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

# How Aytada credits work

> Credits are Aytada's single currency. Strategy and ideation are always free — credits are spent only when you render a video, banner, jingle, or voiceover.

Credits are the only currency in Aytada. There are no tokens, no compute units, and no hidden per-API fees — every action has a fixed credit cost displayed before you commit. You buy a credit pack once and use it at your own pace; credits never expire. The goal is to let you explore ideas freely and only pay when you produce something you actually want to keep.

## What is free

The following activities cost zero credits. You can run them as many times as you like without spending anything.

* **Ideas generation** — the first run of the AI brainstorming step for any campaign
* **Scene breakdown** — splitting your script into individual visual scenes
* **Standard Campaign Strategy** — generating Audience, Messaging, and Goals for your campaign

This means you can brief the AI, iterate on concepts, review the scene breakdown, and read the full strategy — all before deciding whether to spend credits on rendering.

<Note>
  Credits are only deducted at the moment of generation. If a generation fails, the credit is not charged — the deduction and the save are atomic: both succeed or neither does.
</Note>

## Credit costs by action

### Writing and strategy

| Action                                    | Credits |
| ----------------------------------------- | ------- |
| Ideas generation (first run)              | 0       |
| Ideas reroll — Standard                   | 2       |
| Ideas reroll — Premium (Claude Opus)      | 5       |
| Script — Standard                         | 2       |
| Script — Premium (Claude Opus)            | 5       |
| Campaign Strategy — Standard              | 0       |
| Campaign Strategy — Premium (Claude Opus) | 20      |
| Scene breakdown                           | 0       |

### Video production

Video costs depend on the quality tier and the number of scenes. Credits are charged per scene.

| Quality tier | Cost per scene |
| ------------ | -------------- |
| Standard     | 15 credits     |
| Pro          | 40 credits     |

| Ad length | Scenes | Standard total | Pro total      |
| --------- | ------ | -------------- | -------------- |
| Short     | 3      | 45 cr (video)  | 120 cr (video) |
| Standard  | 5      | 75 cr (video)  | 200 cr (video) |
| Extended  | 7      | 105 cr (video) | 280 cr (video) |

Voiceover (5 cr) and Stitch (5 cr) are charged once per project on top of the per-scene video cost.

### Typical full ad costs

| Ad format           | Quality  | Approx. total |
| ------------------- | -------- | ------------- |
| Short (3 scenes)    | Standard | \~55 cr       |
| Standard (5 scenes) | Standard | \~85 cr       |
| Standard (5 scenes) | Pro      | \~210 cr      |
| Extended (7 scenes) | Standard | \~115 cr      |
| Extended (7 scenes) | Pro      | \~295 cr      |

### Static and audio assets

| Action           | Credits |
| ---------------- | ------- |
| Voiceover        | 5       |
| Video stitch     | 5       |
| Background music | 5       |
| Ad banner        | 4       |
| Social flyer     | 5       |
| Brand jingle     | 5       |

## Credit packages

Credits are sold in three one-time packages. Prices are shown in USD globally; South African users are charged in ZAR at checkout.

| Package  | Credits | Price (USD) | Approx. standard ads |
| -------- | ------- | ----------- | -------------------- |
| Starter  | 250     | \$19        | \~3 standard ads     |
| Creator  | 700     | \$49        | \~8 standard ads     |
| Business | 1,500   | \$99        | \~17 standard ads    |

<Tip>
  The **Creator** package offers the best per-credit value and is the most popular choice for teams producing regular content.
</Tip>

Credits never expire. There is no pressure to use them within a billing cycle — buy once and draw them down whenever you need.

## How the credit check works

Before you click **Generate**, Aytada shows you the exact credit cost for that step. If your balance is too low, the **Generate** button is disabled and you will see a prompt to top up your credits.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Balance check">
    When you open the Studio or reach a generation step, Aytada fetches your live credit balance and displays it in the header.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Cost estimate">
    The **Generate** button for each step shows the credit cost inline — for example, "Generate video (75 cr)" for a Standard 5-scene ad.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Atomic deduction">
    When you confirm generation, the credit deduction and the asset save happen together as a single operation. If generation fails, your credits are not charged.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Warning>
  Credits are deducted at the start of each step, not after the asset is delivered. This is necessary for the atomic transaction model that prevents double-spending and protects your balance from race conditions.
</Warning>

## Purchasing credits

Go to **Credits** in the dashboard sidebar to view your balance, transaction history, and available packages. Payments are processed via PayPal (USD, global) or Paystack (ZAR, South Africa). After a successful purchase you receive a confirmation email and your balance updates immediately.

<Card title="View credit packages" icon="credit-card" href="/billing/credit-packages">
  Compare packages and purchase credits from your dashboard.
</Card>