# What are AI credits?

> AI credits are the units an AI tool charges for each answer or task. How they are counted, a worked monthly example and what to check before you buy a plan.
- **Author**: Marxx
- **Published**: 2026-11-07
- **Category**: AI
- **URL**: https://marxx.ai/library-glossary/ai-credits

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AI credits are the units an AI tool takes from your balance each time it answers a question or runs a task. A short question may cost a few credits and a full account audit many more, so the plan you buy sets how much you can ask each month.

## How tools count them

A bigger job, with more data to read and more steps, usually takes more credits. Here is how some ad tools describe them (checked 6 Nov 2026).

| Tool | How credits work |
|---|---|
| Marxx | Each Slack answer uses credits from the organisation's balance, and the number shows under the answer. See [pricing](/pricing) |
| Ryze | Agency plan, $279/month, includes 3,000 credits a month |
| Adstellar | $100/month plan plus $2 per 1,000 AI credits, with 50,000 credits by default |
| Runneth | Included in paid Motion plans with a monthly usage allotment that does not roll over |
| Make | Credits are the billing unit. The free plan has 1,000 a month |

We make Marxx.

## The formula

Monthly credits = credits per answer x questions per week x 4.3

The 4.3 is the average number of weeks in a month.

## A worked example

Say your team asks about 40 ad questions a week, and a typical answer uses 12 credits, as in "AI-generated by Marxx - 12 credits".

1. Credits per week: 12 x 40 = 480.
2. Credits per month: 480 x 4.3 = 2,064.
3. Add room for audits and long threads. Say 25% more: 2,064 x 1.25 = 2,580.

So you need about 2,600 credits a month. A plan with 3,000 a month would leave about 400 spare.

## How to use fewer credits

- **Ask one clear question at a time.** Name the client, dates and metric so the tool does not read data you did not need.
- **Follow up in the same thread** instead of starting over.
- **Save big jobs, like audits, for when you need them.**
- **Watch the number under each answer** for a week before you pick a plan size. See [how to ask AI about your ad account in Slack](/guides/how-to-ask-ai-about-your-ad-account-in-slack).

## FAQ

### Do unused credits roll over?

It depends on the tool. Motion says Runneth's monthly usage allotment does not roll over, see [Runneth pricing](/prices/runneth-pricing). Check each vendor's terms.

### Are AI credits the same as Zapier tasks?

They are a similar idea. Both are usage units. Zapier sells a number of tasks a month for its automations, while AI tools sell credits for the AI work behind each answer.

### Why did one answer cost more than another?

Bigger questions read more data and take more steps. An audit across two platforms uses more than "what did we spend yesterday?".

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