Short answer: all three of MPAT's 6 October 2026 launches can be started for $0, but each free tier is counted in a different unit. FlexQueries gives eligible new accounts a one-time $1.00 balance, Customer Service AI for Etsy gives 30 one-time AI messages, and StayCharted has a permanent $0 workspace. The first paid steps are a $5 reload, $2.99 a month and $49 a month.
This MPAT guide explains where each free tier stops, what the first payment actually buys and which billing unit you are paying for. Every price was read on the vendors' own pricing pages and on the three live MPAT listings on 6 October 2026. It is compiled from those pages, not a hands-on test, and there are no scores or star ratings. Pricing pages change, so open the vendor link again on the day you buy.
What launched on MPAT on 6 October 2026?
Three products went live on the board on the same UTC day. They do unrelated jobs, so this guide compares cost and limits rather than features:
FlexQueries (morning) is pay-as-you-go SEO research: keywords, SERP history, backlinks, rank tracking, site audits, app-store and Amazon keywords, plus checks on how a brand shows up in ChatGPT and Google's AI answers. It also works from Claude, ChatGPT and Cursor through MCP.
Customer Service AI for Etsy (afternoon) is a Chrome extension that drafts replies to Etsy buyer messages inside Etsy's own reply box, using the order details. It never sends anything; the seller presses Send.
StayCharted (evening) trains private classification models on text or photos a team has already labeled, then fills the category column in new files or answers through an API.
A freelance SEO, an Etsy seller and an operations lead would each buy one of these, not all three. What they share is a free start that is easy to misread. One gives you dollars, one gives you messages and one gives you a capped workspace, and each runs out in a different way.
Where does each free tier stop?
USD, checked 6 October 2026, from the FlexQueries pricing page, the Customer Service AI for Etsy pricing page and the StayCharted pricing page.
$1.00 one-time balance for eligible verified new accounts, no card; $0 monthly fee | When the $1.00 is spent; free accounts are also capped at 50 pages per site audit. Search Console and GA4 reports stay free | A reload from $5, tax added | Dollars per action (keyword report $0.15, backlink overview $0.20) | |
30 AI messages on every new account, no card | When the 30 messages are used; they never refill | Starter $2.99 a month for 100 messages, or a $2.99 pack of 50 | Messages: each draft, regenerate or edit uses one | |
One Free workspace, $0 a month, no time limit stated | 10,000 filled rows and 50 trainings a month; no API, no picture models | Essentials $49 a month per workspace, before tax | Workspaces with monthly allowances; no overage |
The table hides one big difference. FlexQueries and Customer Service AI for Etsy give you a one-time grant that is gone once spent. StayCharted's free workspace resets its allowance each month, but it locks the API and image models behind a paid plan.
Is FlexQueries free, and how far does $1 go?
FlexQueries has no subscription and a $0 monthly fee. Eligible verified new accounts get a $1.00 starting balance without a card, but the FlexQueries billing guide says eligibility checks can withhold that promotion. After that you add funds, starting at $5, with tax added at checkout. Purchased funds do not expire, and every feature is available on every account.
At the list prices on the pricing page, a typical 225-row keyword report costs $0.15, a backlink overview $0.20, an AI visibility run about $0.85, a two-platform AI brand check $3.05 and a 500-page site audit about $1.30. Weekly tracking of 50 keywords averages $1.96 a month. By MPAT's arithmetic, the $1.00 promo covers about six keyword reports, or one AI visibility run, but not a full 500-page audit. A $5 reload buys roughly 33 keyword reports at the list estimate.
Two details catch people out. The billing guide says FlexQueries places a hold before each paid action, and the hold can be larger than the estimate before it settles to actual usage. Some provider-backed actions also round up to the next $0.05. The free parts are genuinely free, though: connected Google Search Console and GA4 reports, saved results and exports do not touch your balance.
If you only need Search Console data turned into a plan, CrawlRaven keeps one website free forever, with lifetime licences from $39 one-time, per its MPAT listing checked 30 September 2026.
Is Customer Service AI for Etsy free, and what counts as a message?
The extension is free to install, and every new account gets 30 AI messages without a card. That grant is one-time. After it, you need a monthly plan or a pack, as listed on the msgassistant.com pricing page: Starter $2.99 a month for 100 messages, Plus $6.99 for 500, Pro $13.99 for 1,000 and Business $99.99 for 10,000. A one-time pack of 50 messages costs $2.99 and never expires.
