Credits and billing | Viktor Academy
Cost is the question most people are too polite to ask in week one. Answering it plainly is the whole point of this guide.
Viktor runs on credits. A quick question is barely a dent. Building a website uses more. More thinking, more credits. Most people stop thinking about it within a week.
By the end you should know how to
- Understand what a credit is and how tasks consume them
- Know how billing works: rollover, reward, top-up, and consumption order
- Pick the right plan for your usage
- See where your credits go
- Read your usage dashboard
- Apply ten ways to spend less without losing quality
- Earn free credits
What is a credit?
A credit is just a unit of AI work, like minutes on a phone plan. More thinking equals more credits. Small tasks use a few. Big tasks use more.
Simple version
The rate is $2.50 per 1,000 credits on all self-serve plans. A quick question is a tiny amount. Building a whole website is much more, but still a fraction of what hiring the work out would cost. Most people never think about credits at all.
Small tasks
A few credits.
Quick questions, simple lookups, reading a file, checking your calendar.
Medium tasks
A bit more
Drafting emails, searching your inbox, creating a document, posting to social.
Large tasks
The most
Building websites, generating reports, complex research, multi-step automations.
Why do some cost more?
Credits reflect how much processing a task takes. A one-line answer is fast. A full report means Viktor is reading, writing, generating, checking his work, and iterating. More thinking, more credits. Even the largest tasks are a fraction of what hiring the work out would cost.
How billing works
Your credits move through a simple monthly cycle.
Billing day
Credits added.
Viktor works
Credits used.
Track usage
Dashboard shows daily spend.
Next cycle
Unused credits roll over once.
There are three types of credits, and they behave a little differently.
| Type | Where it comes from | How it behaves |
|---|---|---|
| Billing credits | Added each billing cycle based on your plan | Roll over for one billing period. Unused rollover expires after the next cycle. |
| Reward credits | Free trial, referrals, Creator Program, bonuses | Never expire. A permanent pool. |
| Top-up credits | One-time purchases mid-cycle | Used after billing credits, before reward credits. |
When you spend, Viktor draws them down in this order:
- Rollover (last month's unused)
- Current billing (this month's plan)
- Top-up (one-time purchases)
- Reward (never expire, used last)
Your reward credits are your safety net.
They only get used after everything else. Trial and referral credits stick around indefinitely.
Top-ups cost more per credit than your plan.
Top-up credits are billed at a higher per-credit rate than your monthly plan rate of $2.50 per 1,000. So if you find yourself buying top-ups most months, upgrading your plan is cheaper per credit than topping up. Recurring top-ups cost more per credit than plan credits, so they are a signal to upgrade.
Choosing the right plan
One flat rate keeps it simple: $2.50 per 1,000 credits on every self-serve plan. The plans are just different sizes at that same rate. You pick the size that fits your workload, not a different price per credit.
These are sizes to think in, not product names or in-product badges. They all run at the same flat $2.50 per 1,000 rate, and you can change size anytime at app.viktor.com/settings/subscription.
| Starting size | A good place to start. Solo user, light usage. |
|---|---|
| Daily driver | A solo user running daily workflows and a few scheduled tasks. |
| Power user | A small team or power user, with room for automations. |
| Growing team | A growing team running more of its work through Viktor. |
| Full scale | Full-scale operations, heavy automation and builds. |
You might need to upgrade if:
| Signal | What it means |
|---|---|
| You run out before your billing date | Your workload exceeds your plan. Move up one size. |
| Viktor warns of a projected shortfall | The burn-rate forecast shows you will run out. Upgrade or optimize. |
| You added scheduled tasks (crons) recently | Crons consume credits around the clock. Check usage after a week. |
| Your active team grew | More people asking Viktor means more credits. Consider the next size up. |
| You started building websites or documents often | These are large tasks. Plan accordingly. |
| You buy top-ups most months | Top-up credits cost more per credit than plan credits. Recurring top-ups are a signal that a larger plan is cheaper per credit. Upgrade. |
No commitment
Change your plan anytime at app.viktor.com/settings/subscription. Upgrades take effect immediately. Downgrades take effect at your next billing date.
Where your credits go
Five categories cover almost everything Viktor does. Knowing which is which makes your usage easy to read.
| Category | What it covers | Cost profile |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled tasks | Crons, automated reports, recurring checks, email sweeps | Highest. Runs whether you are watching or not. Usually the single biggest consumer. |
| Conversations | DMs, channel messages, back-and-forth threads | Medium. Longer threads cost more, Viktor re-reads the full thread each time. |
| Integrations | Sending emails, posting, reading files, CRM updates | Medium. Each tool action adds a small cost. |
| Building | Websites, PDFs, Excel, slide decks, images, videos | High per task, usually infrequent. One-time spikes. |
| Browsing | Web research, visiting URLs, scraping pages | Low to medium. Each page visit costs a little. |
For most teams the ranking is consistent, even if the exact split varies. From biggest to smallest:
- Scheduled tasks
- Conversations
- Integrations
- Building
- Browsing
The biggest surprise for new users
Scheduled tasks are the quiet budget driver. They run whether you are watching or not, so a handful of frequent crons add up even on a day you never open Viktor. If you only optimize one thing, optimize your crons. The Automating Recurring Work guide covers how.
