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Cernio — Pricing & Cost Analysis

Last updated: 2026-03-31 Status: DRAFT — to be finalized before beta Reference: docs/strategy/04-billing-credits.md

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1. AI API Model Pricing (March 2026)

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1.1 Google Gemini

ModelInput $/1MOutput $/1MContextWeb Search (Grounding)BatchNotes
Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite$0.10$0.401M$35/1K queries50%Cheapest Gemini, ideal for batch/classify
Gemini 2.5 Flash$0.30$2.501M$35/1K queries50%Project default (quick tier)
Gemini 2.5 Pro (<=200K)$1.25$10.001M$35/1K queries50%For deep analysis
Gemini 2.5 Pro (>200K)$2.50$15.001M$35/1K queries50%Long context
Gemini 3 Flash (Preview)TBDTBD1M$14/1K queries—Grounding 2.5x cheaper! Preview
Gemini 3 Pro (<=200K, Preview)$2.00$12.001M$14/1K queries—Preview, pricing may change
Gemini 3 Pro (>200K, Preview)$4.00$18.001M$14/1K queries—Preview
Notes:
  • Content fetched via Grounding is not billed as input tokens
  • Cache reads: 10% of base input price
  • Batch API: 50% discount on all models, 24-hour turnaround

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1.2 OpenAI

ModelInput $/1MOutput $/1MContextWeb SearchBatchNotes
GPT-4.1 Nano$0.10$0.401M$25/1K + 8K token/call50%Cheapest GPT, ideal for classify
GPT-4.1 Mini$0.40$1.601M$25/1K + 8K token/call50%Good balance
GPT-4.1$2.00$8.001M$30/1K + token50%GPT-4o successor
GPT-4o Mini$0.15$0.60128K$25/1K + 8K token/call50%Legacy, prefer 4.1 Mini
GPT-4o$2.50$10.00128K$30/1K + token50%Project balanced tier
GPT-5$1.25$10.00———New flagship
o3$2.00$8.00200K——Reasoning
o3-mini$1.10$4.40200K—50%Reasoning (cheap)
o4-mini$1.10$4.40200K—50%Reasoning (new)
Notes:
  • GPT-4.1 series is GPT-4o’s successor, 1M context, same or cheaper
  • Web search: fixed 8K input token block + per-call fee (cost higher than expected)
  • o-series models are for reasoning, generally unnecessary for lead gen

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1.3 Anthropic (Claude)

ModelInput $/1MOutput $/1MContextWeb SearchBatchNotes
Claude Haiku 4.5$1.00$5.00200KNone50%Fast, medium quality
Claude Sonnet 4.6$3.00$15.00200KNone50%Project deep tier
Claude Opus 4.6$15.00$75.00200KNone50%Most powerful, very expensive
Notes:
  • Prompt caching: 90% discount (cache hit)
  • No web search support — not suitable alone for headhunt/discovery
  • Extended thinking: Sonnet 12/M,Opus12/M, Opus 60/M (input)

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1.4 Perplexity

ModelInput $/1MOutput $/1MRequest Fee /1KContextNotes
Sonar (Low)$1.00$1.00$5128KCheapest web search
Sonar (Medium)$1.00$1.00$8128KBalanced
Sonar (High)$1.00$1.00$12128KComprehensive search
Sonar Pro (Low)$3.00$15.00$6200KPro quality, cheap search
Sonar Pro (Medium)$3.00$15.00$10200KProject headhunt tier
Sonar Pro (High)$3.00$15.00$14200KMost comprehensive
Sonar Deep Research$2.00$8.00Variable—Deep research
Notes:
  • Citation tokens are not billed (Sonar + Sonar Pro)
  • Request fee + token fee are calculated together
  • Ideal for headhunt (web search included)
  • Example: Sonar Low, 500 input + 200 output = ~$0.006/query

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1.5 Budget Alternatives

ProviderModelInput $/1MOutput $/1MContextWeb SearchNotes
DeepSeekV4$0.30$0.50—NoneCache hit: $0.03 input
DeepSeekV3.2$0.28$0.42—NoneCache hit: $0.028
DeepSeekR1 (reasoning)$0.55$2.19—NoneReasoning model
MistralMinistral-8B$0.10$0.10—NoneCheapest Mistral
MistralMedium 3$0.40$2.00—NoneMid-range
MistralLarge 3$2.00$6.00—NoneMost powerful Mistral
GroqLlama 3.1 8B$0.05$0.08128KNoneUltra fast, ultra cheap
GroqLlama 3.3 70B$0.59$0.79128KNoneBatch 50% discount

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1.6 Price Comparison Summary (Cheapest → Most Expensive)

