Credits and usage
Credits are Aethera’s usage currency. Chat runs, document processing, editor AI actions, exports, Image Studio generations, and connected-app tool work all draw from the same credit system.
The current Aethera plans use two main credit buckets:
Monthly credits
Monthly credits are your plan’s primary balance. They reload on your renewal date and are used first for any credit-spending action.
Daily credits
Daily credits refresh at midnight UTC. They are used after monthly credits run out and only apply to standard model work.
Bonus credits
Bonus credits can be earned from onboarding tasks. They do not expire, but like daily credits they are standard-model-only.
Where to check credits
Section titled “Where to check credits”Open Settings → Usage to see your current plan, renewal date, daily allowance, monthly allowance, remaining credits, and transaction history.
The Usage page shows:
- daily credits used and remaining today
- monthly credits used and remaining this period
- plan tier and renewal date
- daily allowance and monthly allowance
- a month-by-month transaction history
If you need to change plan or payment details, open Settings → Billing. If Billing remains in a loading state, use Settings → Usage as the reliable place to confirm your active plan and credit balances, then refresh Billing or try again later.
Spend order
Section titled “Spend order”Aethera spends credits in this order:
- Monthly credits
- Daily credits, when the action can use them
- Bonus credits, when the action can use them
Daily and bonus credits are limited to standard model work. Advanced and premium model classes use monthly credits only.
What spends credits
Section titled “What spends credits”| Area | How credits are spent |
|---|---|
| Chat | Token-based billing from the selected model’s input and output usage. Tool calls can add their own costs. |
| Agent runs | Each model step is settled after usage is known. The cost depends on the selected model and the work performed. |
| Image Studio | The UI estimates the image cost before generation. Final image, edit, and upscale costs come from the image provider’s billable units. |
| Compose editor | AI Writer, Ask AI, and Ask AI follow-ups are fixed-cost editor actions. |
| Exports | Exporting a Compose document costs a fixed amount. |
| Documents | Uploads must pass a credit check before processing starts. The upload dialog shows small, medium, and large document cost guidance. |
Current fixed action costs
Section titled “Current fixed action costs”Some actions have predictable fixed costs:
| Action | Cost |
|---|---|
| AI Writer | 2 credits |
| Ask AI | 2 credits |
| Ask AI follow-up | 2 credits |
| Compose document export | 2 credits |
Image generation, image editing, image upscaling, and editor image generation are priced from provider billable units instead of a fixed table. The Studio Generate button shows the current estimate, including the image count you selected.
Chat model costs
Section titled “Chat model costs”Chat models do not use a flat per-message price. Each selected model has its own input-token and output-token rate, and Aethera settles the run after usage is known.
Use this rule of thumb:
- short prompts and short answers cost less
- long pasted context, attached files, and long answers cost more
- advanced and premium models can cost more per token
- tool-heavy agent runs can include additional tool or image costs
Quota and low-credit states
Section titled “Quota and low-credit states”If you do not have enough credits for an action, Aethera blocks the action and shows an upgrade or credit error state. Common examples include:
- Not enough credits when uploading or running an AI action
- disabled generate/send buttons while required input is missing
- paywall prompts for Free-plan feature limits
- run interruption once your balance reaches the spending floor
Before a large run
- Check Settings → Usage for your daily and monthly balance.
- Choose a standard model if you want daily or bonus credits to count.
- Remove unnecessary attachments or context before sending.
- Use Image Studio’s credit estimate before generating several images.
Troubleshooting
Section titled “Troubleshooting”My plan says Go but Billing is still loading
Section titled “My plan says Go but Billing is still loading”Use Settings → Usage to confirm your tier, renewal date, and allowances. Billing depends on subscription and payment details and may take longer to load. Refresh the page; if it still does not load, try again later before changing plan details.
My daily credits are not counted
Section titled “My daily credits are not counted”Daily credits only count after monthly credits are used up, and only for standard model work. Switch to a standard model or wait for your monthly credits to refresh if you need to use advanced or premium models.
My credits changed after an image finished
Section titled “My credits changed after an image finished”Image actions use live provider billable units. The button estimate is a pre-flight estimate; the final settled cost can differ slightly if the provider reports different billable units.
I deleted a document but credits did not come back
Section titled “I deleted a document but credits did not come back”Deleting a document removes the document and its AI training data, but it does not restore credits or quota consumed by the original upload.