> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.smaq.io/documentation/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.smaq.io/documentation/plans-and-billing/credits-and-top-ups.md).

# Credits & top-ups

A **credit** is the unit of AI usage in SMAQ. Different actions consume different amounts.

Each tier includes a monthly credit allowance. Usage shows live in the org's Usage tab. If you exhaust your monthly allowance, you can either upgrade tier or buy a [top-up](#topping-up).

> **\[Screenshot needed]** Org Usage page showing monthly allocation, used credits, remaining credits, and a per-project breakdown chart.

### What consumes credits

| Action                                  | Approx. cost                                            |
| --------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------- |
| Simple chat question (single fact)      | Low                                                     |
| Chart-generating chat question          | Low–Medium                                              |
| Multi-step analysis ("why did X drop?") | Medium                                                  |
| Playbook execution                      | Medium (depends on number of datablocks)                |
| Daily Brief automation run              | Medium                                                  |
| Dashboard Summary automation run        | Medium                                                  |
| Generate Report AI                      | Medium–High                                             |
| Search Term Analysis run                | High                                                    |
| Media Plan Intelligence run             | High                                                    |
| Creative & competitor intelligence runs | High                                                    |
| Pre-signup audit                        | Medium (counts toward the org's allowance once claimed) |

Exact costs vary slightly. The app shows credit cost before any heavy action runs, so you can cancel if needed.

### What doesn't consume credits

* Browsing dashboards
* Viewing snapshots
* Viewing automation logs
* Managing connections
* Building datablocks
* Inviting team members
* Anything that doesn't involve AI

### Monthly reset

Credit allowance resets at the start of each billing cycle (monthly subscriptions: every 30 days; annual: every 30 days from your subscription start).

Unused credits **do not** roll over. Use them or lose them.

### Top-ups

If you exhaust your monthly allowance:

1. **Settings → Billing → Top up credits**.
2. Pick a top-up bundle (small, medium, large).
3. Pay via Stripe.

Top-up credits:

* **Don't reset.** They stick around until used.
* **Are consumed first** when you'd otherwise hit your monthly limit, before SMAQ blocks any actions.

> **\[Screenshot needed]** Top-up dialog showing three credit bundles with prices and a Pay button.

### What happens when you run out

If your monthly allowance is exhausted and you have no top-up balance:

* **Automations pause.** They resume next billing cycle or when you top up.
* **Chat shows a "credits exhausted" message** when you try to send a message.
* **Reports and heavy AI actions are blocked** until credits return.

Email notifications fire at 80% and 100% of monthly usage so you're not blindsided.

### Usage by project

The Usage tab in the org settings shows credit consumption per project. Useful when:

* You're an agency tracking which client is consuming most credits.
* You're identifying a runaway automation.
* You're trying to forecast next month's usage.

### Tips for credit-efficient use

* **Use playbooks for repeated analyses.** Re-running a playbook is cheaper than asking the AI to figure out the same thing from scratch every time.
* **Tighten automation schedules.** Daily Brief is fine daily. But running heavy agentic automations daily is wasteful — weekly is usually right.
* **Keep KB rich.** Better KB means shorter AI reasoning chains.
* **Watch the Usage tab the first month.** You'll discover which automations are heavy and can adjust schedules.

### Tier credit allowances

Each tier includes a different monthly credit allowance — Starter is small, Agency is large. Specific numbers shown live in [app.smaq.io/billing](https://app.smaq.io/billing).

### Related

* [Tiers explained](broken://pages/HOOsaBYkwAu0cfNo2Xy2).
* [Trial & restricted mode](/documentation/plans-and-billing/trial-and-restricted.md) — note restricted mode has a much lower credit floor.
* [Upgrade or downgrade](/documentation/plans-and-billing/upgrade-downgrade.md) — tier change is usually cheaper than constant top-ups.