SegmentModelInputOutputUse Case
Ultra CheapGroq Llama 3.1 8B$0.05$0.08Simple classify
CheapGemini 2.5 Flash-Lite / GPT-4.1 Nano$0.10$0.40Batch classify, simple analysis
EconomicalGemini 2.5 Flash / GPT-4.1 Mini$0.30-0.40$1.60-2.50Discovery, enrichment
BalancedGPT-4.1 / GPT-4o / Gemini 2.5 Pro$1.25-2.50$8-10Deep analysis, enrichment
PremiumClaude Sonnet 4.6$3.00$15.00Highest quality output
Ultra PremiumClaude Opus 4.6$15.00$75.00Rarely needed
Web SearchPerplexity Sonar (Low)$1.001.00+1.00 + 5/1K reqHeadhunt, contact finding

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2. Cernio Operational Costs (Per Model)

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2.1 Token Usage (Measured from Project)

OperationSystem PromptUser InputOutputTotal Tokens
Discovery (1 search, 15 companies)~300~700~2,500~3,500
Headhunt (1 company, 3 contacts)~200~700~800~1,700
Enrichment (1 company analysis)~300~1,300~1,700~3,300
Batch classify (25 companies)~250~1,500~600~2,350

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2.2 Discovery Cost — Model Comparison

1 discovery search = ~1,000 input + ~2,500 output tokens + web search
ModelToken CostWeb SearchTotal /search
Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite$0.0011$0.035$0.036
Gemini 2.5 Flash$0.0010$0.035$0.036
Gemini 2.5 Pro$0.026$0.035$0.061
Gemini 3 Flash (Preview)TBD$0.014~$0.015
GPT-4.1 Nano$0.0011$0.025 + token~$0.027
GPT-4.1 Mini$0.0044$0.025 + token~$0.030
GPT-4.1$0.022$0.030 + token~$0.053
Perplexity Sonar (Low)$0.0035Included ($0.005/req)$0.009
Perplexity Sonar Pro (Low)$0.041Included ($0.006/req)$0.047
Cheapest discovery: Perplexity Sonar Low (0.009)orGPT−4.1Nano+search(0.009) or GPT-4.1 Nano + search (0.027)

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2.3 Headhunt Cost — Model Comparison

1 headhunt = ~900 input + ~800 output tokens + web search (REQUIRED)
ModelToken CostWeb SearchTotal /contact
Perplexity Sonar (Low)$0.0017Included ($0.005/req)$0.007
Perplexity Sonar (Medium)$0.0017Included ($0.008/req)$0.010
Perplexity Sonar Pro (Low)$0.015Included ($0.006/req)$0.021
Perplexity Sonar Pro (Medium)$0.015Included ($0.010/req)$0.025
Gemini 2.5 Flash + Grounding$0.0022$0.035$0.037
Gemini 3 Flash + GroundingTBD$0.014~$0.015
GPT-4.1 Mini + Search$0.0016$0.025 + 8K token~$0.030
Cheapest headhunt: Perplexity Sonar Low ($0.007)

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2.4 Enrichment Cost — Model Comparison

1 enrichment = ~1,600 input + ~1,700 output tokens (web search optional)
ModelTotal /companyNotes
Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite$0.0008Quality needs testing
Gemini 2.5 Flash$0.005Good balance
GPT-4.1 Nano$0.0008Cheap but quality?
GPT-4.1 Mini$0.003Good balance
GPT-4.1$0.017Deep analysis
GPT-4o$0.021Currently used in project
Claude Haiku 4.5$0.010Fast, medium quality
Claude Sonnet 4.6$0.030Highest quality
DeepSeek V4$0.001Budget alternative
Cheapest enrichment: Flash-Lite / GPT-4.1 Nano ($0.0008) — quality testing required

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2.5 Batch Classify Cost (25 companies/batch)

ModelTotal /batch/company
Groq Llama 3.1 8B$0.0001$0.000004
Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite$0.0004$0.000016
GPT-4.1 Nano$0.0004$0.000016
Gemini 2.5 Flash$0.002$0.00008
GPT-4.1 Mini$0.002$0.00008
Cheapest classify: Groq ($0.000004/company) — negligible cost

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3. Scenario-Based Cost Table

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3.1 Pro Plan User — Typical Monthly Usage

50 discovery + 100 headhunt + 20 enrichment
ScenarioDiscovery ModelHeadhunt ModelEnrichment ModelTotal/month
Cheap (minimum)Sonar LowSonar LowFlash-Lite0.45+0.45 + 0.70 + 0.016=0.016 = 1.17
Balanced (recommended)Gemini FlashSonar LowGPT-4.1 Mini1.80+1.80 + 0.70 + 0.06=0.06 = 2.56
Quality (current)Gemini FlashSonar ProGPT-4o1.80+1.80 + 2.10 + 0.42=0.42 = 4.32
PremiumGPT-4.1Sonar Pro MedClaude Sonnet2.65+2.65 + 2.50 + 0.60=0.60 = 5.75
Gross margin (Pro plan $49/mo):
  • Cheap scenario: 49−49 - 1.17 = $47.83 (97.6% margin)
  • Balanced scenario: 49−49 - 2.56 = $46.44 (94.8% margin)
  • Quality scenario: 49−49 - 4.32 = $44.68 (91.2% margin)
  • Premium scenario: 49−49 - 5.75 = $43.25 (88.3% margin)

