> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.publishbuddy.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# How do AI credits work?

> How many AI credits each plan gets, what uses them and what doesn't, refunds when a generation fails, and when your credits refill.

**Plans:** Pro and Business, and the free trial.

AI credits pay for the AI features that make images, videos and carousels, plus a few AI Agent requests. AI Assist, the Ideas page and chatting with the Agent don't use credits. Those have an hourly limit instead.

## How many credits you get

| Plan | AI credits |
| - | - |
| Free | None |
| Free trial | 200 for the whole trial |
| Pro | 500 every month |
| Business | 2,500 every month |

Your plan credits refill every month. Unused plan credits don't carry over, so each month starts at your plan's full amount.

The trial's 200 credits don't refill. When you upgrade from the trial, your balance is set to your new plan's monthly amount.

## What uses credits

| What | Credits |
| - | - |
| An image in AI Studio or from the Agent | 4 to 40, depending on the model |
| A video in AI Studio or from the Agent | 92 to 840, depending on the model and length |
| A carousel from the Agent | 4 for 2 to 5 slides, 5 for 6 to 8 |
| Text in AI Studio | 1 or more, depending on how many networks you write for |
| A caption with an AI Studio post type | 1 more |
| Agent post ideas, a caption, hashtags or an improved caption | 1 each time |
| Agent lookup of your best or worst posts | 1, or none if it finds nothing |

AI Studio shows the price under **Est. cost** before you generate. When the Agent makes an image, video or carousel, its card shows the price and waits for you to confirm. Now and then the Agent uses an older image tool, which costs 17 credits per image it makes or edits.

See [Make images and videos in AI Studio](/help/ai/ai-studio-images-video) for each model's price.

## What doesn't use credits

These are free to use, but they share a limit of 60 AI requests an hour for each person:

* writing with **AI Assist** in the composer
* generating ideas on **Ideas**
* analyzing your brand voice in a **Brand Kit**
* chatting with the **AI Agent**. Each message you send counts as one request.
* **Describe it** in AI Studio, where it works out your post for you

The limit resets as the hour goes on. If you hit it, you'll see an error like "Too Many Attempts." Wait a little and try again.

Saving, scheduling and publishing posts through the Agent is free too. So is asking about your posts and numbers, apart from the top posts lookup.

## If a generation fails

You get your credits back. AI Studio takes the credits when the job starts. If the image or video fails, or takes more than 30 minutes, the credits go back to your balance on their own. The failed card shows how many came back. A job you cancel while it's still **Queued…** costs nothing.

One exception: if the model's safety filter blocks an image or video prompt, the credits may not come back. If that happens, email [hello@publishbuddy.com](mailto:hello@publishbuddy.com).

The Agent's writing tools and top posts lookup only charge when they work.

## Plan credits first, then bought credits

Credits from a pack sit in a separate **Purchased credits** balance. PublishBuddy only uses them once the month's plan credits are gone. They never expire. See [Buy more AI credits](/help/ai/buy-credits).

## Who the credits belong to

Credits belong to the workspace owner. All of the owner's workspaces share one balance.

Team members can use them only if the owner turned on **Allow this member to consume AI Credits** for them. Without it, they can't use the AI features at all, and the **AI Credits** tab doesn't show for them. See [Invite your team and set roles](/help/team-members-and-roles).

## Check your balance

The AI Agent and AI Studio show your balance at the top right, like "⚡ 480 credits remaining". For more detail:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open AI Credits">
    Click your avatar at the top right, choose **Settings** and open **AI Credits**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Read your balance">
    **Plan credits** shows how many are left this month, out of your plan's total. **Purchased credits** shows any you bought.
  </Step>

  <Step title="See what you spent">
    Click **View Usage History**. Each line shows the credits used and when.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## When you change plans

* **Upgrade:** if the new plan has more monthly credits, your plan credits go up to the new amount right away.
* **Downgrade:** your monthly amount drops. If you have more plan credits left than the new plan gives, you keep only up to the new amount.
* **Free:** the AI features stop working until you upgrade. Purchased credits stay on your account.

## Related

* [Buy more AI credits](/help/ai/buy-credits)
* [What the AI Agent can do](/help/ai/ai-agent)
* [Make images and videos in AI Studio](/help/ai/ai-studio-images-video)
* [Plans, the free trial and AI credits](/help/plans-trial-and-credits)


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