AI credits are separate from your plan, and that surprises people. A plan unlocks content — lessons, exams, the studios. Credits pay for the things that call a live AI model on your behalf, one use at a time. This article explains what a credit is, where your balance came from, and the two or three moments where it moves without you obviously asking it to.
Without a plan: A monthly credit allowance, topped up every month
Pro adds: A larger allowance that accumulates rather than resetting
What a credit actually is
A credit is a slice of real AI spend. Every feature that talks to a model on your behalf — answering you in the speaking studio, scoring your pronunciation, marking your handwriting, drafting your study plan — costs us money per use.
This is why credits exist rather than being folded into the subscription. Reading a lesson costs the same whether one person does it or ten thousand; a model answering your particular sentence does not. Metering the variable part separately is what keeps the fixed part affordable.
Where your balance came from
Credits are granted, never conjured by the app. These are the ways your balance goes up.
- Credits you earn by studying — Studying earns credits: 5 for a day on which you clear 3 or more checkpoints, 25 each time your run of study days reaches a multiple of 7, and 10 for clearing every checkpoint of a lesson. You can earn up to 100 a month this way. Accounts managed by a parent keep their monthly allowance but do not earn.
- A starter grant when you sign up — A free account starts at 200 credits. Pro starts at 1,500, Pro Plus at 12,000.
- A grant when your plan changes — Upgrading grants the new plan’s full monthly allowance the moment the first payment goes through. The paid plans have no trial — the Free plan’s monthly credits are the way to try the AI features first.
- A pack you bought — Credit packs are a one-off purchase that sits on top of whatever your plan grants, rather than replacing them.
Why your balance went down
Credits are debited at the moment a feature calls a model. Nothing is charged for browsing, reading, taking an exam or reviewing flashcards — none of those touch an AI at all.
The drops people notice, and write to us about:
- −9, after a handwriting check — Reading what you actually wrote and marking it. One of the costlier single things you can do, and the drop people notice first.
- A few credits at a time, while practising — An answer from Jason costs 5, speaking instead of typing 5, grading an open exam answer 5: nothing you ask an AI for costs less. Individually small; across a long session they add up.
The full price list is in what each AI feature costs.
What happens when you run out
The AI feature you tried to use declines, with a message saying you are out of credits and what that action would have cost. Nothing else changes: you stay signed in, your plan stays active, and every non-AI part of the site behaves exactly as it did before.
From there you can wait for your next plan grant, or buy a pack.
Common questions
Accounts opened before the end of October 2026 paid 15 credits for a plan written automatically as onboarding’s last step, which is why it looked like an unprompted deduction; they were granted 215 so the balance still landed on 200. New accounts start at 200 and pay nothing for their study plan.