# Activepieces Switches to Credit-Based Pricing

Activepieces retired per-flow pricing for a credit model. Flow runs cost 1 credit; AI steps 2–20 credits. Overage is $0.007/credit. Self-hosted Community Edition stays free.

By Neomanex. Updated 2026-08-09.

Activepieces has abandoned its per-active-flow pricing in favor of a credit-based model — and if your workflows lean on AI steps, the new math will cost you more. The open-source [workflow automation platform](/directory/activepieces) now offers four cloud plans: Free (daily credits), Plus ($16/mo), Team ($166/mo), and Ultimate (custom, yearly credits). Flow runs cost 1 credit; AI steps range from 2 credits (fast model) to 20 credits (frontier model), with overage at $0.007 per extra credit. The self-hosted Community Edition, however, remains free and unlimited ([Activepieces Pricing](https://www.activepieces.com/pricing), 2026).

## What happened

Activepieces overhauled its cloud pricing structure in August 2026, retiring the legacy model where users paid $5 per active flow per month with unlimited runs. The replacement is a credit-based system with four tiers:

| Plan | Price | Credits | Users | Key difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Daily refresh | 1 | Hard cap — no overage |
| Plus | $16/mo | 3× Free | Up to 5 | Pay-as-you-go overage, BYO AI key |
| Team | $166/mo | 5× Plus | 25 (+$25/user) | SSO, projects, email support |
| Ultimate | Custom | Yearly pool | Custom | Git Sync, audit logs, dedicated support |

The credit economy is straightforward. Every flow run burns 1 credit regardless of how many steps it contains. AI steps, however, scale by model tier:

| AI step type | Credits |
|---|---|
| Your own AI key | 1 |
| Fast model | 2 |
| Smart model | 10 |
| Frontier model | 20 |

Overage on Plus and Team costs $0.007 per extra credit. The Free plan has a hard cap — once daily credits are exhausted, flows stop running until the next refresh.

## Why it matters

The pricing shift aligns Activepieces with competitors like Make and Zapier, both of which use task-based pricing. But the real signal is the AI premium: frontier model steps cost 20× what a basic flow run costs. For teams building AI-heavy automations — agents, chat-to-automation, LLM-powered decision nodes — the credit burn rate will be significantly higher than under the old per-flow model.

Activepieces remains the most affordable open-source alternative at the entry level. The Free plan's daily credits are enough for lightweight personal automations, and the $16/mo Plus tier undercuts comparable plans from n8n Cloud and Make. But the value proposition shifts once AI steps enter the picture — a single automation that fires a frontier model on every run could exhaust a monthly credit pool quickly.

The self-hosted Community Edition is a meaningful escape hatch. It remains free, open-source (MIT), and uncapped on runs, users, and flows. The trade-off: it lacks the collaboration and governance layer — Projects, SSO, audit logs, and agent features stay on paid plans.

## What changes for you

| Your situation | Impact |
|---|---|
| Light automations, no AI steps | Likely cheaper or neutral — the Free and Plus tiers are generous for basic flows |
| AI-heavy workflows with frontier models | Higher costs — 20 credits per AI step adds up fast; bring your own AI key to cut it to 1 credit |
| On the legacy $5/flow plan | Review your usage. Few flows with many steps each may cost less under credits; many simple flows may cost more |
| Self-hosting Community Edition | No change — free and unlimited continues |

**Concrete next step:** Audit your current flow volume and AI step count. If you're on the legacy plan, map your usage against the credit table before the migration window closes. For AI-heavy workflows, bringing your own API key is the single biggest cost lever — it drops AI step costs from 20 credits to 1.

## FAQ

**Is the Free plan really free?** Yes — no credit card required and no time limit. Credits refresh daily, so if you exhaust your quota, your flows pause until the next refresh. It's designed for exploring the platform and lightweight personal automations.

**What happens when I run out of credits?** On Free, runs past your daily quota won't execute until credits refresh. On Plus and Team, flows keep running and you're charged $0.007 per extra credit. Ultimate has a yearly pool, so one heavy month is absorbed across the year.

**Can I avoid the AI premium?** Yes — bringing your own AI key (OpenAI, Anthropic, etc.) reduces AI step costs to 1 credit, the same as a standard flow run. This is available on Plus and above.

Canonical: https://neomanex.com/news/activepieces-credit-pricing-aug-2026