> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.ozu.studio/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Credits and Quotas

> Free-tier limits, what happens when you run out, paid tier options, and how credit consumption scales with your choices.

Credits are the usage currency in Ozu. Every generation — an image, a video clip, a voice line, a music cue — draws from your balance. This page covers how much you get, what changes when you upgrade, and what actually drives consumption.

## What you start with

Verifying your email on signup grants **200 free credits**. That's enough to take a short scene from script to storyboard — typically six to ten beats with a couple of Actors and a Set, with room left over for reshots.

Your balance is visible in the user menu in the top right of the app. It updates live as generations settle.

## What happens when credits run out

When a generation would take you below zero, Ozu blocks it and surfaces an upgrade modal. You'll see your current balance, an estimate of what the pending generation would cost, and the available paid tiers.

You can dismiss the modal and come back later — nothing is forced. Work already saved stays saved. Assets already generated stay approved. You're free to review your storyboard, plan the next batch, and come back when you're ready to upgrade or wait for a top-up.

<Note>
  **Free credits are a one-time grant on email verification** — they don't refill monthly. If you've used them up and want to keep generating, upgrading to a paid tier is the path forward.
</Note>

## Paid tiers

Paid tiers refill a credit allowance each month and unlock higher-tier features. Upgrade from the user menu in the top right of the app.

<Columns cols={2}>
  <Card title="Studio">
    Starter paid tier. Monthly credit allowance plus access to more generation options than the free tier.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Studio Pro">
    Larger monthly allowance and additional advanced features — higher resolutions, longer clip durations, more variant options.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Studio+">
    The top tier. The largest monthly allowance and access to every advanced feature Ozu offers.
  </Card>
</Columns>

Specific credit counts and feature gating are shown inside the app on the upgrade screen. Tiers can be upgraded or downgraded at any time — changes take effect at your next billing cycle.

## Credit packs

Subscribers on any paid tier can add **one-time credit packs** on top of their monthly allowance. Useful when you're mid-project, burning through credits faster than expected, and don't want to wait for the monthly refresh.

Packs don't expire — the credits sit in your balance until used.

## What consumes more credits

Consumption varies by what you're generating. A few patterns to know:

* **Model choice.** Higher-tier image and video models produce better output and cost more per generation than faster, lightweight models. Most node options let you pick.
* **Resolution.** Higher-resolution frames cost more. 2K or 4K output consumes more than standard.
* **Variant count.** Generating multiple variants of an asset or frame multiplies the cost by the variant count. Three variants of one frame costs roughly three times one variant.
* **Clip duration.** Video clips scale roughly with length. A ten-second clip costs more than a three-second clip.
* **Reshots.** Each reshot is a fresh generation at full cost. Get the prompt right before you spend credits.

Exact costs are previewed in the node before you confirm — you'll see the credit estimate as part of the generate action.

<Tip>
  **How to keep spend predictable**

  Start small. Generate one variant at standard resolution for your first pass on any Actor, Set, or Frame. Upgrade the model or bump the resolution only for frames you've already confirmed work compositionally.
</Tip>

## Credits and generation failures

Credits are **held** when a generation starts, **settled** when it succeeds, and **released** back to your balance if it fails or is blocked. You are never charged for a generation that didn't produce a usable output.

If you see held credits on an idle node or a charge that doesn't match a completed generation, see [Generation Failed](/user/troubleshooting/generation-failed/) for the credit state machine, or contact support.

## Reading your balance

Your balance shows in the user menu:

* **Available** — credits you can spend now
* **Held** — credits reserved against in-flight generations (will settle or release shortly)
* **Monthly remaining** — your remaining monthly allowance (paid tiers)
* **Pack balance** — one-time credit pack balance, if you have any

Held credits return to available automatically when a generation finishes — usually within seconds, occasionally a minute or two for longer jobs.

## Related

<Columns cols={2}>
  <Card title="Generation Failed" href="/user/troubleshooting/generation-failed">
    How held credits are released on failures and errors.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Safety Blocks" href="/user/troubleshooting/safety-blocks">
    Content-filter blocks don't cost credits.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Credits" href="/user/concepts/credits">
    The credit concept in more depth — how it fits into the pipeline.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Getting Started" href="/user/getting-started">
    What a first project typically consumes, end to end.
  </Card>
</Columns>

## FAQ

**Do free credits refill every month?**
No. Free credits are a one-time grant on email verification. For a recurring monthly allowance, upgrade to a paid tier.

**What does a typical scene cost?**
A six-to-ten-beat scene with two Actors and a Set usually fits comfortably inside the 200-credit free tier. Costs scale with model choice, resolution, variant count, and reshot volume — the app previews the credit estimate before each generation.

**Can I get a refund if a generation looks bad?**
Generation quality is inherent to AI models and varies by prompt. Failed and blocked generations are automatically refunded through credit release. Successful but disappointing generations aren't — use the reshot workflow to try again.

**What happens to unused credits when I cancel?**
Credits in your balance stay yours. Monthly allowance stops refreshing on your cancellation date.

**Can I buy credits without a subscription?**
Credit packs are available to paid-tier subscribers. The free tier does not include pack purchases.

**If I upgrade mid-month, do I get a full month's credits?**
Upgrades pro-rate on the billing cycle. Exact timing is shown on the upgrade screen in the app.

**How do I see how many credits I've used this month?**
Your monthly remaining is shown in the user menu. Per-generation cost history is visible in the billing area of your account.