Credit System
Spartera uses a transparent, credit-based marketplace economy. This page explains how credits work for both buyers and sellers, across both product types (assets and endpoints).
The Basics
| Value | |
|---|---|
| 1 Credit | $0.50 USD |
| Credits expire? | No — credits do not expire (though credit value may change over time) |
| Seller Revenue Share | 80% of each transaction (standard) |
| Platform Fee | 20% of each transaction (standard) |
| Payout Timing | Monthly runs (3rd business day), covering everything since your last payment |
Two Billing Models — One Currency
Both product types use credits, but they bill at different points:
| Product Type | Billed When... | Charged for failures? |
|---|---|---|
| Asset (Calculation or Visualization) | Asset is executed (per-run) | No |
| Endpoint | A request returns 200 OK (per-request) | No |
A 1,000-row endpoint paginated 100 rows at a time costs 10 requests' worth of credits. A single asset execution returning the same insight costs 1 execution's worth.
In both cases, failed requests are never billed. If a request fails for any reason — bad input, seller-side database error, platform error — no credits are deducted. The spartera.billed field in every endpoint response confirms whether credits were charged.
For Buyers
How Credits Work
Credits are Spartera's currency for accessing paid products. The credit cost is clearly displayed before you process any product — no surprises.
Free products require no credits. Many products are available at no cost, including Spartera-provided content, partner content, and sample previews of paid items.
Paid products deduct credits from your balance when you process them. You are never charged credits for failed processing attempts.
Subscribe vs Process
These are two distinct actions for assets:
Subscribing adds an asset to your library for easy access. It's free and doesn't retrieve data or consume credits. Build a library of interesting assets without paying anything.
Processing executes the asset with current data and delivers results. This consumes credits for paid assets. Once processed, results are stored and accessible at no additional cost in your Purchases page.
For endpoints, the model is different:
- The first time you fetch data, Spartera auto-provisions an API key scoped to you (free — keys are unmetered)
- Each request you make against the endpoint deducts credits per-request on a successful 200 OK
- The key persists across requests and across sessions until you (or the seller) revoke it
→ See Subscribing to Endpoints for the full buyer flow.
Purchasing Credits
marketplace.spartera.com → Account → Buy CreditsOn-Demand
Buy any amount with no commitment. Best for occasional use or testing.
One-Time Bundles
| Bundle | Credits | Bonus | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | 50 | +5 | 55 credits |
| Professional | 250 | +32 | 282 credits |
| Enterprise | 1,000 | +150 | 1,150 credits |
Monthly Subscriptions
| Plan | Credits | Bonus | Discount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Startup | 100 | +13 | 5% |
| Professional | 500 | +75 | 7.5% |
| Enterprise | 1,000 | +175 | 10% |
Annual Subscriptions
| Plan | Credits | Bonus | Discount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Startup | 1,200 | +180 | 10% |
| Professional | 6,000 | +1,050 | 12% |
| Enterprise | 12,000 | +2,400 | 15% |
Tracking Your Usage
curl https://api.spartera.com/companies/{company_id}/credits \
-H "x-api-key: your-analytics-key"{
"data": {
"balance_credits": 240,
"balance_usd": 120.00,
"total_spent_credits_30d": 285,
"asset_executions_30d": 17,
"endpoint_requests_30d": 412
}
}Refund Policy
All credit purchases are final and non-refundable. Credits do not expire, though their USD value may change over time. You are protected against charges for:
- Failed processing due to technical issues
- Network or provider errors
- Invalid parameters (requesting future dates, invalid filter values, etc.)
- Any non-200 response from an endpoint
For billing disputes, contact [email protected].
Managing Your Subscription
- Upgrade — takes effect immediately
- Downgrade — takes effect at your next billing cycle
- Cancel — stops automatic renewal; unused credits remain in your account
- Unused credits are retained when you cancel and can be used anytime
For Sellers
Setting Your Price
You control the price for each of your products — assets and endpoints alike. Set your price in USD — Spartera automatically converts it to the equivalent credit cost for buyers.
