# Assistant credits

> How APIANT charges assistant credits (20 per message), the monthly allowance by plan, credit packs, what happens when credits run out, and what is free.

Each message you send to the assistant costs 20 credits. Your plan includes a monthly allowance of credits, and credit packs add more on Pro plans and above. Credits pay for the in-app assistant only: working through Claude Code or another MCP client uses none.

## What costs credits

| Action | Credits |
|---|---|
| A message you send to the assistant | 20 |
| An **Ask about this** opening question, which is sent as your first message | 20 |
| Everything the assistant does to answer one message, however many steps it takes | Included in that message's 20 |
| A message refused because you are out of credits | 0 |
| Reading a conversation, reopening it, or reading its cards | 0 |
| Using APIANT from Claude Code or any MCP client | 0 |

A message is charged when the assistant picks it up. If you send two messages while a run is in progress, both are picked up at the next step and each costs 20.

Credits and tasks are separate. Your automations use the tasks on your plan when they run, whether you built them with the assistant or with Claude.

## Monthly allowance

Every plan grants a number of credits per month. The allowance resets monthly and does not roll over: unused credits are gone when it resets.

| Plan | Credits per month |
|---|---|
| Free | 100 |
| Pro | 500 |
| Team | 1,000 |
| Scale | 4,000 |
| Enterprise | Unlimited |

These figures are from [apiant.ai/pricing](https://apiant.ai/pricing), which is the current source.

## Credit packs

A credit pack is a one-time purchase of extra credits.

| Pack |
|---|
| 500 credits |
| 2,000 credits |

Pack prices are listed on [apiant.ai/pricing](https://apiant.ai/pricing) and on the **Billing** page before you buy.

- Packs can be bought on Pro and above.
- Each pack is valid for 6 months from purchase.
- Pack credits are used only after the month's allowance is spent, soonest-expiring pack first.
- In a group of linked accounts, packs belong to the parent account. A linked account spends its own monthly allowance first, then the parent's pack credits. See [Linked and associated accounts](/docs/account/linked-accounts).

To buy one, open the account menu, select **Billing…**, and select **Buy** on a pack in the **Credit packs** section. Payment goes through Stripe checkout and returns you to Billing, where the credits appear once Stripe confirms the payment.

The Credit packs section shows your pack balance, each pack's expiry date and the packs you can buy.

## Checking your balance

The **Account Usage** panel on the dashboard, and the **Account usage** panel on the Assistant page, show:

- **Assistant credits this month**: credits spent against your monthly allowance.
- **Pack credits**: the pack balance available to you, when you have one.

The panel shows credits spent this month against the allowance, and any pack balance.

## When you run out

The assistant checks your credits before it starts on each message. A message is refused when your remaining allowance plus pack credits cannot cover its 20 credits. A run already in progress always finishes; the limit applies to your next message.

When a message is refused:

- The conversation shows a card explaining why, with **Buy credits** if your plan can buy packs and **See plans** to upgrade. It suggests Connect to Claude Code, which uses no credits.
- The refused message stays in the conversation and is charged only when the assistant later picks it up.
- **Assistant** in the navigation and **Ask about this** are hidden until you have credits again.

Credits come back when the monthly allowance resets, when you buy a pack, or when you move to a plan with a larger allowance. A plan that includes no assistant credits shows "Your plan includes no assistant credits." instead.

## Someone acting in your account

When a person with permission to act as your account uses the assistant there, the credits come from their own allowance, not yours. The conversations and automations still belong to your account.

## Next steps

- [The APIANT assistant](/docs/assistant)
- [Plans, usage and billing](/docs/account/plans-and-limits)
- [Connect Claude Code](/docs/mcp/claude-code)