Credits

Learn about how credits work

Credits are the usage currency that powers AI-assisted development. Understanding how they work, the different types available, and how to manage them will help you use the platform effectively.

How credits work

Every AI interaction consumes credits based on:

Model cost — Different AI models have different pricing tiers
Context size — The amount of information processed (conversation history, files, code)
Output generated — The amount of code or text the AI produces

For detailed strategies on optimizing credit usage, see Using Credits Efficiently.

Using your own provider

Some plans and gateways let you run threads through your own provider access instead of Draftbit credits. Configure those options on an app’s Agents & Models tab, or for the whole organization under Organization > AI Providers. See Agent Instructions.

Supported provider paths include OpenRouter API keys, OpenAI API keys, Anthropic API keys, OpenAI subscriptions, Claude subscriptions, and Codex subscriptions.

On the Free plan, credits run Codex with OpenAI models. To use Claude Code or other models with credits, upgrade to a paid plan. On every plan, your own Claude or ChatGPT subscription or API key runs the agents and models it supports.

Threads that use your own key or subscription do not consume Draftbit credits for model usage, but they are still subject to that provider’s authentication, quota, rate limit, and subscription rules. If a provider rejects a request or reaches a usage limit, Draftbit shows the provider-specific message in chat so you know where to recover.

Usage details

Thread usage details show credit totals and token breakdowns by model and provider. Use them to understand which runs consumed credits, which runs used your own provider, and how much context or output contributed to the cost.

Credit types explained

Most credits expire one year after they’re added to your account. Credits for importing a Draftbit Classic app are the exception. The Credits page groups your credits into three cards.

Plan credits

Plan credits come from your subscription, including any monthly credit package added to it. They’re added at the start of each billing period, and anything you don’t use carries over until one year after that period started.

Monthly plans: Each month’s credits stay available for a year, so unused credits build up.
Yearly plans: The whole year’s credits are added at the start of the term and expire at the end of it.

Standard and Pro don’t include credits on their own. You get plan credits by adding a monthly credit package, or from an earlier plan that included them.

Purchased credits

One-time purchases: Credits you buy expire one year after purchase.
Earned credits: Rewards from the Earn Credits page expire one year after you claim them.

Free credits

Signup credits: The 3,000 credits a new account starts with expire one year after signup.
Import credits: Credits added when you import a Draftbit Classic app expire 72 hours after the import.

Credits our team adds to your account, for example to make up for a platform issue, show their own expiry date on the Credits page.

Spending order

Credits that expire soonest are always spent first, so newer credits never cause older ones to go unused.

Checking your balance and usage

Your balance and usage belong to your organization. Anyone in it can see them.

Credits page

Select Billing > Credits in the sidebar. You’ll see:

Free Credits: signup, import, and other complimentary credits, with when the next of them expire
Plan Credits: unused credits from your subscription, with your next renewal date
Purchased Credits: one-time purchases, earned rewards, and credits from our team
Total Balance: available credits across all types
Credit Buckets: each active batch of credits, how much is left, and when it expires. Batches that expire within a day are marked Expires Soon.
Credit Grant History: every batch your organization has received, with the amount used and remaining and a status of Active, Expired, or Depleted

The Billing Overview shows the same balances as Complimentary Credits, Plan Credits, and Purchased Credits.

Usage page

Select Billing > Usage to see where credits went. Usage Over Time charts the credits used each day of the current period. Below it, Credit Usage History has four tabs:

All Transactions: each charge, with the time, user, project, agent and model, thread, and credits used
Group By App: credits per app, with the number of transactions, users, and threads
Group By Thread: credits per thread and its app
Group By User: credits per person, with the number of apps and threads they used

Tip: Monitor your usage patterns to identify opportunities for optimization. See Using Credits Efficiently for strategies.

When your credits run out

When your Draftbit credits are depleted, you can’t send new messages on threads that use credits. Your app and your work so far are saved. The chat panel shows your options for continuing:

On the free plan: connect ChatGPT or Claude to keep building with your own subscription, upgrade your plan, or earn free credits. Connecting your own subscription is included on the free plan.
On a paid plan: add credits or connect ChatGPT or Claude.

Organization Owners and Admins connect a subscription under Organization > AI Providers. Editors can connect one for an app from that app’s agent settings. See Using your own provider.

If your app already has a ChatGPT or Claude subscription or an API key connected, the first option is Start a new thread with that connection, for example Start a new thread with ChatGPT. It opens a new thread that uses your connection instead of credits and keeps any message you’ve typed. Subscriptions are offered before API keys. Your other options stay available below it.

Buying credits

On a paid plan, you can buy credits once or add a package that renews with your plan. Both take the Owner or an Admin. Credits aren’t for sale on the Free plan, so upgrade first or earn credits.

