> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.homiagent.app/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# How credits work

> What credits are, what things cost, when they expire, and what happens when you run out.

HomiAgent runs on prepaid credits. You buy a balance, and each answer from the assistant uses a small part of it. There's no subscription.

## The basics

* **1 credit = US\$1.**
* You only pay for what you use. A short message costs a fraction of a cent.
* Your balance is shown on the dashboard home page and by the `/buy` command in the bot. You can also just ask the bot how many credits you have.

## What things cost

| Usage | Price |
| - | - |
| Input tokens | US\$0.25 per 1M |
| Output tokens | US\$1.00 per 1M |
| Voice transcription | US\$0.025 per minute |
| Web search | US\$0.015 per request |

<Info>
  Tokens are the pieces of text the AI reads (input: your message plus the context of your home) and writes (output: the reply). You never have to count them. The cost of each message comes straight from this table.
</Info>

Each part is charged separately. A voice message pays for the transcription (per minute of audio) **plus** the reply. A reply that needs a web search pays US\$0.015 for the search **plus** its tokens, and the bot asks before it searches.

### What a message costs

A typical message uses around 13,000 input tokens, because the assistant reads the context of your home with every request, and around 100 output tokens. That comes to roughly \*\*US$0.004**. Larger homes and longer answers cost more, up to about US$0.02 for the biggest requests.

On average, US\$1 of credit covers a few hundred messages. The exact number depends on how many devices your home has.

## Expiration

Credits are valid for **12 months** from the day you buy them. Each purchase has its own expiration date, and the credits that expire first are spent first. Whatever is left of a purchase when its date arrives expires. `/buy` and the dashboard home page show when your next credits expire.

## When you run out of credits

When your balance reaches zero, the bot stops answering and tells you that you're out of credits, with a button to buy more. This notice is sent at most once every 30 minutes, so a few messages in a row don't flood your chat. `/buy` keeps working.

The message that takes your balance to zero is still answered, so the balance can end up slightly below zero. The next message is the one that gets blocked.

<Card title="Buy credits" icon="coins" href="/buying-credits">
  How to buy, the minimum amount, and the processing fee.
</Card>


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