Salesforce unveils flexible pricing for AI tools

Salesforce‘s new pay-per-action AI pricing model marks a significant evolution in enterprise software economics, offering businesses a more flexible way to pay for artificial intelligence capabilities. By introducing consumption-based pricing alongside options to reallocate traditional subscription spending toward AI tools, the company is adapting to the maturing AI market where organizations increasingly demand transparent, predictable costs tied directly to value received rather than flat subscription fees.

The big picture: Salesforce is introducing a new consumption-based pricing model for its AI agents, charging customers approximately 10 cents per “action” performed by these automated tools.

Key details: The pricing change specifically targets non-conversational and internal uses of AI agents, such as automatically scanning historical emails to identify potential sales opportunities.

• This pay-per-action model represents a shift from traditional software subscription pricing toward usage-based economics for AI functionality.
• The announcement is scheduled for Thursday, positioning Salesforce among the early enterprise software leaders to implement action-based AI pricing.

Why this matters: The new structure allows customers to reallocate spending from conventional software subscriptions to AI tools, creating a more flexible approach to enterprise technology budgeting.

• This financial flexibility could accelerate AI adoption by making costs more predictable and directly tied to business outcomes.
• It signals Salesforce’s recognition that AI tools require different economic models than traditional enterprise software.

Behind the numbers: The 10-cent-per-action price point establishes a benchmark for how enterprise AI automation might be valued in the marketplace.

• This pricing approach suggests Salesforce is confident its AI agents can deliver value that significantly exceeds this per-action cost.
• By pricing at the action level rather than through flat subscription fees, Salesforce is betting on high-volume AI usage across its customer base.