Plan allowance vs usage credits
Your organization pays for AI usage in two layers. First comes the plan allowance: the tokens included in your plan each month, which cost nothing extra. Then, only if you turn them on, come usage credits: a prepaid dollar balance that keeps you going once a plan limit is reached.
How a request is paid
- Syntic checks the plan’s three windows: the 5-hour session, the week and the month. If all three have room, the plan pays.
- If a window is full and usage credits are off, the request is refused and you see when the limit resets.
- If a window is full and usage credits are on, the request is paid from the credit balance, as long as:
- the organization hasn’t reached its monthly credit spend limit,
- you haven’t reached a member spend limit set for you, and
- the balance covers the request.
Credits are only touched after a plan window is full. While your plan has room, your credit balance doesn’t move.
Side by side
| Plan allowance | Usage credits | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Tokens included in your plan | A prepaid US-dollar balance |
| Cost | Included in the plan price | Charged at your plan tier’s API rates for each model |
| Resets | Monthly, with weekly and 5-hour windows | Doesn’t reset. The balance stays until used |
| Default | Always on | Off for new organizations |
| Who can switch it on | Not applicable | Owners |
| Available on | Every plan | Paid plans only |
The same balance everywhere
Usage credits and API credit are the same balance. It is used by web chat once you pass a limit, by the Syntic API, by Syntic Code and by the desktop app. You can top it up from the app or from the Syntic Console.
Separate credit balances
Some products have their own balances that are not part of usage credits:
- Image & video credits for image generation. See Image & video credits.
- Workflow executions for workflow runs. See Workflow credits.
- Voice credits for the AI Call Center, which is not available yet.
On the Free plan you can’t turn on usage credits or buy API credit. If a balance is left over from a paid plan, it is kept for when you upgrade again.