Two pricing models
A company data API is billed in one of two ways:
- By credit. You buy a pack of credits; each lookup uses some of them, sometimes depending on the result returned. The bill follows your consumption.
- By flat price. You pay a monthly amount that does not depend on the number of requests. A rate limit (requests per minute) protects the service, but no consumption is billed on top.
Neither is better in itself. The question is which one fits your usage.
The formula for the real cost
With credits, the monthly cost is:
requests per month × credits per request × price of a credit
Each term can be checked on the provider's price list. Three traps distort the calculation:
- The number of credits depends on the call. A search returning ten results can cost more than a single record lookup. Count the cost of the call you will actually make.
- The credit price drops with the pack size. The price shown for a large pack is not the one you will pay if you start small.
- Unused credits may expire. Check the validity period before buying.
With a flat price, the calculation comes down to one number: the plan price, as long as your peak rate stays under the per-minute limit.
Questions to ask before choosing
- How much of my usage is typing (autocomplete) and how much is record lookups?
- Is my volume steady from one month to the next, or does it spike (file import, campaign)?
- Is autocomplete counted as a request?
- What happens when the quota is reached: block, extra charge or move to a bigger pack?
- Is company monitoring included or billed separately?
For the other criteria to compare (coverage, SLA, documentation), see Choosing a company data API: 8 criteria.
Jsonpage's model
Jsonpage bills a flat price: €0 excl. VAT per month (100 requests per minute), €19 excl. VAT (1,000 requests per minute) or €129 excl. VAT (10,000 requests per minute). There are no credits and no overage charged, and company monitoring is included in every plan. In return, if you look up a few dozen records a month, the Discovery plan (free) is enough and pay-as-you-go would not cost less.
The annual plan gives a 20% discount. All amounts are on the Pricing page.
Frequently asked questions
Is the credit model always more expensive?+
No. For very light use, pay-as-you-go can cost less than a monthly plan. It becomes more expensive as volume grows or varies.
What is a flat price with no overage charged?+
The monthly price is fixed. Beyond the per-minute rate limit, requests are temporarily refused, but nothing extra is billed.
How do I estimate my monthly volume?+
Count the companies to search or verify per month, multiplied by the number of calls per company (autocomplete, record, validation).
Is there a free plan?+
Yes, the Discovery plan (free) gives access to every route with 100 requests per minute, no credit card.
Keep reading
- COMPAREHow to choose a company data API: 8 criteriaCoverage, validation, up-to-date data, SLA, pricing, documentation, GDPR and monitoring: the grid to compare.
- VATFrench VAT number: format and how to check itThe French, Belgian and Swiss formats, the mentions on the invoice and the check before invoicing.
- VERIFICATIONIs this company real? Checks before signingA six-point checklist: identifier, status, name and address, VAT, signals and sanctions lists.