Beyond Fixed AI Plans: Let Users Design Their Own Usage Square
The latest pricing model from xAI introduces a simple and compelling concept: usage is represented visually as a growing square rather than by opaque token counts. Instead of forcing users to understand millions of tokens or compute credits, plans are expressed as increasing amounts of usable AI capacity.
The original announcement: SpaceXSI on X
| Plan | Annual Price (USD) | Usage Multiplier |
|---|---|---|
| Plus | $80 | Base (1×) |
| Premium | $300 | 4× |
| Super | $1,000 | 15× |
| Ultra | $2,000 | 50× |
The Problem with Fixed Tiers
Fixed tiers work well for simplicity, but they create artificial boundaries. Users often need more than one tier and less than the next.
A Better Idea: Design Your Own Square
Instead of selecting from fixed plans, users could resize a square that represents their desired AI capacity. As the square grows, pricing updates automatically.
Usage Area: 5.1 units
Annual Price: AUD 500
Why Squares Work Better Than Tokens
Most users have no intuitive understanding of token counts, but they immediately understand size and area.
Deriving a Custom Pricing Formula
Annual Price (USD) ≈ 60 × Usage Area + 20
Where Usage Area is the relative square area.
A Real Example: AUD 500 per Year
AUD 500 ≈ USD 325
325 = 60 × Area + 20
Area ≈ 5.08
Side Length = √5.08 ≈ 2.25
This places the customer above Premium, below Super, and at roughly five times the Plus allocation.
The dashed square is the customer's own plan. It uses the same grid as the fixed tiers, so the size is comparable at a glance. Drag the corner and the price follows the formula above.
Benefits
- Better budget alignment
- Transparent value
- Reduced decision fatigue
- Fairer entry points
Conclusion
If usage is already being expressed as a square, users should be able to choose the size of that square for themselves. A customisable usage square would transform AI pricing from a rigid set of tiers into a continuous spectrum of affordability.