Besides user accounts, Box licenses three consumable resources (Box AI Units, API Calls and Box Platform resources) and several add-on products. The Terms of Service make the customer responsible for “using consumable enterprise-wide service resources (e.g. API Calls, AI Units) in compliance with the entitlements for your service level as identified at box.com/pricing”.[3] The customer is also responsible for “API and AI Unit overages”.[3] Catalog proof: Consumables above entitlement can be throttled or billed.
Editions
| Add-on | What it adds | Licensing notes |
|---|---|---|
| Box Shield | Classification-based security controls and threat detection[6] | Optional; Enterprise plans already include native classifications, access policies and threat detection rules[6] |
| Box Shield Pro | AI Classification Agent, Ransomware Activity Detection, AI Threat Analysis[7] | “*Box Shield Pro requires Box Shield to purchase”[6] |
| Box Governance | Advanced retention policies, disposition and legal holds[6] | Listed as an optional add-on with Box Zones[6] |
| Box Zones | In-region content storage[10] | One Box Zones account per user[3] |
| Box Keysafe | Not described on the pricing page | Listed as optional on all five business plans[6] |
| Box Archive | Compliant long-term content preservation | Part of Enterprise Advanced[6] |
| AI Units, Core APIs, Document Generation APIs | Extra AI and API capacity | Minimum 1,000 per month, annual commitment, for AI Units and Core APIs[5] |
Box publishes no prices for the add-ons. Catalog proof: Shield Pro requires Shield; Platform add-ons have annual minimums.
Metrics
AI Units
“An AI Unit is a standardized way to measure consumption of paid Box AI features.” The number consumed depends on the action and on whether a Standard or Premium model is used.[1] Included monthly volumes:
| Plan | Included AI Units per month |
|---|---|
| Business, Business Plus | Available for purchase |
| Enterprise | 1,000 |
| Enterprise Plus | 2,000 |
| Enterprise Advanced | 20,000 |
Source: Understanding AI Units In Box.[1] Since 2025-10-20, Business, Business Plus and Enterprise customers can use the Box AI APIs (Q&A, Text Generation and Extract), and “AI Units are now available for all customers to purchase as one-time or recurring SKUs”.[2] Catalog row: AI Unit. Catalog proof: Included AI Units differ by plan.
API Calls
An API Call counts “each time the Box API receives a request … regardless of whether the API Call achieves its intended result”. Limits are calculated per API across all applications, not per application.[4] The monthly allotments are 50,000 on Business and Business Plus, 100,000 on Enterprise and Enterprise Plus, and 200,000 on Enterprise Advanced, with more volume available to buy.[6] Individual, Personal Pro and Starter have no API Call allocation, and a customer without one “may not use any API Calls nor integrate your Box account with any third-party application”.[4] Catalog row: API Call. Catalog proof: Plans without an API allocation may not integrate.
Box Platform resources
For custom applications built on Box Platform, the Terms define the Monthly Active User as a Platform Application User who uses the Service or accesses content through an API call “at least once in a monthly calendar period”. They also define Monthly Platform API Calls and Platform Storage, and a Platform Service Account as a back-end system-to-system connection.[3] “The use of Box Platform requires the prior purchase of Platform Resources which include Monthly Active Users, Monthly Platform API Calls, Monthly Platform Bandwidth, and Platform Storage”. The business plans include the resources shown on the pricing page.[4] Catalog proof: Box Platform requires purchased Platform Resources.
Counting / floors
No rollover. AI Units are monthly entitlements made up of the plan’s base volume plus purchased units. “Unused AI Units do not roll over to the next period”, and the entitlement resets at the start of each calendar month. “AI Units are purchased as a monthly volume within a recurring annual subscription.” Consumption across AI actions is added together.[1] Catalog proof: AI Units reset monthly and do not roll over.
What is charged. AI Units are consumed by the Q&A and Text Gen AI APIs, the standard, enhanced and custom extract agents, Box Agent in Expanded Mode, Box AI in the user interface, and any agent run within an Automate workflow. Box Agent and custom agents in standard mode, Box Apps and Search, Shield auto-classification and MCP partner apps are subject only to daily limits.[1]
When units run out. Admins see warnings as consumption approaches the entitlement. At full entitlement “Paid AI features are blocked until the entitlement resets or you purchase additional units”, while free features keep working. Units bought mid-month restore access shortly after the purchase is processed.[1] Catalog proof: Paid AI features stop when AI Units run out.
API and Platform overage. When usage exceeds or approaches an entitlement, Box may apply “throttling, rate limiting, or temporary suspension”. At an Administrative User’s direction, it may bill additional resources at box.com/pricing/platform rates for the rest of the period or for the excess used.[3] Exceeding Platform Use Limits makes additional fees due under the same section.[3] API traffic over the acceptable use limits receives “429 Too Many Requests” responses.[4] See Excess Consumption.
Add-on minimums. Core APIs and AI Units add-ons have a “min. purchase 1,000 API calls/month; annual commitment” and a “min. purchase 1,000 AI Units/month; annual commitment”.[5]
Virtualization & partitioning
Not applicable. One rule matters for integrations: user accounts “cannot be used as a ‘system account’ or ‘service account’ that uses Box APIs” independent of a person without Box’s authorization.[4] Back-end integrations belong on Platform Service Accounts and consume Platform resources.[3] Catalog proof: User accounts may not be used as service accounts.
Cloud / BYOL
Box AI lets customers choose models from several providers, and the platform AI Units add-on mentions OpenAI, Google and Anthropic models.[5] Enterprise Advanced includes the “flexibility to choose AI models and bring your own model”.[8] Under the Terms, Box AI queries and outputs are the customer’s Confidential Information but not Content, and Box “will not train Box AI using your queries or outputs without explicit consent”.[3] Box Zones stores content in the chosen regions but “some processing and metadata storage and processing may continue to be provided from the United States”.[3]
Programs
- Box Platform Resources. Purchased Monthly Active Users, Platform API Calls, Platform Bandwidth and Platform Storage. The order form states extra resources, and the customer must buy enough to cover its use.[4]
- Excess Consumption. Throttling or billing of API Calls, AI Units and Platform resources above the entitlement.[3]
- Enterprise Advanced allowances. The plan bundles Box Platform “Developer tools and greater Box API allowances”, AI Studio, extract agents, Doc Gen and Box Archive. Its footnote lists allocations of Platform API calls, AI API calls and AI-powered metadata, documents generated via API and e-signature requests via API, “Additional volumes available for purchase”.[8] Catalog proof: Enterprise Advanced bundles platform allowances.
- Box Archive on downgrade. Content placed in Box Archive becomes “orphaned and inaccessible” to admins if the organization drops below Enterprise Advanced, so archived content should be restored before a downgrade or the end of a trial.[9] Catalog proof: Downgrading from Enterprise Advanced orphans Box Archive content.
Audits and compliance
Only admins can see AI Unit consumption, in the Admin Console under AI Insights. Box recommends reviewing it weekly and using the User Activity Report to find heavy users.[1] The Fair Use Policy also lets Box limit or restrict Box AI use it considers “excessive, abusive, or otherwise unreasonable”.[4] Licence managers should track AI Units and API Calls monthly against the Order Form, because overage is either blocked or billed and unused volume is lost.
Out of scope
- Prices of add-ons and consumables, which Box does not publish.
- The Box AI Units consumption table that gives units per action, linked from Box’s support article but not reviewed here.
- Developer, partner and OEM arrangements, which were not reviewed for this article.