What usually drives API pricing
| Driver | Why it matters | What to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Page volume | Most extraction APIs price by page, document, or committed tier. | Are retries, blank pages, and failed jobs billed? |
| Document complexity | Line items, handwriting, packets, and custom schemas require more processing and review. | Do simple and complex documents have different rates? |
| Validation and review | Low-confidence fields need routing, UI, audit events, and reviewer actions. | Is review included or priced separately? |
| Compliance needs | Audit trail, retention, tenant isolation, and data-processing terms add operational requirements. | Which evidence is included out of the box? |
Compare cost per resolved document
The cheapest per-page call is not always the cheapest workflow. Compare the cost to get from uploaded document to approved, validated, exported data. That includes engineering time, review time, exception handling, and ongoing schema changes.