AI-OCR "Gen Drive" Fully Supports Credit Card Payments. Monthly/Annual Payment Options Available. Starting from ¥12,500/month, Zero Initial Cost.

Hi-story Inc. (Headquarters: Setagaya-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Takeshi Matsuyama; hereinafter referred to as "the Company") will begin offering credit card payments and monthly plans for its generative AI-powered SaaS AI-OCR service "Gen Drive" starting Tuesday, March 31, 2026. This expands the payment options for paid plans, which previously only supported annual payments via bank transfer. The Standard Plan will be available from ¥12,500 (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 of Introducing Monthly Payments and Credit Card Payments

### Responding to Feedback: "Annual lump sum payments are difficult to get approved"

Gen Drive underwent a major renewal on March 10, 2026, from its previous "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'd like 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."

In small and medium-sized enterprises, services costing around ¥10,000 per month can often be decided at the discretion of a department head, whereas expenditures exceeding ¥120,000 annually generally require approval from management. For on-site staff who want to "just try" AI-OCR, annual lump sum payments were a factor that prolonged the consideration period for adoption.

### Growing Demand for Credit Cards in B2B Payments

Demand for credit card payments in business-to-business transactions is rapidly expanding. According to Infcurion Inc.'s "2025 B2B Payment Trend Survey for SMEs," the intention to use "invoice card payments" in B2B transactions has 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 has decided to add credit card payment and monthly payment options to Gen Drive's paid plans.

## Details of Monthly Payment Support

### Pricing Plans

Monthly payments will be the basic fee, and annual payments will receive a 20% discount compared to monthly payments.

| Plan | Monthly Payment (excl. tax) | Annual Payment (monthly equivalent, excl. tax) | Annual Total (excl. tax) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | ¥0 | — | ¥0 |
| Standard | ¥12,500 | ¥10,000 (20% OFF) | ¥120,000 |
| Pro | ¥30,000 | ¥24,000 (20% OFF) | ¥288,000 |

* The Free Plan remains permanently free.
* Annual payments can be made by either credit card or bank transfer.
* Custom plans will continue to be handled with individual quotes and bank transfers.

### Three Benefits

1. Start using on the same day at the earliest

With traditional paid plan contracts, it took an average of 3 to 5 business days from inquiry to start of use. With the introduction of credit card payments, the plan will be activated on the same day at the earliest after payment is completed.

2. No minimum contract period, cancel anytime

Monthly payments have no minimum usage period. You can "try it for a month, confirm the effect, and then decide whether to continue." If you determine it's not suitable for your operations, you can cancel anytime.

3. Annual payments are more economical the longer you use them

After experiencing the benefits with monthly payments, switching to annual payments will give you a 20% discount on the monthly fee. For the Standard Plan, this amounts to a difference of ¥30,000 (excluding tax) per year. You can choose the optimal payment cycle according to your business phase.

### Also Supports Credit Card Payments for OCR Credits

"OCR Credits," which can be purchased when additional OCR processing is required, can now also be purchased by credit card. Four types are available: ¥10,000, ¥30,000, ¥50,000, and ¥100,000 (all excluding tax).

## About Gen Drive

Gen Drive is a generative AI-powered AI-OCR service launched on March 10, 2026. By simply uploading documents, AI automatically suggests reading items and digitizes handwritten characters and various layout forms. It supports all business documents such as purchase orders, invoices, delivery notes, application forms, questionnaires, and rosters.

## Renewal Commemorative Campaign | Expanded to the First 150 Companies Due to Popular Demand - Period Extended (Until May 8)

The OCR Credit ¥30,000 gift campaign, currently underway to commemorate the renewal of Gen Drive, reached the initial limit of 100 companies in just 4 business days. In appreciation of the many applications received, the target limit has been expanded to the first 150 companies, and the campaign period has been extended until Friday, May 8, 2026.

By combining this with the monthly payment plan, you can experience approximately 600 additional pages of processing for free, in addition to the Standard Plan's monthly OCR quota (approximately 100 pages).

| Item | Content |
|---|---|
| Campaign Period | March 10, 2026 (Tue) - May 8, 2026 (Fri) *Extended from April 9 |
| Eligibility | First 150 companies (originally 100 companies → 50 added due to popularity) that complete new corporate registration for Gen Drive during the period |
| Benefit Content | OCR Credit worth ¥30,000 |
| How to Participate | Simply complete new corporate registration for Gen Drive |

## Service Overview

| Item | Content |
|---|---|
| Service Name | Gen Drive |
| Service URL | https://www.hi-story.co.jp/gen-drive/ |
| Pricing | ・Free Plan: ¥0/month
・Standard: ¥12,500/month (excl. tax) for monthly, ¥10,000/month (excl. tax) equivalent for annual
・Pro: ¥30,000/month (excl. tax) for monthly, ¥24,000/month (excl. tax) equivalent for annual |
| Supported Documents | Purchase orders, invoices, delivery notes, application forms, questionnaires, rosters, and all other business documents |
| Payment Methods | Credit card (monthly / annual), Bank transfer (annual) |

## Company Profile

Company Name: Hi-story Inc.
Representative: Takeshi Matsuyama
Established: March 1, 2019
Head Office: 3F Yanagikoji Higashikado, 3-11-1 Tamagawa, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 158-0094
Phone: 03-6824-5395
Email: contact@hi-story.co.jp
Company HP: https://www.hi-story.co.jp/
Business Activities: Planning and development of web services, and development and operation of AI-OCR service "Gen Drive"