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3.2 Team Plan User — Typical Monthly Usage

200 discovery + 500 headhunt + 100 enrichment
ScenarioTotal/monthMargin ($149)
Cheap1.80+1.80 + 3.50 + 0.08=∗∗0.08 = **5.38**$143.62 (96.4%)
Balanced7.20+7.20 + 3.50 + 0.30=∗∗0.30 = **11.00**$138.00 (92.6%)
Quality7.20+7.20 + 10.50 + 2.10=∗∗2.10 = **19.80**$129.20 (86.7%)
Premium10.60+10.60 + 12.50 + 3.00=∗∗3.00 = **26.10**$122.90 (82.5%)

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3.3 Free Plan User — Monthly Cost (Cernio pays)

5 discovery + 5 headhunt + 0 enrichment (beta)
ScenarioTotal/month
Cheap$0.08
Balanced$0.22
Monthly cost for 1000 free users: $80-220. Acceptable.

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4. Competitor Analysis (Detailed)

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4.1 Tier 1 — Direct Competitors

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Apollo.io

  • Free: $0 — 100 credits/mo (email = 1cr, phone = ~8cr)
  • Basic: $49/user/mo (annual) — 5,000 credits/mo
  • Professional: $79/user/mo — 10,000 credits/mo
  • Organization: $119/user/mo — 15,000 credits/mo
  • Extra credits: $0.20/credit
  • Credit rollover: NONE
  • API: All plans (limited)
  • AI: Email writing, lead scoring (Pro+), enrichment
  • Commitment: None (monthly cancellation)
  • 275M+ contact DB — significant gap vs Cernio

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Lusha

  • Free: $0 — 70 credits/mo
  • Pro: $22/user/mo (annual) — 3,000 credits/year (~250/mo)
  • Premium: $52/user/mo (annual) — 7,200 credits/year (~600/mo)
  • Scale: Custom (~$15K/year)
  • Credits: Email = 1cr, phone = 5cr
  • Rollover: Accumulates up to 2x monthly
  • API: Premium+
  • Commitment: None
  • Lowest entry point ($22/mo)

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Seamless.AI

  • Free: 50 credits (one-time, non-renewing)
  • Basic: $147/mo (annual) — 250 credits/mo
  • Pro: Custom (~$79-299/user/mo) — ~1,000 credits/day
  • Enterprise: $20K-100K+/year
  • Rollover: NONE — resets daily (on Pro!)
  • API: Enterprise only
  • AI: Real-time contact search
  • Commitment: Pro requires min 5 users
  • WARNING: Opaque pricing, contract traps reported

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Cognism

  • Grow: ~1,500/user/year+1,500/user/year + 15-25K platform
  • Elevate: ~$2,500/user/year + platform
  • Typical: $15,000-40,000/year
  • Credits: “Unlimited” (fair-use limit applies)
  • API: All plans (limited)
  • AI: Intent signals, phone-verified mobile
  • Commitment: 12 months
  • Europe-focused, GDPR compliant — high entry barrier

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RocketReach

  • Free: Limited
  • Essentials: $33/mo (annual) — 1,200 email lookups/year
  • Pro: $75/mo (annual) — 3,600 lookups/year (phone included)
  • Ultimate: $175/mo (annual) — 10,000 lookups/year + API
  • Extra credits: $0.30-0.45/lookup
  • WARNING: Dual-credit system (lookup vs export are SEPARATE)

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4.2 Tier 2 — Major Players

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ZoomInfo

  • Professional: ~$15K/year (3-5 users)
  • Advanced: ~$25K/year
  • Elite: ~$40K/year
  • Enterprise (25+): $80-150K/year
  • Credits: Starter 2,500/year (insufficient)
  • Commitment: 12 months, difficult exit process

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LinkedIn Sales Navigator

  • Core: 80/mo(annual)/80/mo (annual) / 100 (monthly)
  • Advanced: $125/mo (annual)
  • Advanced Plus: ~$1,600/user/year
  • No data export — LinkedIn only

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Clearbit (HubSpot Breeze Intelligence)

  • 100 credits/mo: 30−50/mo(+HubSpot30-50/mo (+ HubSpot 30/mo min)
  • 1,000 credits/mo: $150/mo
  • 10,000 credits/mo: $700/mo
  • Credit cost: ~$0.07-0.10/record
  • Standalone API DISCONTINUED — HubSpot ecosystem only

