AI Credits

AI Credits are the unit used to measure AI usage across respond.io.

Every time an AI feature processes a request — whether it's an AI Agent responding to a customer, AI Assist suggesting a reply, or AI Summary summarizing a conversation — it consumes AI Credits.

AI features are powered by third-party AI models that charge based on usage. Each time an AI feature runs, it consumes tokens from these providers — and different features require different amounts of processing. AI Credits are how we translate that into a simple, predictable unit so you don't need to think about tokens, models, or provider costs.

Every paid plan includes a generous allocation of AI Credits, designed so that 99% of businesses never exceed it. Your credits refresh automatically at the start of each billing cycle.

Included AI Credits by Plan

Every paid plan comes with a substantial AI Credit allowance that scales with your plan and Monthly Active Contact (MAC) tier. For self-served plans, AI Credit allocations increase as your MAC tier grows, up to 10,000 MACs:

Growth Plan: 10x your MAC limit
Advanced Plan: 20x your MAC limit
Enterprise Plan: 40x your MAC limit

For example, a Growth Plan with 1,000 MACs includes 10,000 AI Credits per billing cycle. An Advanced Plan with 1,000 MACs includes 20,000 AI Credits — more than enough for most businesses to run AI-powered workflows throughout the entire cycle.

Note: Starter plans include a fixed AI credit allocation that does not scale with MAC tier.

AI Credit Consumption by Feature

Different AI features consume different amounts of credits based on the conversation and complexity of the task. The table below reflects typical usage:

AI Feature	Credits Consumed	What It Does
AI Prompt	1 credit	Generates or rewrites text based on a prompt
AI Translate	1 credit	Translates any message to a specified language
AI Assist	1 credit	Suggests a contextual reply for the agent
AI Chat Summary	1 credit	Summarizes a conversation thread
AI Call Summary	1 credit	Summarizes a completed call
AI Call Transcript	~2 credits per minute	Transcribes a call recording to text
Audio Transcription	~2 credits per minute	Transcribes audio within the conversation
AI Agent (per response)	2–5 credits	Autonomously responds and performs actions during a customer conversation
Test AI Agent (per response)	2–3 credits	Tests an AI Agent interaction in the builder
Voice AI Agent	~70 credits per minute	Handles a customer call and performs actions with voice AI
Test Voice AI Agent	~70 credits per minute	Tests a Voice AI Agent in the builder
Auto-generated closing note category and summary	1 credit	Selects a category and generates a summary when a conversation is closed
[Legacy] AI Objective Workflow Step (per message)	1 credit	Handles a conversation using knowledge sources to answer questions or collect information

Note: Credit consumption is based on current AI models and may change as we optimize and update our AI capabilities. We'll communicate any changes in advance.

AI Credit On-Demand

When your business depends on AI to handle customer conversations and power workflows, uninterrupted service matters. AI Credit On-Demand is a built-in safeguard that activates automatically if your usage exceeds your plan's included credits, so your AI features keep running and your operations continue without disruption.

Here's how AI Credit On-Demand works:

Rate: $15 per 1,000 additional credits
Billing: Charged at your billing cycle reset. On-demand charges appear on the same invoice as your subscription.
Hard cap at 200%: On-demand usage is capped at 2x your organization's total AI credit allowance. When the cap is reached, AI features pause until the next billing cycle. This cap exists to protect both you and respond.io from runaway costs — you'll always know your maximum possible charge for a billing cycle.

Calculation Example

Included Credits	Credits Used	Exceeded By	Blocks Charged	On-Demand Charge
10,000	10,001	1	1	$15
10,000	11,500	1,500	2	$30
10,000	20,000 (hard cap)	10,000	10	$150

Most businesses never reach their included limit. On-demand is there as a safety net for unusually busy periods, not something you should expect to use regularly.

Monitoring Your AI Credit Usage

You can monitor your AI Credit usage in OrganizationSettings > Billing & Usage.

The AI Credits section shows:

Progress bar: Current usage vs. your included limit
Additional AI Credits Used: Credits consumed beyond your plan allowance
AI Credits On-Demand charge: Accumulated on-demand cost for the current cycle
AI Credits Over Time chart: A historical bar chart showing daily usage across workspaces, with a red line indicating your credit limit

You'll never be caught off guard by a charge. Email notifications are sent at multiple usage thresholds, both as you approach your included limit and if on-demand usage increases. In-app banners also keep you informed in real time.

Getting More AI Credits

You will get more AI Credits automatically when you upgrade your plan:

Upgrade to the next MAC tier: Adding more MACs increases your AI credit limit.
- Example: If you upgrade from Growth with 1,000 MAC to Growth with 2,500 MAC, the AI Credit Limit increases from 10,000 to 25,000.
Upgrade to a higher plan: Moving to Advanced or Enterprise raises your AI Credit Limit at the same MAC level.
- Example: If you upgrade from Growth with 1,000 MAC to Advanced with 1,000 MAC, the AI Credit Limit increases from 10,000 to 20,000.

If you regularly find yourself using on-demand credits, upgrading your plan or MAC tier is typically more cost-effective, and increases your included credits at no additional per-credit cost.

Note: Self-served plans with MAC tiers above 10,000 receive the same AI credit allocation as the 10,000 MAC tier.

Note: Trial Accounts and Legacy Plans (Team, Business, and Legacy Enterprise) include enough credits to explore AI features. On-demand is not available on either of these plans and AI features pause when credits are exhausted. For extensive use, upgrade to one of our current paid plans.

FAQ and Troubleshooting

Do you charge extra to use AI?

No. Every paid plan includes enough AI Credits that 99% of customers never pay beyond their subscription. On-demand pricing exists as a safety net — if you happen to exceed your limit during a busy period, your AI features keep running at $15 per 1,000 additional credits, with a hard cap at 200% to prevent surprise bills.

How is on-demand billing calculated?

On-demand credits are charged in blocks of 1,000 at $15 per block, rounded up. If you exceed your plan by even 1 credit, you'll be charged for one full block ($15). Charges appear on your next invoice at billing cycle reset.

What's the 200% hard cap?

It's a safeguard that protects you from unexpected costs. If your AI usage reaches 2x your total AI credit allowance (plan credits), AI features pause until the next billing cycle. For example, if your total allowance is 10,000 credits, AI features continue until 20,000 total credits are used, and your maximum on-demand charge for that cycle is $150.

Can I opt out of on-demand billing?

AI Credit On-Demand is always active on current paid plans — it's designed to ensure your AI features never stop mid-workflow. Rather than a hard stop that disrupts your operations and your customers' experience, on-demand keeps everything running.

Will I be notified before I'm charged?

Yes. You'll receive email notifications and in-app banners at multiple thresholds as your usage increases. You'll always have time to review your usage and take action before reaching the hard cap.