iRealtee OS Glossary

Orb

Orb works well for: - AI and machine learning platforms billing by API calls or tokens - Infrastructure providers with metered usage - SaaS applications impleme...

Orb

Orb is a usage-based billing platform that helps SaaS companies track product usage, manage subscriptions, and automate invoicing based on consumption metrics. The platform enables businesses to implement flexible pricing models including token-based, outcome-based, and hybrid pricing structures.

Core Features

  • Usage tracking: Ingests raw usage data in real time, transforming high-volume events into accurate billing metrics
  • Flexible pricing models: Supports usage-based, subscription-based, and hybrid pricing configurations
  • Subscription management: Manages customer subscriptions with version control for pricing changes
  • Automated invoicing: Generates invoices based on actual consumption data
  • Financial reporting: Provides revenue recognition and billing analytics
  • Custom SQL metrics: Allows teams to define custom billing metrics using SQL queries
  • Feature gating: Controls access to features based on subscription packages and entitlements

Use Cases

Orb works well for:

  • AI and machine learning platforms billing by API calls or tokens
  • Infrastructure providers with metered usage
  • SaaS applications implementing consumption-based pricing strategies
  • Companies transitioning from flat-rate to usage-based models

How It Works

You send usage events to Orb's API as customers interact with your product. Orb aggregates these events according to your defined metrics and pricing rules. At the end of each billing period, Orb calculates charges and generates invoices automatically.

The platform handles complex scenarios like:

  • Tiered pricing with volume discounts
  • Prepaid credits and overages
  • Minimum commitments with usage top-ups
  • Mid-cycle plan changes and prorations

Integration with Real Estate Software

For Philippine real estate platforms like iRealtee, Orb can power billing dashboards and package management systems. Brokerages can use Orb to implement tiered subscription packages where agents pay based on:

  • Number of active listings
  • Lead volume processed through the CRM
  • Transaction count per month

This usage-based approach aligns costs with actual platform value. Orb integrates with accounting systems for proper invoice management and supports the feature flags needed to gate premium capabilities by subscription tier.

Pros & Cons

Pros:

  • Reduces engineering time for billing implementation
  • Handles complex pricing scenarios without custom code
  • Provides single source of truth for usage data
  • Integrates with major accounting and CRM platforms

Cons:

  • Designed for usage-based models; may be overkill for simple flat-rate pricing
  • Enterprise-focused pricing may not suit early-stage startups
  • Requires event instrumentation in your application

References

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