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 About 2 months 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