Billing & Credits
Understand credit usage, spend controls, top-ups, billing cycles, and payment mechanics.
How Credits Work
Our platform operates on a credit-based system to give you maximum flexibility. File and text ingestion is free. You need at least 1 available credit to start; it is returned when processing finishes. Website ingestion costs 1 credit per successfully visited page. Credits also apply to messaging agents and other metered actions. Each plan includes a monthly credit allowance for metered actions, and you can purchase additional credits at any time.
Message Spend Limit Credits
For each agent, you can set a message spend limit (technically known as the context budget), which acts as a spending cap for each message. This limit determines:
- Context Window Size: Higher limits allow more conversation history, knowledge base content, and web results.
- Maximum Message Cost: The spend limit is your total budget for all LLM-related costs for a single message, including processing input (like history and knowledge) and generating output (reasoning and the final call response). It acts as a maximum cost cap, preventing unexpected charges.
- Intelligent Allocation: Our system automatically distributes your limit across message history, URLs, and knowledge base content based on priority.
Each model tier has a minimum required spend limit that an agent owner must set. For example, agents using Basic models must have a limit of at least 4 credits, Standard models require at least 12 credits, Premium models require at least 40 credits, and Ultra models require at least 200 credits. Agent owners can set a limit higher than the minimum to allow for more complex interactions.
Intelligent Spend Limit Allocation
Our system intelligently manages your spend limit by prioritizing the most relevant information for your query. It balances conversation history, knowledge base content, and web results to provide the best possible answer while staying within your set limit.
Note: This allocation strategy is continuously optimized based on performance and usage patterns to improve results.
Knowledge Ingestion
File and text ingestion is free. You need at least 1 available credit to start; it is returned when processing finishes. Website ingestion costs 1 credit per successfully visited page.
Messaging & Agent Usage
Message costs are based on the amount of credits consumed, with a minimum cost per message depending on the model tier.1
- Basic Models 1-4+ credits / message
- Standard Models2 1-12+ credits / message
- Premium Models2,4 1-40+ credits / message
- Ultra Models2,4 1-200+ credits / message
Example: A conversation involving 5 messages with a premium model agent would typically cost between 5 and 200 credits, depending on the model used.
Tools3,4
When agents use tools like Web Search or Browsing, credits are consumed for each action performed.
- Web Search 2 credits / search
- URL Page Visit 4 credits / page
Example: An agent performs a web search (2 credits), visits 2 pages (8 credits), and responds using a standard model (12 credits). The content from those pages is then included in the message spend limit, for a total of 22 credits.
1 The actual cost of a message starts at 1 credit and depends on usage, but will not exceed the message spend limit set by the agent owner.
2 The format 'A-B+' means the minimum cost per message is 'A' credits, and the tier's minimum required spend limit is 'B' credits. The '+' indicates the agent owner can set a higher limit.
3 Can be used during messaging.
4 Access to premium models and tools depends on agent settings.
Model Tiers
We categorize our AI models into tiers to provide a clear understanding of their capabilities and associated cost per use. Each tier also has an Alkimi tier router that always uses the tier's current top-ranked model, so an agent on a router keeps up with new releases without changing its cost band.
- Basic Models Router: Alkimi Basic
Highly efficient for straightforward tasks such as extraction, reformatting and lookups.
- Standard Models Router: Alkimi Standard
Strong balance of performance and cost for everyday work.
- Premium Models Router: Alkimi Premium
State-of-the-art intelligence for complex tasks and judgement on real work.
- Ultra Models Router: Alkimi Ultra (where enabled)
Frontier models for the most demanding workloads.
Alkimi Auto picks a tier per message (Basic, Standard or Premium) within the agent's spend limit and allowed tiers. A message is billed at the rate of the model that answered it, plus 1 credit for the routing step whenever more than one tier is in reach. See Alkimi Routers.
