AI-OCR "Gen Drive" Now Fully Supports Credit Card Payments. Monthly and Annual Payment Options Available. Starting from 12,500 Yen/Month with Zero Initial Cost.
Hi-story Inc. has announced that its generative AI-powered SaaS AI-OCR service, "Gen Drive," now fully supports credit card payments and offers monthly payment plans. This expansion of payment options, previously limited to annual payments and bank transfers, allows the Standard Plan to be used from 12,500 yen (excluding tax) per month, with zero initial costs and no minimum contract period.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: March 31, 2026 at 19:10
- 🔍 Collected: April 1, 2026 at 13:39 (18h 29m after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 22, 2026 at 01:32 (491h 53m after Collected)
Hi-story Inc. (Headquarters: Setagaya-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Takeshi Matsuyama, hereinafter "the Company") announced that from Tuesday, March 31, 2026, its generative AI-powered SaaS AI-OCR service "Gen Drive" will begin offering credit card payments and monthly payment plans. This expands the payment methods for paid plans, which were previously limited to annual payments and bank transfers. The Standard Plan will now be available from 12,500 yen (excluding tax) per month, with zero initial costs and no minimum contract period.
Gen Drive Service Website: https://www.hi-story.co.jp/gen-drive/
Background to the Introduction of Monthly Payments and Credit Card Payments
Responding to feedback: "Annual lump-sum payments are difficult to approve"
Gen Drive underwent a major renewal on March 10, 2026, from its former "CTO HANDs AI Character Recognition Service." Since the renewal, we have received numerous comments such as, "I'm interested in the service, but it's difficult to get internal approval for an annual lump-sum payment," "I want to try it for a few months before deciding on full-scale implementation," and "If I could pay by credit card, internal procedures would be easier."
For small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), services costing around 10,000 yen per month can often be decided at the discretion of a department head, whereas expenditures exceeding 120,000 yen annually generally require approval from management. For on-site staff who want to "just try" AI-OCR, annual lump-sum payments have been a factor prolonging the consideration process.
Rising demand for credit card payments in B2B transactions
There is a rapidly expanding need for credit card payments in inter-company transactions. According to Infcurion's "2025 B2B Payment Trend Survey for SMEs," the intention to use "invoice card payments" in B2B reached approximately 40%, doubling from about 20% in the previous year. The desire to eliminate the hassle of transfer operations and payment confirmations associated with bank transfers is a common challenge for service providers as well.
Against this backdrop, the Company decided to add credit card payment and monthly payment options to Gen Drive's paid plans.
Details of Monthly Payment Support
Pricing Plans
Monthly payment fees will be the basic rate, and annual payments will receive a 20% OFF discount compared to monthly payments.
Gen Drive Service Website: https://www.hi-story.co.jp/gen-drive/
Background to the Introduction of Monthly Payments and Credit Card Payments
Responding to feedback: "Annual lump-sum payments are difficult to approve"
Gen Drive underwent a major renewal on March 10, 2026, from its former "CTO HANDs AI Character Recognition Service." Since the renewal, we have received numerous comments such as, "I'm interested in the service, but it's difficult to get internal approval for an annual lump-sum payment," "I want to try it for a few months before deciding on full-scale implementation," and "If I could pay by credit card, internal procedures would be easier."
For small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), services costing around 10,000 yen per month can often be decided at the discretion of a department head, whereas expenditures exceeding 120,000 yen annually generally require approval from management. For on-site staff who want to "just try" AI-OCR, annual lump-sum payments have been a factor prolonging the consideration process.
Rising demand for credit card payments in B2B transactions
There is a rapidly expanding need for credit card payments in inter-company transactions. According to Infcurion's "2025 B2B Payment Trend Survey for SMEs," the intention to use "invoice card payments" in B2B reached approximately 40%, doubling from about 20% in the previous year. The desire to eliminate the hassle of transfer operations and payment confirmations associated with bank transfers is a common challenge for service providers as well.
Against this backdrop, the Company decided to add credit card payment and monthly payment options to Gen Drive's paid plans.
Details of Monthly Payment Support
Pricing Plans
Monthly payment fees will be the basic rate, and annual payments will receive a 20% OFF discount compared to monthly payments.