> And if you think of API services as utility companies, it only makes sense that they should charge based on usage. After all, imagine what would happen if you had to sign a two-year contract stipulating how much electricity you’re going to use at home, or if you had to choose a bucket plan for electricity that forced you to purchase a set amount of kilowatt-hours of electricity.

My utility company pretty much does exactly that: they charge a fixed fee for the privilege of supplying me at all, and then they charge me for my metered usage. Different suppliers offer a variable balance between a larger fixed fee and a larger per-unit cost, so I can shop around and find the optimal supplier for my usage level.

Why aren't more APIs priced in that way?