# Why SquadRoom runs on your own AI account

> SquadRoom is $49 a month in early access, and your AI provider bills you directly for model use. What you pay for, what credits cover, and why.

By Kartike Bansal, Founder of SquadRoom. Published 2026-10-25. Company. Source: https://squadroom.app/blog/bring-your-own-ai-account

## In short

- Your squad thinks with an AI account you connect, and your provider bills you directly with no markup from us.
- The SquadRoom plan is $49 a month during early access, with every feature and 1,000 research credits a month.
- Credits pay only for built-in research such as web search and social lookups, never for model use.

SquadRoom does not resell AI. Your squad thinks with an AI account you connect, such as a ChatGPT plan, a Claude subscription or an API key, and your provider bills you directly. We add nothing to the provider's price. You pay us a flat $49 a month during early access for the workspace, the squad and the research tools.

This is a deliberate choice, and it shapes the whole bill. Here is how it works and why we built it this way.

## What AI accounts can I connect?

Any one of these is enough to start:

- A paid ChatGPT plan, connected with ChatGPT sign-in.
- A Claude Pro or Max subscription.
- An API key from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, Azure OpenAI or OpenRouter.

Your squad cannot work until at least one is connected. Keys and sign-in tokens are stored encrypted and never shown again after you save them.

## What does SquadRoom cost?

There are three separate charges, and only two of them come from us.

| Charge                  | Price                                                          | Who bills you    | What it pays for                                                         |
| ----------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Launch plan             | $49 a month during early access. The list price is $99 a month | SquadRoom        | Your workspace, your squad and 1,000 research credits each billing cycle |
| Your AI provider        | Your provider's own price                                      | Your AI provider | Your squad's model use                                                   |
| Credit packs (optional) | $10 per 5,000 credits                                          | SquadRoom        | Research credits on top of the monthly allowance                         |

There is one plan, with every feature. There are no fees per seat or per Task, and the early-access price stays for as long as you stay subscribed.

## What do research credits pay for?

Credits pay only for the built-in research tools: web search, page reads, a live browser, and lookups on LinkedIn, X, Reddit, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. Each lookup costs a set number of credits for the results that come back, not for the most it could return.

| Lookup                 | Credits        |
| ---------------------- | -------------- |
| Web search             | 1 per result   |
| Read a web page        | 5 per result   |
| Live browser           | 10 per session |
| LinkedIn profile       | 10 per result  |
| X post or profile      | 1 per result   |
| Reddit post or comment | 1 per result   |

These never use credits:

- Model use. Your AI provider bills it.
- A lookup that fails.
- A lookup your workspace already ran recently. The same web search or page read within 6 hours comes from a saved copy at 0 credits.
- Apps you connect, such as Gmail or Slack.
- Chat, Tasks, Tickets, Docs, the Calendar, Memory, Skills and Telegram messages.

One Task can spend at most 900 credits on research. After that it finishes with what it found and notes the gap.

## Why did we build it this way?

Three reasons, all about keeping the bill honest.

**Our price does not move with your usage.** If we resold model use, every busy week would be a bigger invoice from us, and we would quietly profit from your squad working harder. A flat plan keeps our incentive simple: make the squad worth $49.

**You keep your own provider.** Your rate, your limits and your data terms stay between you and the company you already chose. If a better model ships tomorrow, you connect it. Each squad member has its own default model, so you can match the model to the job.

**You can see every cost.** Settings shows what is left on each AI account and every credit your squad spent, line by line. Nothing is bundled into a number you cannot check.

## What happens when credits run low?

A card in the sidebar warns you when fewer than 150 credits are left. At 0, only research pauses: your squad keeps working on anything that needs no lookups. A Task that needed research waits in Queued and restarts by itself after you buy a pack or your monthly credits renew.

Included credits expire at the end of each billing cycle. Purchased credits never expire, and they stay if you cancel. You can also set a monthly limit on credits in Settings.

## Common questions

### Does the $49 include AI usage?

No. Model use runs on the AI account you connect, and your provider bills you directly at its own price. Credits never pay for model use.

### Can I use a ChatGPT or Claude subscription instead of an API key?

Yes. A paid ChatGPT plan connects with ChatGPT sign-in, and a Claude Pro or Max subscription works too. An API key is only one of the options.

### Can I cancel?

Yes, at any time, from Settings. A subscription payment is refundable within 7 days, and a credit pack you have not spent from is refundable within 7 days of purchase.

### Is there a free trial?

Checkout comes first, then a short setup. The [live demo](/demo) is free and runs the real workspace with example data, so you can see the squad before you pay.