For an asset, the price is per execution.
For an endpoint, the price is per request (each successful 200 OK).
# Set asset price
pricing_api.companies_company_id_assets_asset_id_prices_post(
company_id,
asset_id,
{"price_usd": 5.00} # You earn $4.00 per execution (80%)
)
# Set endpoint price
pricing_api.companies_company_id_endpoints_endpoint_id_prices_post(
company_id,
endpoint_id,
{"price_usd": 1.00} # You earn $0.80 per request (80%)
)Price changes take effect immediately for new executions / requests.
Revenue Split
You earn 80% of every transaction. Spartera retains 20% as the platform fee.
| Price | Your Earnings (80%) | Platform Fee (20%) |
|---|---|---|
| $0.50 | $0.40 | $0.10 |
| $1.00 | $0.80 | $0.20 |
| $2.50 | $2.00 | $0.50 |
| $5.00 | $4.00 | $1.00 |
| $10.00 | $8.00 | $2.00 |
| $25.00 | $20.00 | $5.00 |
Pricing Considerations by Product Type
Assets are typically priced higher per unit because each execution is a discrete insight (one number, one chart). Buyers tend to use them sparingly.
Endpoints are typically priced lower per unit because customers will make many requests in a session — they're integrating your data into their app or pipeline. A common pricing strategy: price low ($0.05–$2 per request), expect high volume.
Monthly Payment Runs
Spartera processes seller payments monthly, on the 3rd business day of the month. Each run covers everything you've earned since your last payment, paid via ACH directly to your verified Stripe-connected bank account.
You receive:
- Direct bank deposit (ACH)
- PDF payout report via email
- Itemized breakdown in your Seller Dashboard, separated by product type
Minimum payout: $25.00 — earnings below this threshold roll over to the following month.
A connected, fully-verified Stripe account is required to receive any payouts. → See Connecting Stripe for Payouts for setup instructions.
Tracking Earnings
curl https://api.spartera.com/companies/{company_id}/earnings \
-H "x-api-key: your-analytics-key"{
"data": {
"pending_payout_usd": 840.00,
"total_earned_usd": 12450.00,
"asset_executions_30d": 420,
"endpoint_requests_30d": 8200,
"top_product": {
"name": "Customer Churn Risk Score",
"type": "ASSET",
"transactions_30d": 312,
"revenue_30d": 624.00
}
}
}Dashboard → Earnings → Payout HistoryWhat the 20% Platform Fee Covers
- API infrastructure, scaling, and 99.9% uptime SLA
- Global content delivery and low-latency execution
- Buyer acquisition and marketplace marketing
- Payment processing and payout operations
- Fraud detection and platform security
- Seller dashboard, analytics, and tooling
- Customer support for buyers and sellers
FAQ
Do credits expire?
No. Purchased credits do not expire, though their USD value may change over time.
Am I charged if a request fails?
No. You are never charged credits for failed asset executions or endpoint requests due to technical issues, network problems, or provider errors. For endpoints, the spartera.billed field in every response confirms whether credits were deducted.
Can I get a refund on credits?
No — all credit purchases are final. Since credits do not expire, unused credits remain available on your account.
When do I get paid as a seller?
Payment runs execute monthly on the 3rd business day and cover everything earned since your last payment, paid via ACH to your Stripe-connected bank account. See Connecting Stripe for Payouts.
What's the minimum payout?
A payment is sent once you've accrued $25.00 in gross sales since your last payment ($20.00 net at the standard split). Below that, earnings keep accruing to a future run — nothing is ever forfeited.
Can I change my product's price?
Yes, at any time. New price takes effect immediately for future transactions.
What happens if a buyer disputes a transaction?
Contact [email protected]. We review logs and mediate disputes fairly.
What's the Minimum Number of Credits to Purchase?
You must purchase at least TEN (10) credits to use on insights, visualizations and data feeds.
An endpoint returned 0 rows but I still got billed — is that right?
Yes. The query ran successfully (200 OK), it just matched no rows. Refine your filters to avoid empty result sets.