AI Credits: How They Work, What Counts, Checking Balance

Overview

AI credits are the currency that powers clariBI's intelligent features. Every time you ask a question in conversational analytics or generate an AI-powered report, credits are deducted from your organization's monthly balance.

Each plan includes a set number of credits that refresh at the start of your billing cycle. This guide explains what costs credits, how to track usage, and how to handle low balances.

Credits by Plan

Credits reset to the full amount at the start of each billing cycle. Unused credits do not roll over to the next month.

What Costs Credits

Conversational AI Queries -- 1 Credit Each

Every question you ask through the conversational analytics interface costs 1 credit, regardless of complexity. Examples:

• "What were our top 10 products by revenue last quarter?"
• "Show me customer churn trends over the past 12 months"
• "Compare marketing spend to conversion rate by channel"

Follow-up questions in the same conversation also cost 1 credit each.

Report Generation -- 2 to 5 Credits

AI-powered report generation costs between 2 and 5 credits depending on the report's complexity:

The credit cost is shown before you confirm report generation, so there are no surprises.

What Does NOT Cost Credits

These actions are free and do not consume AI credits:

• Viewing dashboards and reports
• Creating and editing dashboards manually
• Connecting data sources
• Running data syncs
• Exporting data
• Managing goals and milestones
• All administrative tasks (user management, settings, etc.)
• Commenting and collaboration
• Data connection refreshes for goals (see Connecting Goals to Live Data)

Checking Your Credit Balance

Quick Check

Your current credit balance is displayed in the top navigation bar. Look for the credit counter near your profile avatar.

Detailed Usage View

For a breakdown of how credits have been used:

1. Go to Settings > Billing > Usage.
2. The Usage dashboard shows:
3. Credits remaining this billing cycle
4. Credits used with a day-by-day chart
5. Top consumers -- which team members have used the most credits
6. Usage by type -- split between conversational queries and report generation
7. Projected usage -- an estimate of whether you will run out before the cycle ends

Usage Alerts

clariBI sends automatic notifications when your credits reach certain thresholds:

• 75% used -- A heads-up that you are three-quarters through your balance
• 90% used -- A warning that credits are running low
• 100% used -- Credits are exhausted; AI features are paused

Notifications go to the organization Owner and all Administrators. Individual users see a banner in the conversational analytics interface when credits are low.

What Happens When Credits Run Out

When your organization's credits are exhausted:

• Conversational AI queries are paused. Users see a message explaining that credits have been used up and suggesting they contact their administrator.
• Report generation is paused for AI-powered reports. Manual reports (if applicable) still work.
• All other features continue to work normally. Dashboards, data sources, goals, exports, and collaboration are unaffected.

Credits refresh automatically at the start of your next billing cycle.

Getting More Credits Before the Cycle Ends

If you run out of credits mid-cycle:

1. Upgrade your plan. Moving to a higher tier immediately adds the new plan's full credit balance. See Upgrading, Downgrading, and Cancelling Your Plan for instructions.
2. Contact support. Enterprise customers can request additional credit blocks. Reach out to your account manager or email support@claribi.com.

Tips for Managing Credits

• Check the projected usage chart. If the projection shows you running out before month-end, consider adjusting usage patterns or upgrading.
• Use specific questions. A focused query like "What was our MRR in January?" uses 1 credit and gives a direct answer. Vague queries may require follow-ups that cost additional credits.
• Batch report generation. Schedule reports during off-peak times to spread credit usage across the month.
• Review the top consumers list. If one team member is using a disproportionate share of credits, check whether they could use dashboards instead of ad-hoc queries for recurring questions.
• Set up a recurring dashboard. For questions you ask frequently, create a dashboard with the relevant widgets. Viewing a dashboard costs zero credits.

Related Articles

• Upgrading, Downgrading, and Cancelling Your Plan
• Team Seats: Adding, Removing, Cost Per Seat
• AI Conversational Analytics
• Report Generation and Templates