# Credits and spending

> Credits are what a workspace spends to run models. What they cost, when they are charged, who can spend them, and where to see the balance.

Source: https://endless.okinawa/docs/concepts/credits-and-spending

A **credit** is the unit Endless charges for work that runs a model: generating an image or
video, transcribing, a chat turn, a web or social lookup. Credits belong to the **workspace**, as
one pool every member draws from. Reading, browsing, organizing projects and changing settings
are free.

## Where credits come from

| Source                      | How it works                                                                                                                           |
| --------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Free plan** weekly refill | A workspace with no subscription gets a fixed allowance every week. Each refill replaces the last, so unused credits don't carry over. |
| Welcome grant               | One-off credits a new workspace starts with. Last 12 months.                                                                           |
| Purchased credits           | Last 12 months. Never reset by the refill cycle.                                                                                       |

There is no self-serve free trial; the Free plan is how you try Endless.

## Where to check your balance

* **Credits**, at the bottom of the sidebar (everyone): available balance, the limit that applies
  to you, time to the next refill, and a 14-day usage chart (your own; people who can read
  governance can switch to the whole workspace). **Usage** opens the full report; **Billing**
  reads **"Buy credits"** when you are running low.
* **Settings → Billing** (needs the billing permission; Admin and Billing manager by default):
  the plan, what you can spend and where it comes from, **"Next refill"** with amount and date,
  and buying credits. Without the permission the entry is hidden and the address redirects to
  **Settings → Account**.

## Cost and charging

* **The estimate comes first.** The **Image** and **Video** composers show the cost of the run
  before you send it. It uses the same pricing and inputs as the charge, so it is usually exact.
* **"Varies"** marks a model priced by the size or length of its inputs. The composer shows the
  real cost once your inputs are in place.
* **Before a run**, Endless checks your available credits. If there aren't enough, nothing runs
  and nothing is charged.
* **You are charged when the run completes**, for the outputs it actually produced. Fewer outputs
  than requested cost less than the estimate. A failed run costs nothing.
* **Long jobs** (such as video) are charged when they finish, priced from their actual inputs.
  Closing the tab doesn't cancel the run or the charge.

Costs range widely: one video can cost many times an image, and on the Free plan one video can
cost more than a week's credits. Check the estimate the first time you use a model. See
[Models](/docs/concepts/models).

## Who can spend what

Endless picks your available balance from the **first** rule that applies to you:

1. **Personal limit**: credits per cycle set on your membership (**Settings → Members** → your
   profile → **"Set spending limit"**; default **"No limit"**). Set by someone who can manage
   members.
2. **Team limit**: your active team's limit, if you have no personal one. Set in
   **Settings → Governance → Teams**, which needs the permission to change workspace settings.
3. **Workspace pool**: no personal or team limit.

A personal limit replaces the team limit; it doesn't add to it. You can hit a limit while the
workspace still has credits.

| Message                                                                              | Meaning                                                                                                                           |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **"You're out of credits"**                                                          | The workspace pool is empty. On the Free plan it says when the next refill arrives; otherwise an admin can top up or change plan. |
| **"You've reached your personal spending limit. Your workspace still has credits."** | Ask an admin to raise your limit.                                                                                                 |
| **"This team reached its spending limit. Your workspace still has credits."**        | Your team's limit is used up.                                                                                                     |

## Asking before spending

Where available, **Settings → Governance → Spending** decides whether the chat asks before a paid
step (a generation, web search, social lookup or transcription). With **"Ask before spending
credits"** on:

* Costs below **"Run without asking below"** run at once.
* Costs above **"Always ask above"** wait for an answer.
* Costs in between ask with a countdown and run if nobody answers.

Scheduled runs never ask.

## Seeing where credits went

| View                                 | Who                                                                      | Shows                                                                        |
| ------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Sidebar **Credits**                  | Everyone                                                                 | Your balance and last 14 days                                                |
| **Settings → Usage**                 | Everyone (own usage); whole workspace for people who can read governance | Per day, member, team and tool                                               |
| **Settings → Members**               | Everyone                                                                 | Each person's use this cycle against their limit                             |
| **Settings → Governance → Activity** | Admin by default                                                         | Generations, admin changes and credit movements, with total spent per period |
| **Settings → Governance → Teams**    | Admin by default                                                         | Spending per team                                                            |

Member, Viewer and Billing manager don't see the Governance section by default.

## Related

* [Workspaces and members](/docs/concepts/workspaces-and-members): roles, teams and where limits are set.
* [Models](/docs/concepts/models): why one model costs a few credits and another hundreds.