# Compare basic usage-based billing and Metronome

Understand the differences between basic usage-based billing and Metronome.

Metronome is Stripe’s primary usage-based billing platform and the recommended starting point for all new integrations. Metronome handles metering, rating, and billing, while Stripe handles payment collection, tax calculation, and revenue recognition.

Metronome supports usage-based pricing models at every level of complexity, including:

- Pay-as-you-go
- Flat fee and overages
- Credit-based pricing
- Prepaid credits and drawdown
- Enterprise contracts with commits and minimum spend requirements
- Ramp schedules
- Dimensional pricing

Metronome also provides real-time usage tracking and high-volume event ingestion.

To start a new integration, see [Get started with Metronome](https://docs.stripe.com/billing/usage-based.md). To evaluate Metronome first, contact your Stripe representative and [create a Metronome sandbox](https://signup.metronome.com/).

## Determine whether to migrate to Metronome

If you already bill customers with a [basic usage-based billing integration](https://docs.stripe.com/billing/subscriptions/usage-based.md), you don’t need to migrate. Stripe continues to fully support basic usage-based billing for existing integrations.

Migrate to Metronome if you need any of the following:

- Prepaid credits or credit burndown
- Enterprise contracts, commits, or ramp schedules
- Dimensional or composite pricing
- Real-time usage visibility
- High-volume event ingestion

When you’re ready, see [Migrate to Metronome](https://docs.stripe.com/billing/subscriptions/usage-based/migrate-to-metronome.md). For more detail on how the two products fit together, see [How Metronome works with Stripe](https://docs.stripe.com/billing/how-metronome-works-with-stripe.md).

### Pricing models

|  | **Basic usage-based billing** | **Metronome** |
| --- | --- | --- |
| *Pay-as-you-go* (Pricing model where you track incurred usage over a determined time period, then charge the customer at the end of the period) | ✓ Supported | ✓ Supported |
| *Flat fee and overages* (Pricing model where customers pay a set recurring fee for a base package, and you bill any usage beyond that limit separately) | ✓ Supported | ✓ Supported |
| *Credit based pricing* (Pricing model where you provide credits to offer a fixed, monetary amount of usage across your usage-based products) | ✓ Supported (invoice time1) | ✓ Supported (real-time) |
| *Prepaid credits and drawdown* (Customers pre-purchase credits to use your service. Usage reduces a customer’s balance in real time) | — | ✓ Supported |
| *Enterprise contracts, commits, minimums* (Pricing model where customers commit to a minimum spend or usage over a contract period in exchange for discounts or added benefits, whether or not they fully use the commitment) | — | ✓ Supported |
| *Ramp schedules* (Pricing model where a customer's committed usage scales up incrementally over the contract period, starting at a lower commitment and increasing over time) | — | ✓ Supported |
| *Dimensional pricing* (Pricing model where a single meter tracks usage events with attributes like model type or region, applying different rates based on each event's attribute combination) | — | ✓ Supported |

1 Credits are only reconciled at invoice time. Customers can exceed their balance during the cycle.

### Metering and usage

Metering and usage capabilities determine how you record, track, and manage customer usage.

|  | **Basic usage-based billing** | **Metronome** |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Usage recording | ✓ Supported | ✓ Supported |
| Real-time usage visibility | — | ✓ Supported |
| Usage alerts and thresholds | ✓ Supported | ✓ Supported |
| High-volume event ingestion | Limited2 | ✓ Supported |
| Multi-dimensional metering | — | ✓ Supported |

2 For enterprise-level businesses that need to manage high-volume event ingestion, we recommend you use Metronome.

### Billing and invoicing

|  | **Basic usage-based billing** | **Metronome** |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Invoice generation | ✓ Supported | ✓ Supported |
| Payment collection | ✓ Supported | ✓ Supported |
| Revenue recognition | ✓ Supported | ✓ Supported |
| Real-time credit burndown | — | ✓ Supported |

### Stripe products compatibility

There are interoperability gaps between some Stripe products and Metronome.

|  | **Basic usage-based billing** | **Metronome** |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [Automatic Tax](https://docs.stripe.com/tax/invoicing.md) | ✓ Supported | ✓ Supported |
| [Checkout](https://docs.stripe.com/payments/checkout.md) | ✓ Supported | Limited3 |
| [Connect](https://docs.stripe.com/connect.md) | ✓ Supported | — |
| [Adaptive Pricing](https://docs.stripe.com/payments/currencies/localize-prices/adaptive-pricing.md) | ✓ Supported | — |
| [Workflows](https://docs.stripe.com/workflows.md) | ✓ Supported | — |
| [Stripe Dashboard](https://docs.stripe.com/dashboard/basics.md) | ✓ Supported | — |

3 Requires custom API calls and webhook configuration.

## See also

- [Basic usage-based billing](https://docs.stripe.com/billing/subscriptions/usage-based.md)
- [How Metronome works with Stripe](https://docs.stripe.com/billing/how-metronome-works-with-stripe.md)