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4.3 Tier 3 — AI-First New Generation

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Clay

  • Free: $0 — 100 data credits + 500 actions/mo
  • Launch: $185/mo — 2,500 data credits + 15K actions
  • Growth: $495/mo — 6,000 data credits + 40K actions
  • Enterprise: Custom
  • Credit cost: Basic: 6-20 cr/record, full enrichment: ~75 cr
  • 75+ data provider integrations — strongest enrichment

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Persana.ai

  • Free: $0 — 50 emails + 5 phone numbers
  • Starter: $68/mo (annual) — 2,000 credits + 200 phone
  • Growth: $151/mo (annual) — 5,000 credits + 500 phone
  • Pro: $400/mo — 18,000 credits
  • Unlimited: $600/mo — 50,000 credits
  • Credit rollover: YES — accumulation supported
  • AI lookalike, job tracking, AI SDR

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Instantly.ai

  • Outreach Growth: $30/mo — unlimited email accounts
  • Lead DB Growth: $47/mo — 1,500-2,000 credits
  • Real cost: $77-175/mo (outreach + leads + domain)
  • Primary product: Email outreach, lead gen is secondary

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Lemlist

  • Email Pro: $55/user/mo (annual)
  • Multichannel: $83/user/mo (annual)
  • Primary product: Outreach sequencing, lead finding is secondary

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4.4 Competitor Comparison Matrix

CompetitorEntry PriceCredits/mo (entry)AI DiscoveryAI HeadhuntWeb SearchCredit Rollover
Apollo.io$495,000LimitedYesNoNone
Lusha$22~250NoYesNo2x
Seamless.AI$147250NoReal-timeYesNone
Cognism$1,250+“Unlimited”NoYesIntentN/A
RocketReach$33100NoYesNoNone
ZoomInfo$1,250+CustomIntentYesIntentNone
Clay$1852,500Yes (AI)Yes (AI)Yes (75+)Unclear
Persana.ai$682,000LookalikeYes (AI)YesYes
Instantly.ai$771,500LimitedDBNoUnclear
Cernio$4950 disc + 100 revealYes (AI)Yes (AI)YesYes (2x)

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5. Cernio Pricing Decisions

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5.1 Plan Prices (Finalized)

PlanMonthlyAnnual (-20%)Notes
Free$0—For WOW moment, unlimited duration
Pro$49/mo39/mo(39/mo (468/year)Same tier as Apollo Basic
Team$149/mo119/mo(119/mo (1,428/year)Cheaper than Clay Launch
EnterpriseCustomCustomSales conversation

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5.2 Plan Limits

FeatureFreeProTeamEnterprise
Discovery/mo550200Unlimited
Companies/search10252550
Contact reveals/mo0100500Unlimited
Saved leads10UnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited
Members1110Unlimited
Organizations111Unlimited
BatchNoNoYesYes
APINoNoNoYes
Auto-headhuntNoYesYesYes
AI AnalysisNoYesYesYes
Shared workspaceNoNoYesYes
Multi-orgNoNoNoYes

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5.3 Credit Costs

OperationCreditsAI Cost (balanced)Notes
Discovery search1~$0.041 search = 15-25 companies
Contact reveal1~$0.007-0.021 contact finding (headhunt)
Deep analysis (enrichment)2~$0.003-0.021 company detailed analysis
Market intelligence3~$0.06-0.10Multi-call pipeline
Batch (per company)0.5~$0.00008Classify, minimal cost

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5.4 Credit Pack Prices

PackCreditsPrice$/credit
Small50$12$0.24
Medium200$45$0.225
Large1,000$200$0.20
Comparison: Apollo 0.20/credit(emailexportonly),Cernio0.20/credit (email export only), Cernio 0.20-0.24/credit (AI discovery + headhunt + enrichment — significantly more value).

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5.5 Credit Rollover

  • Unused plan credits accumulate up to 2x the limit
  • Example: Pro 100 reveals/mo → max 200 can accumulate, then new monthly credits stop adding
  • Credit packs do not accumulate, valid for 12 months (expiry)

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5.6 Annual Payment

  • 20% discount (competitor average is 15-25%)
  • Lemon Squeezy (MoR) charges the annual fee upfront in a single payment
  • No card cancellation risk — payment already collected
  • Refund policy: 30 days (LS standard)

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6. Items to Finalize

This section must be resolved before beta.
  • Token usage detail: Measure real average token count for each operation (from ai_job_runs table)
  • Tier → model mapping needs optimization (cost vs quality testing)
  • Sonar vs Sonar Pro quality comparison for headhunt
  • GPT-4.1 Mini vs GPT-4o quality comparison for enrichment
  • Credit rollover DB/code implementation (separate task)
  • Annual plan needs to be defined in Lemon Squeezy (Phase C)
  • export_ai_model_pricing table needs updating with current prices

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Sources