The unit matters more than the price. One message is one AI action, not one answered buyer. A first draft, a regenerate, a shorter or longer version and a grammar fix each use one. If you usually regenerate once, 30 free messages cover about 15 buyers and Starter covers about 50 a month. Plan messages reset at renewal and do not carry over. Prices exclude sales tax or VAT, which Stripe adds at checkout where it applies, and the terms of service say payments are non-refundable except where the law requires.
For a support desk that lives on your own website instead of Etsy, NiroHelp is free for docs and tickets on WordPress.org, with AI plans from $9.99 a month, per its MPAT listing checked 28 September 2026.
Is StayCharted free, and where does the free workspace stop?
StayCharted gives each account one Free workspace at $0 a month. It allows three models, one of which can be the meaning-aware AI Classifier Model, 50 trainings a month, training files of up to 1,000 rows and 10,000 filled rows a month. You can download filled files, but the Prediction API, picture models and Dedicated AI Models all need a paid plan.
Essentials costs $49 and Business $99 per workspace a month, before tax. The Vision add-on for picture models adds $49 on Essentials or $99 on Business, so Essentials with Vision comes to $98 a month by MPAT's arithmetic. Members are free, with no per-seat or per-model charges. Separate teams usually need separate workspaces, and the pricing page's own example puts three Essentials workspaces at $147 a month.
StayCharted is the only one of the three with no usage-based surprise. The StayCharted terms of service say there is no metered overage, no prepaid credit balance and no automatic top-up; work that would exceed an allowance is refused and you are offered an upgrade. Fees are not refunded for partial months.
Which billing unit suits your workload?
Each model rewards a different kind of user:
Per action (FlexQueries) suits irregular work. A freelancer who runs a handful of keyword reports a month pays cents, while a subscription SEO suite charges the same every month. Heavy daily use adds up, so watch the balance and use the auto-reload settings with care.
Per message (Customer Service AI for Etsy) suits a seller with a predictable inbox. Count your buyer messages for a normal month, double them if you often regenerate, and pick the plan above that number. The never-expiring pack fits a seasonal shop better than a monthly plan.
Per workspace (StayCharted) suits a team doing the same sorting job every day. The price does not move with headcount, but it jumps when you need the API or image models, and each separate team or client may need its own workspace.
To see the rest of today's board and earlier launches, open the MPAT launch board.
FAQ
Which of today's MPAT launches is cheapest to start paying for?
Customer Service AI for Etsy, at $2.99 for a month of 100 messages or a one-time pack of 50. FlexQueries has no monthly fee, but its smallest reload is $5. StayCharted's first paid plan is $49 a month per workspace. All prices were checked on 6 October 2026.
Do FlexQueries, Customer Service AI for Etsy and StayCharted have permanent free plans?
Only StayCharted has a permanent free workspace with a monthly allowance. FlexQueries has no monthly fee and keeps Search Console and GA4 reports free, but its $1.00 research balance is one-time. Customer Service AI for Etsy's 30 messages are also one-time.
Do unused credits or messages roll over?
FlexQueries funds you buy do not expire. Customer Service AI for Etsy's monthly plan messages reset at renewal and do not carry over, but pack messages never expire. StayCharted has no credits; its monthly allowances reset with each billing month.
Are taxes included in these prices?
No. FlexQueries adds tax on top of reloads, Customer Service AI for Etsy has Stripe add sales tax or VAT at checkout where it applies, and StayCharted lists prices before applicable taxes.
Can I get a refund?
FlexQueries says unused purchased balance can be refunded on request, while spent balance and the promo credit cannot. Customer Service AI for Etsy and StayCharted both say payments are non-refundable except where the law requires; StayCharted adds that partial months are not refunded.
Which of the three works from Claude or ChatGPT?
FlexQueries and StayCharted both offer MCP connections that work with Claude and ChatGPT. Customer Service AI for Etsy works only inside Etsy's Messages page in desktop Chrome.
Sources
FlexQueries prices and billing rules come from the FlexQueries pricing page and the FlexQueries billing guide. Customer Service AI for Etsy plans come from the msgassistant.com pricing page and its terms of service. StayCharted plans and limits come from the StayCharted pricing page and the StayCharted terms of service. Older comparisons use the live MPAT listings for CrawlRaven and NiroHelp with their stated check dates.
Compiled for MPAT by Amit Kumar on 6 October 2026 from the vendor pages above and today's three MPAT tool listings. Not a hands-on review. Prices and free allowances can change, so check them again before you pay.
