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How credits work

Credits are how Hero Marketer charges for AI generation. You spend credits when you build a campaign, generate ad copy or keywords, or have a Hero AI conversation. Hero Marketer prices credits in whole dollars (1 credit = $1). Each one covers the AI work behind a generation plus the margin that keeps the product running. Your subscription includes a monthly credit allocation. If you need more, you can buy a top up.

What 1 credit is worth​

1 credit costs $1, which keeps the math simple: 20 credits is $20, 50 credits is $50, and 100 credits is $100. Each credit's price covers the AI work behind a generation plus a margin that funds the company. Credits are a usage unit, not dollars in your account.

How many credits each plan includes per month​

Each plan includes credits that land at renewal:

  • Pro. 20 credits per month.
  • Growth. 50 credits per month.
  • Agency. 100 credits per month.

Monthly plan credits refresh at the start of each billing period. They do not accumulate beyond the month. Purchased top up credits are separate and roll over indefinitely. When you spend, Hero Marketer uses your monthly plan credits first and saves your purchased credits for later.

What spends credits​

The AI parts of Hero Marketer spend credits. The cost is the actual AI work done, not a flat fee:

  • Build a campaign in the wizard. Each campaign typically uses around 1 credit. This covers keyword clustering, ad copy generation, and sitelink drafting. The exact amount varies with token usage, so it is not a fixed price.
  • Regenerate ad copy. Each regeneration is its own charge, based on token usage. If you regenerate three times, Hero Marketer charges for all three.
  • Generate sitelinks. The campaign cost includes sitelink generation. If you generate sitelinks on their own, outside a campaign, this also spends credits.
  • Hero AI conversations. Each turn costs whatever the underlying AI work costs. For example, a quick lookup costs a few credits, and a deep multi campaign investigation costs more. Before you send a message, the chat shows a per turn estimate based on your usage history. The chat also asks for confirmation first if a message uses a large slice of your remaining balance.
  • Rebuild a product's context from scratch. When you add a product, Hero Marketer runs a fresh AI analysis. This is a small credit cost. Most people only do this after a meaningful product change.
  • Generate or refresh a report's AI brief. An AI call generates the brief on a report. So you spend credits the first time you open a report, and again whenever you refresh the brief. Hero Marketer shows the amount in the success message. You can read the report and export it to PDF for free.

What does not spend credits​

These are free, no matter how often you do them:

  • Read the dashboard and reports.
  • Manage accounts and products. Add, switch, or edit settings free of charge.
  • Browse the campaign wizard without running a generation step. Hero Marketer only charges credits during the AI generation steps (keywords, ad copy, sitelinks). The final "Create campaign" submission to Google Ads itself costs nothing.
  • Connect or disconnect Google Ads.
  • Billing, settings, and data exports.

What happens when your credits run low​

A warning appears when your balance drops below 10% of your plan's allocation: 2 credits on Pro, 5 on Growth, and 10 on Agency. The warning shows on the dashboard and as a toast.

You have two options:

  • Buy a top up. $20 buys 20 credits, and purchased credits roll over indefinitely until you use them. See Buy more credits.
  • Wait for renewal. Your monthly allocation refreshes at the start of the next billing period.

What happens when your credits run out​

At zero credits, AI features pause, but you keep access to everything you have already done:

  • Hero Marketer disables the campaign wizard's create button. You can still browse and edit drafts. You just cannot launch a new campaign.
  • Hero AI blocks new messages. Existing chat history stays readable. New messages stay blocked until you top up or renew.
  • AI steps inside campaign creation pause. Ad copy generation, sitelink generation, and keyword research check your balance before they run. So they stop cleanly. They do not cut off in the middle of a generation.

The dashboard, account management, and past campaigns keep working normally. To unblock AI features, buy a top up or wait for renewal. See Out of credits.

Credits versus your subscription​

Credits and your subscription are two different things:

  • Your subscription ($20 Pro, $50 Growth, $100 Agency per month) buys product access plus the monthly credit allocation.
  • Credits are the usage unit that AI work actually spends.

You always need an active subscription. If you buy a top up while your subscription is cancelled, it will not restore access. You have to reactivate the subscription first.

Why your usage might be higher than expected​

A few things commonly surprise people:

  • A Hero AI turn costs more than a previous one. Some questions trigger deeper investigations that pull more data and cost more than a simple lookup. The per turn estimate is based on your history, so a question that pulls more than your typical turn can come in higher. The chat warns you before you send if a single message uses a large chunk of your balance.
  • Regenerations add up. Each ad copy regeneration is its own charge, based on token usage. Three regenerations mean you pay for all three.
  • A rejected campaign still spent credits. If Hero Marketer generated keywords and ad copy and then Google Ads rejected the campaign (usually for policy reasons), the AI generation already happened. Hero Marketer already spent those credits. If you think a charge was unjustified, capture the details from your credit activity and contact support.

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