How Pricing Works
mctx uses metered billing - you pay based on actual usage, not a flat monthly fee. This page explains how pricing works for both subscribers and developers.
Per-Request Pricing
MCP servers on mctx are priced per 1,000 requests. For example:
- $1.00 per 1K requests means each request costs $0.001
- If you make 500 requests in a month, you pay $0.50
- If you make 10,000 requests, you pay $10.00
This model means you only pay for what you use.
How Billing Works
For Subscribers
- Subscribe - Enter payment details via Stripe Checkout
- Use - Make requests to the MCP server throughout the month
- Bill - At the end of each billing cycle, Stripe calculates your usage
- Pay - Your card is charged for the total usage
You can view your current usage in the dashboard at any time.
For Developers
- Set price - Choose your price per 1,000 requests (minimum $1.00/1K)
- Earn - Receive 80% of subscriber payments
- Payouts - Funds are transferred to your bank account on Stripe's schedule (typically 2-7 business days)
Revenue Split
mctx takes a 20% platform fee. The remaining 80% goes to the developer:
Subscriber pays: $10.00 (example)
Platform fee (20%): $2.00
Developer receives: $8.00Note: Standard payment processing fees (~2.9% + $0.30 per transaction) are deducted from the total before the split.
Price Examples
| Price per 1K | 100 requests | 1,000 requests | 10,000 requests |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0.10 | $0.01 | $0.10 | $1.00 |
| $1.00 | $0.10 | $1.00 | $10.00 |
| $5.00 | $0.50 | $5.00 | $50.00 |
| $10.00 | $1.00 | $10.00 | $100.00 |
Locked-In Pricing
The price you see when you subscribe is locked in for as long as you maintain that subscription. Your rate never changes while you're subscribed - no matter what happens next:
- Developer sets price at $1.00/1K
- You subscribe and lock in $1.00/1K
- Developer raises price to $2.00/1K → You still pay $1.00/1K (while subscribed)
- Developer releases v2.0 with new features → You still pay $1.00/1K (while subscribed)
- Demand bonus kicks in → You still pay $1.00/1K (while subscribed)
New subscribers pay the new price, but your rate never changes while you stay subscribed. However, if you unsubscribe and resubscribe later, you'll pay the current price at that time - not your original locked-in rate. This is our promise to you: stay subscribed, keep that rate.
Demand Bonus Pricing
Developers can optionally enable demand bonus pricing. When a server has high traffic:
- The price automatically increases based on requests per minute
- New subscribers lock in the higher rate
- Existing subscribers keep their original rate
This incentivizes developers to build popular, high-quality servers.
How Demand Bonus is Calculated
The bonus is calculated as:
Price with bonus = Base price x (1 + RPM / 1000)| Requests per Minute | Bonus | Price Multiplier |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0% | 1.0x |
| 500 | 50% | 1.5x |
| 1,000 | 100% | 2.0x |
| 2,000 | 200% | 3.0x |
For example, a $1.00/1K server with 500 RPM would cost new subscribers $1.50/1K.
What Counts as a Request?
A request is any MCP method call that your client makes to the server:
tools/list- List available toolstools/call- Execute a toolresources/list- List available resourcesresources/read- Read a resourceprompts/list- List available promptsprompts/get- Get a prompt
The initialize and notifications/initialized handshake messages are handled by the platform and do not count toward usage.
Next Steps
- Getting Paid - Set up payouts and start receiving payments
- Developer Subscription - Optional self-subscription for testing
- Deploy Your Server - Deploy your own server and set pricing
See something wrong? Report it or suggest an improvement — your feedback helps make these docs better.
Deleting Your Server
How to permanently delete your MCP server from mctx, including the 72-hour wind-down period for servers with active subscribers and emergency immediate deletion.
Getting Paid
Set up payouts to receive payments from your MCP server subscriptions. Connect your bank account and get paid in minutes.