Understanding Credits

Credits are the currency used in ngram AI Studio. Every AI-powered action - from script writing to video animation - costs credits. This article explains how credits work and how to manage them.

Written By Rishikesh from ngram

Last updated 13 days ago

Checking Your Credit Balance

Hover over the lightning bolt icon in the bottom of the left sidebar to see a quick summary:

The popup shows:

  • Available: Credits remaining (e.g., 189)

  • Used: Credits consumed (e.g., 111)

  • Usage percentage: How much of your allocation you've used (e.g., 37%)

  • "See detailed usage" link to the full Usage page

What Costs Credits

Different actions consume different amounts of credits. Here's a general breakdown:

Action

Credit Cost

Category

Notes

Script writing

1 credit

AI Generation

Creative brief

1 credit

AI Generation

Storyboard creation

1 credit

AI Generation

Web research

Free

Research

Image generation (per scene)

3 credits

Image Generation

Free on Plus and Pro plans

Voiceover generation

1 credit/second of audio

Audio Generation

30-credit minimum reservation

Background music

1 credit/second of audio

Audio Generation

30-credit minimum reservation

Video animation (per scene)

Varies by model

Video Generation

10-20 credits/second depending on model

Talking head video

10 credits/second

Video Generation

Brand style generation

1 credit

AI Generation

Video animation costs depend on the model selected. For example, faster models (e.g., Veo 3.1 Fast, Sora 2) cost 10 credits/second, while higher-quality models (e.g., Veo 3.1, Sora 2 Pro) cost 20 credits/second.

Credits During Video Creation

While creating a video in Agentic Mode, a "Credits used this session" counter appears at the top of the chat panel. This updates in real time so you can track spending.

The counter increases at key moments:

  • ~1-2 credits: Script writing and research

  • ~1-2 credits: Storyboard creation (planning scenes)

  • ~15+ credits: Image generation (keyframes for all scenes; free on Plus/Pro)

  • ~100+ credits: Video animation and voiceover (varies by model and duration)

Low Credits Warning

When your credit balance gets low, you'll see a yellow banner:

"You're running low on credits. Upgrade to a paid plan for more credits and uninterrupted access to all features."

You can dismiss this banner or click "Upgrade plan" to see pricing options.

Credit Reset and Rollover

  • Subscription credits reset each billing cycle (monthly or annual)

  • Unused subscription credits do not roll over to the next cycle

  • Credit packs purchased separately never expire as long as your account is active

Next Steps