One-time purchases

Credits cost $1 per 1,000, in packages from 5,000 credits ($5) to 10,000,000 credits ($10,000). Larger packages come with bonus credits:

Package price	Bonus credits
Under $100	None
$100 to $499	+5%
$500 to $999	+7.5%
$1,000 to $9,999	+10%
$10,000	+15%

For example, the $1,000 package adds 1,100,000 credits.

To buy credits:

Select Buy Credits at the top of any Billing page.
Pick a package. The total, including any bonus, appears at the bottom.
Select Buy Credits and pay at checkout.

You come back to the Credits page, and your balance updates shortly after. Purchased credits expire one year after purchase.

You can’t buy credits while your subscription is inactive, for example after a failed payment. See If a payment fails. If your plan is managed by Draftbit, contact Draftbit for more credits.

Monthly credit packages

A credit package adds credits to your Standard or Pro plan every billing period. Add one on the Plan page with Add monthly credits, then pick an amount from the Credit package menu. Larger packages include more bonus credits:

Price per month	Credits per month
$25	26,250
$50	55,000
$75	82,500
$100	110,000
$200	225,000
$300	337,500
$400	450,000
$500	575,000
$750	862,500
$1,000	1,150,000

On annual billing, you pay for 12 months at once and get the whole year’s credits at the start of the term. To change or remove a package, see Changing your plan.

Enterprise

Enterprise plans come with custom credit allocations. Select Explore Enterprise on the Plan page to get in touch.

Earn Credits

The Earn Credits page is the fastest way to top up your balance without buying credits. Select Earn Credits in the sidebar, then complete challenges, leave feedback, or invite other builders to earn bonus credits.

Earn Credits page

The page is split into two tabs:

Challenges — A grid of one-time tasks you can complete to earn credits.
Activity — A history of credits you have already earned and claimed.

When a challenge is approved, the reward shows up under Ready to Claim on the right. Rewards are yours until you claim them, and you choose which organization gets them:

Select Claim Reward.
Choose one of the organizations you belong to.
Select Claim Into Organization.

Claiming is final. The credits belong to that organization from then on and show up in its credit balance.

Challenge	Description
Social follows	Quick wins for following Draftbit on X, Instagram, and LinkedIn, or subscribing on YouTube. Each one is worth a fixed credit reward.
Video testimonials	Record a short video about your experience with Draftbit. Submissions are reviewed before credits are awarded.
Written feedback	Share detailed feedback or a case study about how you use Draftbit. Reviewed before credits are issued.
Invite a friend	Earn 10,000 credits per referral. Your reward is ready to claim automatically once a referred customer starts a paid subscription, with nothing to submit. The person you referred gets 10,000 credits added to their organization at the same time. Copy your unique referral link from the Earn Credits page.
Affiliate program	Earn cash, not just credits. Join the affiliate program to get paid commission for every customer who signs up through your link.

When credits seem too high

If you notice unexpected credit consumption or believe platform issues caused excess usage, we want to help.

What to do

If credits feel unusually high for a task, please share the following information:

Required details:

Thread link — Direct link to the conversation where credits were consumed
Task description — Brief explanation of what you were trying to accomplish
Model used — Which AI model was selected (if known)
Preview status — Whether preview/build was failing or in error loops
Thread length — Approximate number of messages in the thread
Context size — Whether large files were attached or referenced

How to report:

Use the in-app support/feedback form
Email support with “High Credit Usage Review” in subject line
Include your account email for follow-up

What we’ll do

When you report unexpectedly high credit usage, our team will:

Review your usage:

Analyze the specific thread and interactions
Check for platform-side retry loops or errors
Identify any system issues that inflated costs
Compare against typical usage patterns for similar tasks

Identify platform issues:

Determine if platform bugs caused repeated attempts
Check if preview/build failures triggered unnecessary retries
Investigate whether system errors led to wasted credits
Review logs for abnormal AI behavior or loops

Grant credits if confirmed:

If platform issues are confirmed, we’ll restore the affected credits
Credits are typically issued as bonus/grant credits
Restoration usually happens within 1-2 business days
You’ll receive confirmation when credits are added

Provide guidance:

Share specific recommendations for avoiding similar issues
Suggest workflow improvements for better efficiency
Point to relevant documentation on credit optimization
Offer tips for the specific scenario you encountered

Credit best practices summary

To make the most of your credits:

Use the right model — Match model capability to task complexity
Start fresh threads — Avoid long threads that accumulate context
Be specific — Clear, scoped requests reduce back-and-forth
Monitor usage — Check Billing > Usage regularly to spot trends
Optimize workflows — Learn from high-usage patterns and adjust

For comprehensive strategies, see Using Credits Efficiently.