How Credits Work
A complete guide to understanding Kalema's credit system, including credit types, usage priority, expiration rules, and how credits are deducted
Last updated 4 months ago
How Credits Work
Credits are the currency that powers all AI features in Kalema. Every time you use an AI tool—such as generating articles, analyzing content, suggesting keywords, or creating images—credits are deducted from your balance. This guide explains everything you need to know about the credit system.
Types of Credits
There are three types of credits in Kalema:
1. Subscription Credits
These credits are included with your monthly or yearly subscription plan:
Solo Plan: 980 credits per month
Business Plan: 1,980 credits per month
Agency Plan: 3,980 credits per month
Expiration: Subscription credits are valid until your next billing date. Unused subscription credits do not roll over—they reset when your subscription renews.
2. Purchased Credits (Permanent)
You can buy additional credit packages at any time. These credits are permanent and never expire:
Small Package: 1,000 credits for $50
Medium Package: 5,000 credits for $250
Large Package: 10,000 credits for $500
Purchased credits remain in your account until you use them, even if your subscription ends.
3. Trial Credits (One-Time Offer)
New users can purchase a trial package:
$3 for 60 credits (permanent, never expires)
One-time purchase only—each user can only buy trial credits once
Trial credits are a great way to test Kalema's AI features before committing to a subscription.
Credit Usage Priority
When you use AI features, Kalema automatically deducts credits in a specific order to maximize your value:
Subscription credits are used first — Since these expire at the end of your billing cycle, the system uses them before anything else.
Purchased credits are used second — These permanent credits are only used after your subscription credits run out.
Trial credits — Used based on when they were added to your account.
This priority system ensures you never waste expiring credits while preserving your permanent credits for when you need them most.
What Uses Credits?
Different AI operations use different amounts of credits based on their complexity:
Lower Credit Usage:
Keyword suggestions
Meta title and description generation
Content outline creation
SEO analysis
Higher Credit Usage:
Full article generation
AI image generation
Autoblog article writing
Comprehensive web research
The exact credit cost depends on the length and complexity of the content being processed.
Checking Your Credit Balance
You can view your current credit balance in several ways:
Sidebar: Your total credit balance is displayed in the sidebar
Subscription Settings: Go to Settings → Subscription for a detailed breakdown
The detailed view shows you:
Total available credits
Subscription credits remaining
Purchased credits remaining
Next renewal date
What Happens When You Run Out?
If you run out of credits while trying to use an AI feature:
You'll see an "Insufficient Credits" message
The operation will not proceed
You'll be prompted to either wait for renewal or purchase more credits
Credit Expiration Summary
Tip: If you consistently run out of credits before your renewal date, consider upgrading to a higher plan or purchasing a credit package to supplement your subscription.