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How credits work

Credits are how Hero Marketer charges for AI generation, building campaigns, generating ad copy and keywords, and Hero AI conversations all spend credits. 1 credit is roughly $1 of the underlying AI cost on the models that power those features. Your subscription includes a monthly credit allocation; if you need more. You can buy a top-up.

What 1 credit is worth​

1 credit is roughly equivalent to $1 of AI spend on the underlying models. The denomination keeps the math intuitive: 20 credits is about $20 of AI work, 50 credits about $50, and so on. Credits are not dollars in your account, they're a usage unit that maps to AI cost.

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 don't 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-driven parts of Hero Marketer spend credits, metered by the actual AI work done rather than a flat fee:

  • Building a campaign in the wizard. Each campaign typically uses around 1 credit, covering keyword clustering, ad copy generation, and sitelink drafting. The exact amount varies with token usage, so it isn't a fixed price.
  • Regenerating ad copy. Each regeneration is its own charge based on token usage. Regenerating three times charges for all three.
  • Generating sitelinks. Included in the campaign cost. Generating sitelinks on their own, outside a campaign, also spends credits.
  • Hero AI conversations. Each turn costs whatever the underlying AI work cost, a quick lookup is a few credits, a deep multi-campaign investigation is more. The chat shows a per turn estimate calibrated to your usage history before you send, and asks for confirmation first if a single message would consume a meaningful slice of your remaining balance.
  • Rebuilding a product's context from scratch. A small credit cost, adding a product runs a fresh AI analysis. Most people only do this after a meaningful product change.

What doesn't spend credits​

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

  • Reading the dashboard and reports.
  • Managing accounts and products. Adding, switching, and editing settings.
  • Browsing the campaign wizard without generating. Credits are only charged during the AI generation steps (keywords, ad copy, sitelinks). The final "Create campaign" submission to Google Ads itself costs nothing.
  • Connecting or disconnecting Google Ads.
  • Billing, settings, and exporting your data.

What happens when your credits run low​

A warning appears when your balance drops below 10% of your plan's allocation, that's 2 credits on Pro, 5 on Growth, and 10 on Agency. It 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 used. 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've already done:

  • The campaign wizard's create button is disabled. You can still browse and edit drafts; you just can't launch a new campaign.
  • Hero AI blocks new messages. Existing chat history stays readable; new messages are 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 running, so they stop cleanly rather than cutting off mid-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. Buying a top-up while your subscription is cancelled won't 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 cost 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 would use a large chunk of your balance.
  • Regenerations add up. Each ad copy regeneration is its own charge based on token usage. Three regenerations means paying 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, so those credits were spent. If you think a charge was unjustified, capture the details from your credit activity and contact support.

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