# AI credits in Gradiently: what uses them, how to save them

[Canonical HTML page](https://gradiently.design/guide/ai-credits-explained)

Credits are how Gradiently measures the work its AI does for you. Most of the Studio never touches them, and a connected assistant can design without spending any. Here is the whole picture.

## The short version

- AI credits in Gradiently pay for the Designer, the AI that writes words, lays out designs and makes other sizes in your Mark.
- Every account gets a one-time allowance of welcome credits, and Pro adds credits every month.
- Pro members can add a monthly refill, and one-time top-ups for anyone who needs more at once are opening soon.
- Work you do by hand in the Studio, such as typing, placing photos and exporting, spends no credits.
- Designs made by ChatGPT, Claude or another assistant connected over MCP do not spend Gradiently credits.

**AI credits** in Gradiently pay for the Designer, the AI that asks what you need, writes the words, lays the design out in your Mark and makes other sizes. Every account starts with a one-time allowance, Pro adds credits every month, and you can add more with a monthly refill, with one-time top-ups opening soon. Anything you do by hand in the Studio costs nothing, and an assistant you connect yourself, such as ChatGPT or Claude, can design without spending any credits at all.

## What AI credits pay for

Credits measure the work Gradiently’s own AI does on your behalf. When you describe a design to the Designer, it reads your brand kit, writes in its voice, chooses a layout, sets the words on your Mark and can make the same design in other sizes. [The Designer guide](https://gradiently.design/guide/designer-ai-guide) shows that flow in full. Each of those steps uses some AI, so each is measured.

### Spends credits

- Asking the Designer for a new design
- Asking the Designer to change a design
- Asking the Designer for a set of formats
- Asking a connected assistant to hand a job to the Designer

### Never spends credits

- Typing, moving and styling text yourself
- Photos, shapes, icons, layers and templates
- Changing the Mark a design wears
- Exporting, sharing and commenting
- Designs your connected assistant lays out itself

A new design costs more than a change to one, because there is more to decide. The AI credits page shows a rough guide next to your balance, such as how many new designs it would cover, and a list of recent use so you can see exactly where credits went. You only spend what the AI actually uses, and if a reply fails on Gradiently’s side, or the Designer can’t help with a request, its credits come back to your balance.

## Where your credits come from

| Source | Who gets it | How it works |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Welcome credits | Every account | A one-time allowance, enough to see how the Designer writes and lays out |
| Pro credits | Pro members | Added every month; the balance shows the date they come back |
| Monthly refill | Pro members who want more | Added on top of Pro each month; change or stop it any time; unused refill credits roll over one month |
| Top-up | Anyone who needs more now | Opening soon: paid for once, and top-up credits last a year |

Your balance shows each source separately, so you can see which credits will expire first.

Prices change and live on the site, so they are not repeated here. [Gradiently Free vs Pro](https://gradiently.design/guide/gradiently-pricing-explained) explains the plans themselves. In a team workspace, only the workspace owner can change a monthly refill, which keeps billing decisions in one place.

## How to design without spending credits

If you already pay for ChatGPT, Claude or another assistant that supports remote MCP servers, you can connect it to Gradiently and let it design for you. It searches Marks, reads your brand and creates designs that open in your Studio, and that work runs on your assistant’s plan, not on Gradiently credits. The AI credits page links straight to the key you need, and [connecting an AI assistant](https://gradiently.design/guide/connect-ai-assistant) covers the setup.

1. **Create a key** An owner or admin opens **Settings › API and agents** and creates a key with the permissions the assistant needs.
2. **Add Gradiently to your assistant** Paste the endpoint and key into your assistant’s connectors or MCP settings.
3. **Ask for a design** Name the format, the words and the brand. The design lands in your workspace.
4. **Finish it in the Studio** Open it, adjust anything by hand and export. None of that spends credits either.

The one exception is deliberate: if you ask your assistant to pass the job to Gradiently’s own Designer, that part is measured in credits, as it would be in the Studio. Some people do this on purpose for designs where they want the Designer’s writing in the brand’s voice. [MCP design prompts](https://gradiently.design/guide/mcp-prompts-for-design) has requests worth copying either way.

## How to make AI credits go further

Most wasted credits come from vague requests that need three rounds to get right. A clear first brief and small, specific edits get you to a finished design in fewer steps.

```text
Portrait Instagram post for Harbour Accounts.
Headline: Your tax return, done by January.
Detail: Book a call before 30 November.
Calm and precise, no exclamation marks.
```

A brief that gets a usable design on the first try. Four lines, every fact included.

- **Fill in the brand kit first.** The Designer writes in the kit’s voice and uses its fonts and colours, so it guesses less. [Setting up your brand kit](https://gradiently.design/guide/brand-kit-setup) takes a few minutes.
- **Give the exact words when you have them.** Writing copy from scratch is the most open part of the job.
- **Make small changes by hand.** Nudging a line, swapping a photo or shortening a word is faster in the Studio and free.
- **Ask for one design, then the sizes.** Approving one design before asking for a set saves redoing the whole set.
- **Start from a template** when the layout is standard, such as a menu or an event poster, and ask the Designer only for the words.

A portrait post for an accountancy firm reading Your tax return, done by January

The first design from the brief above, made by the Designer.

The same accountancy post with a corrected date in the detail line

A date change made by hand in the Studio. Same result, no credits.

## When to top up, refill or connect your own AI

| If you | The sensible choice |
| --- | --- |
| Are trying the Designer for the first time | Your welcome credits |
| Use the Designer a little most weeks | Pro’s monthly credits |
| Run out before the month ends, every month | A monthly refill on Pro |
| Have one busy launch or season | A top-up once they open, or connect your own AI |
| Already work in ChatGPT or Claude all day | Connect it to Gradiently and spend no credits |

> **Running low** When your balance runs low or out, Gradiently suggests connecting your own AI, which keeps you designing without spending credits; one-time top-ups are opening soon. Your designs, Marks and exports are never affected by your credit balance.

## FAQ

### What are AI credits in Gradiently?

They measure the work Gradiently’s Designer does for you, such as writing words, laying out a design and making other sizes. Work you do by hand in the Studio spends none.

### Do I get AI credits on the Free plan?

Yes. Every account gets a one-time allowance of welcome credits. Pro adds credits every month.

### Do unused AI credits roll over?

Unused refill credits roll over one month, and top-up credits will last a year once top-ups open. Pro’s monthly credits come back on the date shown with your balance.

### Can I use Gradiently’s AI without spending credits?

Yes. Connect ChatGPT, Claude or another assistant that supports remote MCP servers, and the designs it lays out itself spend no Gradiently credits.

### What happens if the Designer fails?

If a reply fails on Gradiently’s side, or the Designer can’t help with a request, its credits go back into your balance.