The following diagram shows two billing scenarios in Craftology: prepaid and postpaid.
In both scenarios, the user first selects a model and generation settings. Craftology then calculates an estimated cost based on the selected parameters, such as model, duration, quality, mode, audio, or token usage.
For prepaid users, Craftology checks whether the user has enough Craft credits before generation starts. If the balance is too low, the user is asked to add credits or change the generation settings. If the balance is sufficient, Craftology shows the cost, reserves the estimated credits, and starts generation. If the job fails, the reserved credits are released. If the job succeeds, Craftology calculates the final provider cost, reconciles it against the reserved amount, and returns any unused credits.
For postpaid users, Craftology does not reserve credits before generation. Instead, it checks whether the account is within its usage limit or billing policy. If the account is blocked or over limit, the user must change settings or request approval. If allowed, generation starts and the final cost is calculated only after completion. Successful usage is added to the usage log (usage ledger). Failed jobs do not create a charge.