Credit Management
We provide a flexible and transparent system for managing your credits, ensuring you have control over your usage and spending.
Credit Pooling
On Business and Education team plans, credits are pooled and shared across all team members. This allows for flexibility in usage, as more active members can draw from the central pool.
Example: A team of 5 on Team Standard shares 30,000 credits/month. Admins can set individual spending limits.
Additional Credits
Organization administrators can purchase additional credits at any time under Organization > Top-ups (or Account > Subscription for personal plans), and usage alerts (Organization > Alerts) warn you before the balance runs out. Additional credits are valid for a fixed number of months from purchase (3 months by default); each bundle shows its validity before you buy.
Credit Usage Priority
To ensure you get the most value, our system automatically uses the credits that are closest to their expiration date first. This applies to both your monthly plan credits and any additional credits.
Example: If you have credits expiring Oct 1st and Dec 15th, the system uses the Oct 1st credits first.
Additional Credit Pricing
Need additional credits? Top-up credits are valid for a fixed period from the date of purchase (3 months by default, shown on each bundle) and are automatically prioritized based on expiration date.
Commercial pricing for self-serve credit top-up packs (ranging from $5 to $100 with up to 20% bonus credits) is maintained on our main pricing page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you offer a welcome discount?
Yes! All new accounts are eligible for a $10 Welcome Offer on their first subscription. This discount is automatically applied at checkout and can be used for both personal and organization-owned subscriptions.
What is a message spend limit and how does it work?
The message spend limit (context budget) is a per-agent setting that controls the maximum credits that can be used for each message, covering both input (conversation history, knowledge base content, and web results) and output (the agent's reasoning and response). Higher limits allow for more comprehensive context and longer responses but set a higher potential cost per message. You can adjust this setting for each agent based on your needs.
Why do model tiers have a minimum spend limit?
Each model tier has a minimum required spend limit (e.g., 4 credits for Basic, 12 for Standard, 40 for Premium, 200 for Ultra) to ensure a baseline level of agent functionality. Agent owners must set a limit for their agents that meets this minimum. The actual cost of a message depends on usage (starting from 1 credit) and will not exceed the limit set by the agent owner. This gives you control over the maximum cost per message.
How are credits used when I have both monthly and additional credits?
Our system is designed to give you the most value. It will always use the credits that are set to expire soonest first. This applies to all credit types, including your monthly plan credits, any additional credits you have purchased, and any multi-month credit allocations on Enterprise licenses.
Do unused plan credits roll over?
Multi-month credit rollover is available on Enterprise licenses with a custom credit schedule configured by our team. Standard and Education plan credits reset each billing period; purchased top-up credits keep their own expiry date.
What happens if I go over my plan's limits?
If you use all the credits included in your plan, an organization administrator can purchase additional credits at any time under Organization > Top-ups (or Account > Subscription for personal plans) to continue using our services without interruption. Set up usage alerts under Organization > Alerts to be warned before that happens.
Can I change my plan?
Yes, you can upgrade or downgrade your plan at any time from your billing settings. Plan changes apply immediately and the price difference is prorated for the rest of your billing period. Cancelling keeps your plan active until the end of the current period.
How do annual plans work?
When you subscribe to an annual plan, you are billed for the entire year upfront at a discounted rate. Your credit allowance is still provided on a monthly basis, not all at once for the year. The primary benefits are the cost savings and the convenience of a single yearly payment.
What payment methods do you accept?
We accept all major credit cards, including Visa, Mastercard, and American Express. Secure payment processing is handled by Stripe. For Enterprise plans, we also support invoicing and bank transfers.
How do I cancel my subscription?
You can cancel your subscription at any time from your billing settings. Your plan will remain active until the end of the current billing period, and you will not be charged again.
Can I get a refund?
We generally do not offer refunds. However, if you believe you were incorrectly charged for a license that was not used, please contact our support team to review your case. Please note that refunds are not guaranteed.