Pricing
How Terac pricing works, including per-participant costs, platform fees, and cost estimation.
Terac pricing is based on per-participant payouts plus a platform fee. You set how much each participant earns, and Terac adds its fee on top.
Pricing Structure
| Component | Description |
|---|---|
| Participant payout | The amount you set that each approved participant earns |
| Platform fee | Terac's fee for sourcing, screening, and managing participants |
| Total per participant | Payout + platform fee |
When a quote is given as a single cost per participant (sometimes called CPI), that figure is the total: the participant's incentive plus Terac's platform fee. The incentive is what the participant receives; the platform fee covers sourcing, screening, and managing them. Longer or more specialized studies carry a higher incentive because they are harder to recruit for.
Setting Compensation
When creating an opportunity, you set the per-participant payout amount. Consider:
- Market rates for the type of work (surveys pay less than multi-hour interviews)
- Participant expertise level required (specialized experts expect higher compensation)
- Time commitment (longer tasks should pay proportionally more)
- Complexity of the work (file uploads, multi-part tasks, etc.)
Cost Estimation
Before launching, Terac provides a cost estimate:
Estimated total = (participant payout + platform fee) x participant cap
You can also get a quote programmatically via the API using the getQuote or estimatePrice endpoints.
When You Are Charged
Credits are only deducted when you approve a submission. You are never charged for:
- Participants who are screened out
- Participants who abandon the opportunity
- Participants whose submissions are rejected
- Participants who time out
Re-runs and Platform Issues
You are not charged for work that fails because of a platform issue. If an interview or task has to be re-run because of a technical problem on Terac's side, that re-run is not deducted from your balance. If you believe you were charged for a submission affected by a platform issue, contact support and it will be reviewed.
Adjusting Pricing
You can change the per-participant payout on an active opportunity. The new rate applies to participants who have not yet been approved. Participants already approved keep their original rate.
If you need to adjust the cost per participant on a study after launch (for example, to raise the incentive for a hard-to-reach audience), your Terac contact can update it for you.