Credits are what you spend when building with Caffeine. You have up to three types of credits available, spent in a fixed order.
Daily credits — up to 5 per day, available to every user including free users. They refresh every day, up to a maximum of 25 credits granted per calendar month. Once you reach the monthly cap, your next daily refill is deferred to the start of the following month. Daily credits expire at the end of the day if unused and never roll over.
Subscription credits — your monthly allowance based on your plan (40 for Starter, 110 for Plus, 400 for Pro). These are spent after your daily credits are exhausted. Subscription credits do not roll over at the end of your billing period — unused credits expire when your new billing cycle starts.
On-demand credits — purchased separately as a one-time top-up. Spent last, after daily and subscription credits are exhausted. On-demand credits expire 12 months after purchase. Credits received from promo codes are treated as on-demand credits and follow the same 12-month expiry.
What credits are spent on
Not everything costs credits. The main actions that do:
- AI builds — 2 credits per build. Credits are charged when the AI starts building your app, not after it finishes. If the build fails for any reason — including a compile error — the credits are automatically refunded to your account.
- Going live — 4 credits to publish your draft to the live version. This charge applies when deployment is triggered, whether or not the deployment succeeds.
- AI image generation — 1 credit per image generated in the App Market listing form. Reusing a previously generated image from the gallery does not cost an additional credit.
- File storage — credits are deducted when files are uploaded, while they remain in storage, and when they are downloaded. These appear as two line items in your transaction history: Storage Cost (uploads and the space your files occupy) and Bandwidth Cost (data transferred when files are accessed). See File Storage Costs for the full pricing breakdown.
Many common actions cost nothing: creating a draft, deploying to draft, cloning a project.
How credits are spent
Credits are always spent in this order:
- Daily credits first
- Subscription credits second
- On-demand credits last
This means your on-demand credits are always preserved for as long as possible within their 12-month window.
Checking your balance
Your credit balance is shown in the top bar of the Caffeine interface. For a full transaction history, go to Profile avatar → Credit usage.
Getting more credits
- Upgrade your plan — the main way to increase your monthly credit allowance. Go to Profile avatar → Membership / Upgrade.
- Purchase on-demand credits — a one-time top-up available to subscribers from the billing section without changing your subscription. The Top up button appears in your credit and billing settings only if you are on a paid plan.
- Redeem a voucher — if you have a voucher or promotional code, go to Profile avatar → Use promo code. Vouchers come in two forms: credit vouchers add on-demand credits to your account (expiring 12 months after redemption), while subscription vouchers activate a paid subscription for a set period — for example, 1 month of Plus. After that period the subscription ends automatically unless you renew it. Redeeming the wrong kind of code won't silently fail — if a code isn't valid or has already been used, you'll see an error message.
- Verify your email address — you receive 20 credits as a one-time reward when you verify your email. These credits are added automatically once your email is confirmed.
- Wait for daily credits — daily credits refill every day, up to 5 credits per day. If you have not yet reached the 25-credit monthly cap, you receive up to 5 more the next day. If you have hit the cap, your refill resumes at the start of the next calendar month.
Frequently asked questions
How many free credits do I get per day?
Up to 5 credits per day, available to all users including free users. They refresh each day and expire at the end of the day if unused. The total number of daily credits you can receive is capped at 25 per calendar month — once you hit that cap, refills resume at the start of the next month.
Do daily credits roll over?
No. Unused daily credits expire at the end of each day. They do not accumulate.
Is there a monthly limit on daily credits?
Yes. You can receive up to 25 daily credits per calendar month across all users. Once that cap is reached, your next refill is deferred to the start of the following calendar month.
Do subscription credits roll over?
No. Unused subscription credits expire at the end of your billing period when the new cycle starts.
When do on-demand credits expire?
12 months after purchase. Credits received from promo codes are treated as on-demand credits and expire on the same schedule.
What happens when I run out of credits?
When your credit balance drops too low, a notice appears just above the chat input. What the notice says — and what action it offers — depends on your account:
- Not signed in — you see "Get up to 5 free credits daily, up to 25 per month" with a prompt to sign up, so you can claim your daily allowance.
- Signed in on the free plan — you see "Out of credits — building is locked" (or "Low on credits" if you have a small amount left) with a link to subscribe to a paid plan. A note below the message shows when your daily credits return next.
- On a paid plan — you see the same locked message with a "Get more credits" button to top up your on-demand balance. A note below the message shows when your daily credits return next.
Your app is not changed and no build runs while credits are insufficient. You can still view and share your apps. Daily credits refresh every day (up to the 25-credit monthly cap), so if you have not yet hit the cap you will receive up to 5 more credits the next day.
If your credits run out at the exact moment a new build is starting — after you've sent a message but before the AI has begun generating — you will see an out-of-credits message posted directly in the chat. The build does not start and no credits are charged.
What happens if I try to build a new app from scratch on the Free plan?
Starting a new app from scratch is handled separately from the regular out-of-credits flow. If you are signed in on the Free plan with no on-demand credits and you send a prompt to build a new app from scratch, Caffeine posts a message in the chat — "Subscribe to a paid plan to build new apps from scratch. Remixing and customizing existing apps stays free as long as you have credits." — with two buttons, Subscribe and Browse the App Market, and no build runs. This happens regardless of how many daily credits you have available, since daily credits cover iteration on existing projects (including a remix) but not starting a new app from scratch.
To unlock building from scratch you can subscribe to any paid plan (Starter, Plus, or Pro), top up your account with on-demand credits, redeem a credit voucher, or verify your email address to receive the 20-credit reward — that reward lands as on-demand credits and is enough on its own. If you would rather not pay, remix any app from the App Market instead — it lands in your account as a new project that you can iterate on with your daily credits.
If you have already subscribed or received credits and you still see the earlier subscribe-to-build message in your chat, simply send your prompt again — that bubble swaps to a brief "you're all set — try sending your prompt again" acknowledgement and the build runs normally.
What happens to my credits if I cancel my subscription?
Subscription credits are tied to your billing period — they expire when your subscription ends. Daily credits continue since they are available to all users. On-demand credits remain in your account until their 12-month expiry date.
What happens to my credits if my payment fails?
Subscription credits expire immediately when a payment fails. Daily credits continue. Credits are restored only after Stripe successfully collects payment. See the billing article for full details.
Do I get credits for verifying my email?
Yes. You receive 20 credits as a one-time reward when you verify your email address. The credits are added automatically once your email is confirmed.
Where can I see my credit transaction history?
Go to Profile avatar → Credit usage. This shows your balance, recent transactions, and credit sources. AI image generation charges appear as Image Generation in the transaction list.
What is a subscription voucher?
A subscription voucher is a special code that activates a paid subscription for a fixed period — for example, 1 month of Plus or 3 months of Pro — at no charge. Unlike a credit voucher, it does not add credits directly; instead it starts a subscription that gives you the full credit allowance and premium features of the chosen plan for the duration. The subscription ends automatically when the period runs out unless you choose to renew it.
Can I redeem a subscription voucher if I already have an active subscription?
No. Subscription vouchers can only be applied when your account does not already have an active paid subscription. If you are already subscribed, the voucher cannot be redeemed until after your current subscription ends.
What happens when a subscription voucher expires?
When the voucher-granted subscription period ends, your account automatically reverts to the Free plan — up to 5 daily credits (up to 25 per month), no premium features. Your apps and data are not affected.