API credits are included in your plan each billing cycle. If your team uses more credits than your plan includes, the excess is billed as an overage at the end of the billing period — you are never blocked from using the API mid-cycle.
How overages are calculated
Each plan includes a set number of credits per billing cycle. Once you exceed that amount, every additional credit is billed at your plan's overage rate.
Plan | Included credits | Overage rate |
Premium 50 | 1,000 | $0.10 / credit |
Premium 150 | 2,500 | $0.08 / credit |
Premium 500 | 10,000 | $0.03 / credit |
Premium 1000 | 50,000 | $0.01 / credit |
Premium 2000 | 100,000 | $0.0075 / credit |
Example: A Premium 50 team ($99/mo) uses 1,500 credits in a month. Their invoice will show:
$99.00 — base plan fee
$50.00 — 500 overage credits × $0.10
Total: $149.00
When overages are charged?
Overages are not charged immediately when you exceed your limit. They are consolidated into your regular invoice at the end of the billing cycle, alongside your next month's subscription fee. You will always see the overage as a separate line item on your invoice.
How to reduce overage charges?
If you're consistently exceeding your plan's included credits, upgrading to a higher tier will give you a larger credit allowance at a lower per-credit overage rate. You can review your current credit usage at any time on the API page inside The Swarm.
Questions about your overage charges?
We're still rolling out usage-based billing and we want to make sure everything is clear and fair. If you have any questions about a charge, notice something unexpected on your invoice, or just want to understand your usage better — please reach out to our support team. We're happy to walk you through it.