From 4dc09cdff44713d8b082ad524f31665022cb6e32 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Devin AI <158243242+devin-ai-integration[bot]@users.noreply.github.com> Date: Sun, 1 Mar 2026 01:30:50 +0000 Subject: [PATCH 1/2] add pricing letter section explaining price increase Co-Authored-By: John --- apps/web/src/routes/_view/pricing.tsx | 165 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 165 insertions(+) diff --git a/apps/web/src/routes/_view/pricing.tsx b/apps/web/src/routes/_view/pricing.tsx index b3eb53a345..519fd77c61 100644 --- a/apps/web/src/routes/_view/pricing.tsx +++ b/apps/web/src/routes/_view/pricing.tsx @@ -109,6 +109,8 @@ function Component() { + + @@ -301,6 +303,169 @@ function PricingCard({ plan }: { plan: PricingPlan }) { ); } +function PricingLetterSection() { + return ( +
+
+
+
+

+ A note on our pricing +

+

+ March 2026 +

+ +
+

+ When we launched Char Pro six months ago, we set the price at + $8/month — well below what it actually costs us to run the + service. We did this intentionally. We wanted as many people as + possible to experience what a privacy-first, no-bot meeting + notepad could be, without price being a barrier. +

+

+ But we want to be honest with you about the economics. Cloud + speech-to-text is expensive. The providers we rely on to deliver + accurate, real-time transcription charge between $0.36 and + $1.44 per hour of audio: +

+ +
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
+ Provider + + Cost / hour +
+ OpenAI Whisper API + $0.36
+ Deepgram Nova-3 + $0.46
+ AssemblyAI Universal + + $0.65+ +
+ Google Cloud STT + $0.96
+ AWS Transcribe + $1.44
+
+ +

+ A single one-hour meeting can cost us $0.50 or more in STT + alone — before accounting for LLM inference, infrastructure, + and bandwidth. At $8/month, a user who records just two hours a + week would already put us at a loss. Many of our most active + users record far more than that. +

+

+ We absorbed this for the past six months because we believed in + getting Char into your hands first. That early-bird pricing + helped us learn, iterate, and build something we are genuinely + proud of — and it would not have been possible without you. +

+

+ Going forward, we will be adjusting our Pro pricing to reflect + the real cost of delivering the service. We are committed to + keeping Char affordable — especially compared to alternatives + that charge $20–30/month while locking away your data — but we + need pricing that lets us keep building sustainably. +

+

+ The free tier is not going anywhere. If you prefer to bring your + own API keys, Char remains fully functional at no cost. And if + you are on the current early-bird plan, we will honor your rate + for as long as your subscription stays active. +

+

+ Thank you for believing in us early. We are just getting started. +

+
+ +
+ John Jeong + Yujong Lee +
+ +
+
+

+ Char +

+

+ John Jeong, Yujong Lee +

+
+ +
+ Char Signature +
+
+
+
+
+
+ ); +} + function FAQSection() { const faqs = [ { From 5385f3dfc95873cb055ba97eaf81d1ffdb9ed052 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Devin AI <158243242+devin-ai-integration[bot]@users.noreply.github.com> Date: Sun, 1 Mar 2026 01:35:56 +0000 Subject: [PATCH 2/2] fix: apply dprint formatting Co-Authored-By: John --- apps/web/src/routes/_view/pricing.tsx | 25 +++++++++++-------------- 1 file changed, 11 insertions(+), 14 deletions(-) diff --git a/apps/web/src/routes/_view/pricing.tsx b/apps/web/src/routes/_view/pricing.tsx index 519fd77c61..767a407689 100644 --- a/apps/web/src/routes/_view/pricing.tsx +++ b/apps/web/src/routes/_view/pricing.tsx @@ -322,9 +322,7 @@ function PricingLetterSection() {

A note on our pricing

-

- March 2026 -

+

March 2026

@@ -337,8 +335,8 @@ function PricingLetterSection() {

But we want to be honest with you about the economics. Cloud speech-to-text is expensive. The providers we rely on to deliver - accurate, real-time transcription charge between $0.36 and - $1.44 per hour of audio: + accurate, real-time transcription charge between $0.36 and $1.44 + per hour of audio:

@@ -370,9 +368,7 @@ function PricingLetterSection() { AssemblyAI Universal - - $0.65+ - + $0.65+ @@ -391,11 +387,11 @@ function PricingLetterSection() {

- A single one-hour meeting can cost us $0.50 or more in STT - alone — before accounting for LLM inference, infrastructure, - and bandwidth. At $8/month, a user who records just two hours a - week would already put us at a loss. Many of our most active - users record far more than that. + A single one-hour meeting can cost us $0.50 or more in STT alone + — before accounting for LLM inference, infrastructure, and + bandwidth. At $8/month, a user who records just two hours a week + would already put us at a loss. Many of our most active users + record far more than that.

We absorbed this for the past six months because we believed in @@ -417,7 +413,8 @@ function PricingLetterSection() { for as long as your subscription stays active.

- Thank you for believing in us early. We are just getting started. + Thank you for believing in us early. We are just getting + started.