CROSS-CATEGORY: Microsoft, GitLab, Warp and n8n Now Charge a Fixed Fee for the Human and a Meter for the Agent
Microsoft's 09-25 Copilot pairs a user subscription license with usage-based Copilot Credits for agent work, with Cowork at $0.01 per credit. Warp's new HR agent starts at $35 per employee per month, with usage allocations that grow by tier, and n8n folds agent turns into its execution quota. SaaStr's 09-25 breakdown of GitLab's Q2 FY27 results (reported Sept 1) shows why vendors are metering. GitLab's Flex plan, one annual commitment covering seats plus GitLab Credits for agent use, signed 130+ customers and $20M+ in six weeks. Over the same period, inference bought from Anthropic, Bedrock and Vertex pushed subscription COGS up 76% and gross margin from 90% to 86%. Stripe's AI CRO told SaaStr that two in three Forbes AI50 companies now use usage-based pricing, so the hybrid model is becoming the default for incumbents and AI-native companies alike.
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