Price per endpoint first, then graduate to unlock tiers.
1) $0.01 “action” routes
• /api/protected → micro-utilities, tipping, basic tools
2) $1.00 content gates
• /api/premium-content → longform, datasets, templates
3) $5.00 feature unlocks
• /api/exclusive-feature → pro tools, generators, bulk ops
Gate several endpoints at once or issue a “session pass” by checking a paid flag server-side for N minutes.