Docs · Billing

Agency billing and client rebilling.

Two separate money flows: you pay Ciela for software and hosted-agent usage; your clients pay you for the service you sell them. Ciela does not take a percentage of what your clients pay on Stripe Connect — you keep your retainer minus normal Stripe card processing fees.

Headline

0% platform fee on client revenue

When your end client pays you through Stripe Connect, Ciela's default platform fee is 0%. We do not skim your retainer the way marketplaces take 10–30% of GMV. You set the price; the payment lands in your connected Stripe account; you keep the margin between what you charge and what you pay Ciela (your subscription, Agency add-on, and usage credits). Compare that to white-label platforms that charge a flat agency fee but still leave client revenue with you — same idea.

Two wallets

Wallet A — You → Ciela: Your Ciela AI subscription, optional credit upgrades, and Agency add-on. Hosted production usage (voice, SMS, chat) draws from your monthly credit bucket unless you pass usage through to a client invoice.
Wallet B — Client → You: Retainers and optional usage overage on your Stripe Connect account. Your client pays you, not Ciela. Standard Stripe processing fees apply; Ciela platform fee defaults to 0%.
Your margin: What you charge the client minus Ciela costs, provider usage, and Stripe fees. You are the agency; Ciela is infrastructure.
Agency add-on: $997/year · client roster, hosted agents, portals, Connect rebilling

Who pays for what

Ciela subscriptionYou pay Ciela annually (Ciela AI, programs, etc.). This unlocks the product.
Monthly creditsAI chat, demos, outreach generation, lead sourcing, and hosted production agents meter into your credit allowance. See Billing and usage for burn rates.
Client retainerYou set a monthly (or one-time) retainer per client. After Stripe Connect onboarding, you can create a subscription so that retainer is real MRR in your Stripe dashboard.
Connect platform fee0% by default — Ciela does not take a cut of client payments. Only Stripe's card processing fees apply on those charges.
Usage overage (optional)You can enable billing metered voice/SMS/chat onto the client's Stripe invoice. Until that is configured, hosted usage still draws from your Ciela credits — plan your markup accordingly.

Walkthrough

Pay Ciela

Subscribe to Ciela AI. Add the Agency add-on when you are delivering under your own brand with a client roster and hosted production agents. Top up credits if you need more monthly capacity for AI and hosted runtime.

Connect Stripe for a client

On the client's hosted agent page, open Billing and click Connect Stripe for client billing. Finish Stripe's onboarding (KYC, payout bank). This links a Connect account so charges for that client can run through your Stripe — not Ciela's checkout.

Set retainer and go live

Enter the retainer you charge that client (e.g. $1,997/mo), save, and create the subscription when ready. Your client is billed on your connected account. Ciela's platform fee on that charge is 0% — you keep the retainer minus Stripe processing.

Hosted production usage

Managed voice, SMS, and website chat agents are provisioned by Ciela's hosted runtime. Typical credit burn (from your operator bucket):

Hosted production voice: 80 / min credits
Hosted production SMS: ~2 / segment credits

Many agencies charge clients a flat retainer that already includes expected usage, or add a usage line on the client invoice. Ciela does not automatically replace your credit bucket when Connect is linked — think of credits as your COGS and the client retainer as your revenue.

Managed vs self-hosted

Managed (hosted): Ciela provisions Twilio/Vapi/chat. Usage meters to your credits by default; Connect is how you collect client retainers.

Self-hosted (Agent Library): You bring Vapi/Twilio keys. Ciela does not meter provider cost the same way; you bill clients however you want off-platform.

Common questions

Does my client pay Ciela? No — for the retainer and Connect charges, they pay you on your Stripe account.

Does Ciela take a % of my client invoices? No. Default platform fee is 0%. We monetize through your software subscription and credits, not by taxing your agency revenue.

Does Connect stop my credit usage? Not automatically. Hosted agents still draw your Ciela credits unless usage rebilling to the client is enabled and synced.

What fees do I still pay on client charges? Stripe's standard card processing (e.g. ~2.9% + $0.30 in the US). That is Stripe, not a Ciela platform fee.

Keep reading

Billing

Credits and your Ciela plan

Monthly allowance, what burns credits, upgrades, and refunds.

Agency

Clients and portals

Roster, hosted launch workflow, portals, and self-hosted webhooks.

Need help?

Ciela can walk you through any step. Or write to support@ciela.ai and we'll jump on the connection with you.

Ask Ciela