A: Hey Marcus,

Thanks for reaching out for clarification on the Multi-Agent Add-On pricing – totally understand wanting to be clear on the costs and value!

1/ Additional Cost for Multi-Agent Capabilities:

Yes, you are correct. The prices listed on the pre-order page (https://agenticflow.ai/mas-pre-order) – $299 for Tier 3 LTD holders and $199 for Tier 4 LTD "Founding Partners" – are the additional one-time costs required to unlock the Multi-Agent System capabilities. This add-on purchase grants you lifetime access to this specific advanced feature set on top of your existing Tier 3 or Tier 4 plan.

2/ Pricing & Why It's an Add-On (Not Included in Base T3/T4):

Value vs. Standard Plans: The Multi-Agent System is a significant piece of functionality that is normally part of our higher-tier Business Plan, which retails at $599 per month. We're essentially distilling this enterprise-grade capability and making it accessible via a one-time LTD add-on for our AppSumo community.

Resource Intensity & Sustainability: True multi-agent orchestration (with a manager agent delegating to multiple sub-agents running in parallel, sharing context, etc.) is considerably more resource-intensive on our platform's backend (compute, orchestration logic, data management) compared to running individual workflows or single agents.

To include this level of advanced functionality directly within the base AppSumo Tier 3 or Tier 4 LTDs at their current price points wouldn't be sustainable for us in the long run, especially for a lifetime deal.

Optional Upgrade: By offering it as an optional add-on, we can provide this powerful upgrade to those who specifically need it for complex use cases, without having to increase the base price of the standard LTD tiers for everyone. This keeps the entry point accessible while still offering a path to our most advanced features at an exceptional lifetime value compared to its standard monthly cost.

Credit Usage: The "extra credit per run usage" you mentioned refers to the fact that a multi-agent workflow, by its nature, involves multiple agents and thus multiple "steps" being executed. Each of those steps (for the manager and each sub-agent) incurs the standard fixed platform credit cost, just like any other workflow step. The add-on unlocks the ability to build and run these orchestrated teams; the credits cover their operational execution on the platform.

We understand that any additional cost is a consideration. We've tried to price this add-on to offer incredible lifetime value for such an advanced system, especially when compared to the recurring monthly fees for similar capabilities elsewhere or in our own standard Business Plan. It's a way to give our early AppSumo supporters access to our top-tier functionality for a fraction of the usual ongoing cost.

Hope this explains the rationale behind the pricing and structure!
— Sean