Pricing & upgrade
Start free. Upgrade with 20% off your first month.
Every account starts with a free 1-month trial — an instant API key, no payment details. When you are ready, one PayPal checkout unlocks the full Developer plan: $40 for the first month, then $50/month. Your existing key keeps working.
Plans
| Free Trial | Developer API | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0 | $50/month — first month $40 (20% off) |
| Duration | 1 month | Until cancelled |
| Catalog | Full image catalog | Full image catalog |
| Rate limit | 2 requests/minute | 30 requests/minute |
| Image request budget | 2,000 total requests | Unlimited |
| Original downloads | Counted toward the budget | Unlimited (one concurrent transfer) |
| API keys | 1 (issued at signup) | Up to 20 named keys |
The trial budget is consumed by GET /images, POST /images/batch (counts as one request),
GET /images/{id}, and POST /downloads. Tags and stats endpoints are free on both plans.
One trial per email address.
Free trial — instant API key, no payment
One request returns a working es_test_ key. Perfect for open-source apps that
provision keys during onboarding:
curl -sS -X POST "https://epochalstock.com/api/v1/trial/signup" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"email":"you@example.com","app_name":"My Design App"}'
The key is shown only once — store it as EPOCHAL_API_KEY in your server
environment. Trial limits: 2,000 total requests, 2 requests/minute,
valid for 1 month. Counted responses include an
X-Trial-Requests-Remaining header so you always know your budget.
Building with an AI coding agent? Point it at the machine-readable reference: https://imageapifordesignapps.com/llms-full.txt — it contains the complete API including trial provisioning and this upgrade flow.
20% off your first month
Every first-time subscriber gets the discounted PayPal plan automatically: $40 for the first month, then $50/month. No coupon code needed — the discount is applied at checkout. Cancelling keeps your access until the end of the paid period.
Upgrade / checkout
Enter the email you used for your trial (or account). We forward you straight to PayPal checkout with the first-month discount applied. Your API key keeps working — limits lift automatically once PayPal confirms the subscription.
If an account exists for this email, checkout opens with 20% off the first month. The generated link is valid for 7 days.
Upgrade entirely via API
Apps can run the whole upgrade programmatically with the trial key — this also works when the trial is already expired or its budget is used up:
# 1. Create the subscription (Bearer key, no portal session needed)
curl -sS -X POST "https://epochalstock.com/api/v1/billing/subscription" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $EPOCHAL_API_KEY" -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{}'
# -> data.subscription.approve_url (open in the user's browser; discount_applied: true, first_month_price: 40.00)
# 2. Poll until the PayPal webhook activates the account
curl -sS "https://epochalstock.com/api/v1/billing/status" -H "Authorization: Bearer $EPOCHAL_API_KEY"
# -> data.account.plan: "paid", data.account.status: "active"
Trial error responses (402/429) additionally include a personalized
details.upgrade_link — a signed URL that redirects straight to PayPal checkout,
ideal as a one-click call-to-action in your app.
FAQ
Does my trial key stop working after I upgrade?
No. The same es_test_ key continues to work with paid limits (30 requests/minute, no budget). You can additionally create up to 20 named es_live_ keys in the portal.
Do I need a portal account to pay?
No. Checkout works with just your email or your API key. A portal account (register with the same email — your trial account, keys, and counters are kept) is only needed to manage keys and billing in a browser.
What happens when the trial runs out?
Requests return 402 trial_limit_reached or 402 trial_expired with this page and a one-click PayPal link in the error details. Nothing is deleted — upgrading reactivates the account instantly.
Can I skip the discount?
Yes — send {"plan":"regular"} to POST /billing/subscription for full price from month one.