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

# How Credits Work

> Understand AI credits in Moda — what they are, what costs credits, and how they reset.

## What are credits?

AI credits are the units that measure your usage of AI-powered features in Moda. Every time you use an AI feature — like generating a design, creating an image, removing a background, or asking the AI agent to edit your layout — it consumes credits.

Different actions cost different amounts of credits depending on how computationally intensive they are. More complex requests use more credits.

## How many credits do different actions cost?

Credit costs vary based on the complexity of the task and the AI model used. Here are rough estimates:

| Action                 | Lite model (0.5x) | Standard model (1x) | Pro model (1.5x) |
| ---------------------- | ----------------- | ------------------- | ---------------- |
| Social post            | \~60 credits      | \~120 credits       | \~180 credits    |
| Document               | \~100 credits     | \~200 credits       | \~300 credits    |
| Slide deck (5 slides)  | \~150 credits     | \~300 credits       | \~450 credits    |
| Slide deck (10 slides) | \~225 credits     | \~450 credits       | \~675 credits    |

These are estimates — actual usage can vary widely depending on the complexity of your design task. Actions like image generation, web research, and background removal each consume additional credits.

## Credit allowances by plan

Each plan includes a monthly credit allowance. **Credits are pooled at the workspace level on every plan, including Free** — all members draw from one shared balance rather than each having a private allowance.

Each seat contributes credits to that pool, with one important exception:

<Warning>
  **On the Free plan, only the first 3 seats add credits to the pool.** A free workspace can have up to 10 members, but seats beyond the third contribute 0 credits. Inviting your fourth teammate gives them access — it does not increase your balance.

  Paid plans have no such cap: every seat you pay for adds its full allowance.
</Warning>

See the [Pricing page](https://moda.app/pricing) for current credit allowances per plan.

## Do credits reset?

Monthly credits reset at the start of each billing cycle, and **unused monthly credits do not roll over**.

Purchased credits are different — they roll over between cycles and last about a year. See [Buying extra credits](#buying-extra-credits).

## What happens when I run out?

* **Free plan**: AI features pause until your credits refresh at the start of the next billing cycle. You can still use all non-AI canvas tools, export your work, and collaborate normally.
* **Paid plans (Pro and Ultra)**: You won't be interrupted. Once you exceed your included credits, additional usage is billed at a metered rate. You can set a maximum overage budget in **Settings → Billing**, or buy credits up front instead.

## Buying extra credits

Paid workspaces can buy prepaid credit bundles at any time, as an alternative to metered overage.

| Purchase | Credits |
| -------- | ------- |
| \$10     | 2,000   |
| \$25     | 5,000   |
| \$50     | 10,000  |
| \$100    | 22,000  |

You can also enter a custom amount — **between $5 and $500, in whole dollars**. Purchases of **\$100 or more** earn credits at the best rate, applied to the whole purchase.

Two things worth knowing:

* **Purchased credits last about a year, and they roll over between months.** Unlike your monthly allowance — which resets every cycle — a purchase stays on your balance across cycles. It does eventually expire, roughly 12 months after purchase, timed to land just after a billing date rather than mid-cycle.
* **Your monthly credits are always spent first.** Moda draws down the allowance that expires soonest before touching credits you bought, so a purchase isn't wasted at a cycle boundary.

### Auto top-up

Rather than watching your balance, you can have Moda buy more automatically. In **Settings → Billing**, enable auto top-up and set:

* the **balance threshold** that triggers a purchase,
* the **amount** to buy each time, and
* a **monthly cap**, so a runaway job can't spend more than you intend.

## Bonus credits

* **Referrals** — when someone signs up through your link, you and they each get **300 bonus credits**, awarded once they make their first AI request (not at signup). Find your link via the **gift icon** in the left sidebar.

  **Your referral link doesn't expire** — share it as widely and for as long as you like. What's time-limited is the person claiming it: they need to claim while the workspace they created is still new (within an hour of creating it), which is what stops long-standing users from retroactively claiming a bonus.

  Two things catch people out:

  * **The person you refer must create their own workspace.** Someone who joins an *existing* organization — by invitation, or because their company already has one — isn't eligible, even if they used your link.
  * Each person can refer up to **50 people**.
* **Work email** — signing up with a work email address and creating a new workspace grants a one-time **500 bonus credits**.