Pricing

Simple, honest pricing

Pay only for what you use. No subscriptions. No hidden fees. Start free.

Trial

Free

Free
  • 30 credits to try Maria
  • Standard mode only
  • No file uploads
  • Expires in 3 days
Start Free
Starter

Plan

Quick Ask

KES 20/ 1 day

10 credits/KES · 200 credits total

  • 200 credits, valid 12 hours
  • ~5 standard questions
  • Standard mode only
  • No file uploads
Get Quick Ask
Popular

Plan

Daily Pass

KES 50/ 2 days

12 credits/KES · 600 credits total

  • 750 credits, valid 48 hours
  • ~21 questions in standard mode
  • ~6 Ask Anything answers
  • Great for CATs and assignments
Get Daily Pass
Great Value

Plan

Weekly Lite

KES 100/ 7 days

15 credits/KES · 1,500 credits total

  • 1,800 credits, valid 7 days
  • ~51 standard questions
  • 1 file upload per session
  • Perfect for exam prep week
Get Weekly Lite
Best Deal

Plan

Monthly Pro

KES 250/ 1 month

20 credits/KES · 5,000 credits total

  • 5,000 credits, valid 30 days
  • Memory across conversations
  • File uploads per session
  • Best per-credit rate on paid plans
Get Monthly Pro
Elite

Plan

Scholar Plan

KES 499/ 1 month

16 credits/KES · 8,000 credits total

  • 8,000 credits, valid 30 days
  • Unlimited file uploads
  • Gmail timetable sync
  • Agent actions (unit reg, calendar)
  • Memory always on
  • @strathmore.edu required
Get Scholar Plan

How it works

How credits work

01

You buy a plan

Pick the plan that fits your study session. Pay with M-Pesa or card via Paystack. Credits load to your account instantly.

02

Credits are spent as you chat

Every message deducts credits based on complexity. A standard question costs ~10-35 credits depending on your plan. An Ask Anything answer costs ~120 credits. Your balance is always visible in the top bar.

03

Top up when you need more

When your credits run low, top up from inside the chat - no need to leave Maria. Buy exactly as much as you need, nothing more.

What does a credit actually cost?

Approximately - actual cost varies slightly by response length

Short factual question

"What time does Library close?"

~10 credits

Standard question

"Explain opportunity cost with an example"

~10-35 credits

Long detailed answer

"Write me a full essay outline on colonial Kenya"

~35-80 credits

Ask Anything answer

"Prove this integral step by step"

~120 credits

File / image analysis

Upload a past paper or lecture slide

~50-150 credits

Transparency

Why MariaChat is not free

Every question you ask Maria is sent to a large AI model running on powerful servers. Those servers process billions of calculations per message, 24/7, and cost real money to run - compute time, electricity, data transfer, and the engineers who keep everything working.

Unlike a static website or a simple app, AI answers are generated fresh every time. There is no caching a response to "explain this law question to me" - it is computed from scratch for you, every single time.

We charge just enough to cover our server costs. The cheapest plan - KES 20 - gets you 200 credits, valid for 12 hours. That is roughly 5-6 solid questions for the price of a mandazi and a tea. We are not trying to make margin off students. We are trying not to run at a loss.

The Scholar Plan at KES 499/month works out to less than KES 17 a day - cheaper than a matatu ride. For unlimited access, Gmail sync, memory, and agent features, it is the best-value academic AI tool you will find in Kenya.

If you are a student who genuinely cannot afford any plan, reach out - we sometimes run scholarship allocations. But for most students: the cost of one soda buys you a week of serious study support.

FAQ

Common questions

Why do I need to pay at all?
MariaChat runs on powerful AI servers that process every question you ask. Those servers cost real money - compute time, electricity, bandwidth, and engineering. Every message costs us roughly $0.10 to $0.50 USD in AI processing fees depending on complexity. We charge just enough to cover those costs and keep the platform running. We are not a subscription trap - you pay for what you use, when you need it.
What is a credit?
A credit is the smallest unit of AI usage. Think of it like airtime - it gets spent as you chat. A standard question costs 10-35 credits depending on your plan. An Ask Anything answer (where Maria reasons step-by-step through a hard problem) costs around 120 credits. Your credit balance is shown in the app at all times so you always know how much you have left.
Why credits instead of a simple message count?
A short question like "What time does the library close?" costs the AI almost nothing. A long, detailed question like "Explain the Black-Scholes model with worked examples" uses far more computing power. Credits let us charge fairly - simple questions are cheap, complex ones cost a little more. You never pay for more than you actually use.
Do unused credits carry over?
Credits are tied to the plan you purchased and expire when that plan expires. For example, a Daily Pass lasts 48 hours - any unused credits after that window are lost. This is how we keep prices low: we pre-provision server capacity for your window, so we have to cap carry-over. The Scholar Plan's 30-day window gives you the most time to use your credits.
What is the Scholar Plan and why does it need my Strathmore email?
The Scholar Plan is the highest-tier plan built specifically for serious Strathmore students. It includes Gmail timetable sync, agent actions (like unit registration assistance and semester calendar), unlimited file uploads, and memory across conversations. Because it accesses your university email and schedule, we verify you are an active Strathmore student using your @strathmore.edu email address.
What is Ask Anything mode?
Ask Anything is Maria's reasoning mode. Instead of giving you a quick answer, she thinks through the problem step by step - useful for maths proofs, essay outlines, code debugging, or any question that needs careful logic. It uses more credits (about 120 per message vs 10 for standard) because it is significantly more expensive to run on our servers.
Is my payment secure?
Yes. All payments go through Paystack, Kenya's most trusted payment processor - the same platform used by banks, telecoms, and major e-commerce platforms. We never see or store your card or M-Pesa details. Paystack is PCI-DSS compliant and processes billions of shillings in transactions annually.
Can I get a refund?
If you have a technical issue that prevented you from using credits you paid for (e.g., the service was down), reach out to us and we will sort it. We do not offer refunds for credits that were used or for plans that expired with unused credits - those server costs were already incurred. For genuine issues, email us and we will be fair.

Ready to get started?

Your first 30 credits are on us. No card required.

Try MariaChat Free

Questions? Email us at celestine.kariuki@strathmore.edu