Apple Starts Charging $49.99 for Extra Apple Intelligence Use, Beginning With Logic Pro

The add-ons, which Apple calls Intelligence Usage Packs, let users keep using features that are subject to usage limits because they run on cloud-based models from OpenAI or Google Gemini, according to The Verge, which cited Apple's website. The option was first spotted by 9to5Mac.

The move is a notable shift for a company that has so far folded its AI features into the price of its devices and software. Paying per use for capacity that depends on third-party models passes some of the cost of cloud inference on to heavy users, an approach already common among AI software makers that cap usage on their plans.

Logic Pro is the first Apple app to offer the packs. Its built-in AI assistant can start a new song, set up a vocal track from a single prompt or refine a project in progress. Apple says the limit on that assistant is "impacted by the complexity of conversations you have with the assistant", meaning longer or more involved sessions use up allowance faster.

Users who run short can buy a pack from the Show Usage section under Intelligence Features in the app's main menu. Each pack is tied to the Apple Account that bought it and cannot be shared through Family Sharing. Unused usage rolls over from month to month but expires 12 months after purchase.

Apple published a support article in early September setting out usage limits for some Apple Intelligence features, which laid the groundwork for paid top-ups.

The packs are expected to come to other Apple Creator Studio apps this month, including Pixelmator Pro, Final Cut Pro and Motion, according to The Verge. Pages, Keynote and Numbers, which are getting access to Apple's AI chatbot, are also expected to gain the option. Apple has not said how much usage a single pack provides in each app.