💰 Membership & Pricing
Open for discussion — nothing finalized yet
This page outlines the proposed membership model for TheHowlingWhispers. The core principle: no leeching. Free users must bring their own API key — nobody rides off someone else's key for free.
FREE
Bring Your Own Key
$0 / month
- ✅ Must provide your own API key
- ✅ Message cap per hour (even with your key)
- ✅ Create up to 3 rooms
- ✅ 1 OC slot
- ✅ Standard OC approval queue
- ❌ No leeching off other users' keys
PAID
Unlimited
TBD / month
- ✅ No API key needed — platform provides
- ✅ Unlimited messages — no hourly cap
- ✅ Unlimited rooms
- ✅ 10 OC slots
- ✅ Priority OC approval queue
- ✅ Supports server & API costs
Free Tier Details
- Message limit: Capped per hour — exact number TBD (20/hr? 50/hr? 200/day?)
- Own key required: Without a valid API key in your account, chat is read-only. You can browse rooms, view the roadmap, and read the plan.
- Rate limits: Standard per-endpoint rate limits apply on top of the hourly cap.
Paid Tier Details
- Unlimited messages: No hourly cap. Your usage is covered by the platform's key pool.
- No key needed: The platform provides the AI backend. You can still add your own keys if you prefer.
- Priority OC approval: User-created OCs skip to the front of the review queue.
- Price: Not yet set — depends on API costs and server hosting. Ballpark $5–10/mo.
Open Questions
- Free hourly cap — 20/hr, 50/hr, or 200/day?
- Paid price — $5/mo? $10/mo? Something else?
- Payment processor — Stripe, PayPal, or manual DM-for-access for now?
- Crypto option? — any interest in accepting crypto?
This is a proposal, not a commitment. Prices and limits will be adjusted based on actual API costs and feedback from early users.