5 impressive API monetization models

Bill Doerrfeld | March 19, 2026

Usage-based pricing is in: These 5 APIs epitomize that shift

OpenAI's developer platform has reached roughly $1 billion in annualized revenue. 😲


Most people familiar with API businesses have heard the canonical success stories (Stripe and Twilio) along with earlier examples like the Amazon Mandate, eBay’s Buy APIs, Expedia Group’s partner ecosystem, and Salesforce’s platform.


But in 2026, a new breed of usage-based monetization is emerging, increasingly built around on-demand infrastructure and API-level metering.


My latest post for the Zuplo blog highlights a handful of API monetization success stories from the 2020s, including Plaid, AssemblyAI, OpenAI, and Algolia — and revisits SendGrid as a classic example (and notable exit).


Check it out to see what these APIs enable, what units they use to meter usage, and what the business outcomes look like.


Read: 5 API Monetization Success Stories

Other Blog Posts

Taking a least privilege mindset to MCP

By Bill Doerrfeld • September 15, 2026
Does your agent really need access to every tool call under the sun?

The Road to KubeCon

By Bill Doerrfeld • September 8, 2026
I'll be writing a weekly series for The New Stack this fall covering Kubernetes, cloud native, and everything happening on the road to KubeCon in November.

Just announced: MCP Security Conference

By Bill Doerrfeld • September 1, 2026
I'm teaming up with Dan Barahona and AI Security University to put together the MCP Security Conference, a free half-day virtual event dedicated to MCP security .

Inside Shopify's "high-intensity" engineering culture

By Bill Doerrfeld • August 27, 2026
My latest DirectorPlus edition interviews Shopify's head of engineering, Farhan Thawar, on their unique internal engineering culture.

The rise of neoclouds in AI compute

By Bill Doerrfeld • August 24, 2026
Neoclouds promise cheaper GPUs and AI-optimized infrastructure, but can they really challenge hyperscalers? My feature on InfoWorld explores their advantages, risks, and likely role in AI compute.

Can AI finally stop software knowledge decay?

By Bill Doerrfeld • July 29, 2026
My latest for LeadDev interviews IBM's Neel Sundaresan on how to prevent a decades-old issue in software engineering.

Can zero standing privilege secure agentic AI?

By Bill Doerrfeld • July 13, 2026
The latest advancement in identity and access management (IAM) is something called zero standing privilege. It's a response to new agentic AI risks.

Are shared libraries on their way out?

By Bill Doerrfeld • July 7, 2026
Big surprise: it's way easier to generate new code with AI than to reuse old code. But what are the long-term effects?

AI coding agents are now the default

By Bill Doerrfeld • June 25, 2026
Agentic coding tools have become the default. "When we've taken that away accidentally from people, they scream."

Your AI model might disappear tomorrow: what now?

By Bill Doerrfeld • June 17, 2026
My latest for LeadDev considers how engineering leaders should respond in the wake of uncertainty in the AI model market.