What are Credits?

Learn how credits work and how they're consumed

What are credits?

Credits are Kortix's standard unit of measurement for platform usage. Think of them as tokens that power your AI agents - the more complex or lengthy the task, the more credits it requires.

Types of Credits

Kortix uses two types of credits to give you flexibility in how you manage your usage:

Expiring Credits

Monthly subscription credits

These credits are included with your paid subscription and are renewed automatically each month on your subscription date. They expire at the end of each billing cycle and are always consumed first before any non-expiring credits.

Non-Expiring Credits

Permanent credits that never expire

These credits never expire and carry over month to month. They include top-up purchases, refunds, and promotional grants. Non-expiring credits are only used after your expiring credits have been depleted.

How Credits Work

Credits are consumed based on the resources your AI agents use:

AI Model Usage

The primary driver of credit consumption

Different AI models have different costs based on their capabilities and token usage. Credits are consumed for input tokens (your prompts and context), output tokens (agent responses), and vary by model tier (GPT-4, Claude, etc.).

Pricing Model

Platform rates vary by service type

We apply a markup on top of provider costs to cover platform infrastructure, security, and ongoing development. Rates vary by service type:

  • AI models:20% markup on all LLM API costs (input/output tokens, prompt caching).
  • Tool usage:50% markup on web search, web scraping, and other third-party tool calls.
  • Image search:100% markup on image search queries.
  • Bring your own key:If you use your own API key, a flat 10% platform fee applies instead.

Getting More Credits

There are several ways to obtain credits in Kortix:

Monthly Subscription Credits

Included with your paid plan and renewed automatically each month. These are expiring credits.

Top-Up Credits

Purchase additional credits when you need them. These are non-expiring and available to premium members.

Promotional & Event Grants

Bonus credits from special events, promotions, or referrals. These are non-expiring.

Refunds

Credits returned due to technical issues or failed tasks. These are non-expiring.

Tracking Your Usage

Monitor your credit consumption through the Settings panel:

Settings → Billing

View your current credit balance and breakdown between expiring and non-expiring credits

Settings → Usage

Track credit consumption by thread and conversation to identify your most resource-intensive chats

Optimizing Credit Usage

Make your credits go further with these optimization strategies:

Choose Appropriate Models

Use smaller, more efficient models for simpler tasks. Save advanced models like GPT-4 for complex reasoning.

Provide Clear Instructions

Well-defined tasks reduce back-and-forth with the agent, saving tokens and credits.

Monitor Your Usage

Regularly check the Usage tab to identify which conversations consume the most credits and adjust accordingly.

Leverage Prompt Caching

Repeated conversations in the same thread benefit from prompt caching, reducing token costs significantly.

Need Help?

If you notice any discrepancies in your credit usage or have questions about billing:

Kortix credits explained