queue_size": -1,
"platforms_connected": 3,
"taxonomy_ai_calls": 75,
"watermark_ops": -1,
"ai_clip_ops": 10,
"thumbnail_ops": -1,
"team_seats": 1
},
"pro": {
"posts_ai_assisted": 150,
"posts_published": -1,
"scheduled_queue_size": -1,
"platforms_connected": 6,
"taxonomy_ai_calls": 300,
"watermark_ops": -1,
"ai_clip_ops": 50,
"thumbnail_ops": -1,
"team_seats": 1
},
"studio": {
"posts_ai_assisted": -1,
"posts_published": -1,
"scheduled_queue_size": -1,
"platforms_connected": 9,
"taxonomy_ai_calls": -1,
"watermark_ops": -1,
"ai_clip_ops": -1,
"thumbnail_ops": -1,
"team_seats": 5
}
}
Important Implementation Notes
Review these carefully before implementing tier enforcement
1. Thumbnail Operations on Starter
thumbnail_ops on Starter is 0, not -1. Thumbnails require video frame extraction. Since video is blocked on Starter (CSAM risk + cost), thumbnails must also be blocked.
Wrong: "thumbnail_ops": -1 (accidentally enables video processing)
Correct: "thumbnail_ops": 0 (properly blocks video operations)
2. Posts Published Counting
The current implementation treats one publish event = one content piece regardless of how many platforms it’s pushed to simultaneously.
Example:
- User schedules 1 post to 3 platforms simultaneously = 1 count
- User schedules 3 separate posts to 1 platform = 3 counts
If you count per-platform-delivery instead, Creator at 90 posts becomes restrictive (3 platforms × 30 posts = only 30 pieces of content).
Document your counting convention clearly to avoid support tickets
3. Team Seats on Studio
Studio tier includes 5 team seats. You need a per-seat cost model for additional seats, or subscribers will onboard entire teams.
Recommended overage pricing:
- Additional seats: +$25/seat/month
- Or: Hard cap at 5 seats, require custom enterprise pricing
Usage Tracking
Usage is tracked in the user_personas collection and enforced by:
- API endpoint:
server/endpoints/api/usage.js
- Enforcement: Each operation checks current usage vs. tier limits
- Reset period: Monthly, on billing anniversary
- Storage:
user_personas.usage_current_period JSON field
Usage API Example
const usage = await api.get('/api/usage/current');
if (usage.posts_ai_assisted >= usage.tier_limits.posts_ai_assisted) {
throw new Error('Monthly AI post limit reached. Upgrade to continue.');
}
Upgrade Flow
- User initiates upgrade: From pricing page or usage limit warning
- Payment processing: Payment gateway integration required
- Tier update: PATCH
user_personas.pricing_tier
- Usage reset: Clear current period counters
- Immediate access: New limits take effect instantly
Downgrade Considerations
- Graceful degradation: Existing scheduled posts remain in queue
- Connection preservation: Platform connections stay active, new ones blocked
- Data retention: All media and history preserved
- Immediate enforcement: New limits apply at start of next billing period
- Usage tracking:
server/endpoints/api/usage.js
- Tier enforcement: Applied in
genieChat.js, queue.js, credentials.js
- Frontend pricing:
dashboard/src/pages/Pricing/index.jsx
- User personas: Directus
user_personas collection stores current tier