Reading your usage dashboard
Where
Your full usage view lives at app.viktor.com/usage.
The dashboard shows your numbers with no cost interpretation, by design. It tells you the what. This guide is the so-what: the interpretation layer the dashboard leaves out. Here is what to look at:
- Credit balance. Billing plus reward, in real time.
- Daily spend chart. Look for spikes. A tall bar usually means a large build or a new cron.
- Burn rate forecast. Projects whether you will run out before your next billing date.
- Top consumers. To find what is eating your budget, ask Viktor "what's using my credits?" and he ranks them for you in plain English.
Here is how to read what you see:
| What you notice | What it usually is | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| One day far higher than the rest | A large one-time task | Normal. No action unless unexpected. |
| Every day consistently high | Crons driving costs | Ask Viktor what's using your credits, then reduce cron frequency. |
| Credits dropped overnight | A cron ran while you slept | Review tasks at app.viktor.com/settings/tasks. |
| "Projected to run out" warning | Your pace will use all credits before billing | Optimize (next section) or upgrade. |
Pro tip: ask Viktor directly
You do not have to open the dashboard at all. Ask Viktor in Slack or Teams and he pulls your balance, burn rate, and top consumers in plain English right where you work.
10 ways to get more from your credits
- Start new threads for new topics. Long threads re-read everything.
- Audit your crons monthly. Remove what you no longer use.
- Reduce cron frequency. Going from hourly to daily can cut a cron's cost dramatically.
- Use "Ask First" for expensive tools. Browsing, image generation, big builds.
- Be specific in your requests. A precise brief costs less than a vague one.
- Let Viktor use efficient models. Routine tasks do not need the most powerful AI.
- Batch similar requests. One thread, not five.
- Skip images unless you need them. Image generation is credit-intensive.
- Reconnect expired integrations promptly. Failed retries still cost credits.
- Check your burn rate weekly. A quick "How are my credits?" saves end-of-month surprises.
Start with the biggest wins
The biggest wins are usually #1 (shorter threads), #2 and #3 (cron optimization), and #5 (specific requests). Start there.
Earning free credits
Four ways to add credits to your account without changing your plan.
- Connect your tools. New workspaces earn bonus reward credits for each of the first tools they connect. It is one of the fastest ways to build up your balance.
- Referral program. Share your link at app.viktor.com/integrations#referral. Both you and the new user get bonus credits when they activate.
- Creator program. Post about Viktor, then tag us: on LinkedIn tag vikor.com, on X tag @viktor_com, and on Instagram @meet.viktor. Wait 7 days, then submit the post URL plus an impressions or views screenshot at viktor.com/creators#submit. You can take the reward as credits, which are worth more than the cash option, or as cash. Paid out within 5 business days.
- Starter credits. Every new account starts with free reward credits to explore, no card required. They land in your permanent reward pool and never expire.
These never expire
Reward credits earned any of these ways never expire, and they are only used after billing credits and top-ups.
Enterprise & volume pricing
For higher-volume teams, there is a better-value path.
| More credits per dollar | Better value than self-serve at the same spend. |
|---|---|
| Usage-based overages | Keep working and pay for extra credits. No hard cutoff. |
| Priority support | Faster responses, optional paid Customer Success Manager. |
How it works
Detail | Who it is for
Higher-volume teams running a lot of their work through Viktor | Commitment
Annual commitment, billed monthly | Pricing
Custom. More credits per dollar than self-serve. | Overages
Usage-based. Keep working even if you exceed your allocation. | Support
Priority support plus optional dedicated CSM
Interested?
Enterprise plans are handled by the Viktor team. Ask Viktor in chat to connect you, or reach out from app.viktor.com.
Common questions
What happens when I run out?
Viktor warns you when you are low. At zero he pauses until your next cycle or a top-up. Your reward credits are used before you fully run out.
Do unused credits roll over?
Yes. Billing credits roll over one period and then expire. Reward credits never expire.
Can I see exactly what used my credits?
Yes, at app.viktor.com/usage, or just ask Viktor "What's using my credits?"
Why did my credits drop overnight?
Almost always a cron. Check app.viktor.com/settings/tasks.
Can team members have different limits?
Credits are shared across the workspace, not per person. Admins control access and which integrations each member can use.
How do I set a budget cap?
Your plan tier is your cap. Viktor stops at zero unless you are on Enterprise overages. You can also ask Viktor to alert you below a threshold.
Can I change my plan mid-month?
Yes. Upgrades are immediate, downgrades take effect next cycle.
Is there a free plan?
Every new account starts with free reward credits to explore, no card required, and they never expire.
Troubleshooting
| What you see | What it usually is | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| "My credits disappeared overnight" | A cron ran while you were offline | Check app.viktor.com/settings/tasks. Pause or reduce frequency. |
| "I'm running out faster than expected" | Long threads, frequent crons, or large builds | Check the usage dashboard, sort by most credits, apply the tips above. |
| "Viktor stopped responding" | Credits hit zero | Top up or wait for the next cycle. Check app.viktor.com/usage. |
| "I got charged but my credits didn't update" | Billing system delay (rare) | Wait a few minutes and refresh. If still missing, contact support@viktor.com. |
| "My reward credits aren't showing" | Referral or Creator credits still processing | Rewards take a few business days to process. If overdue, email support@viktor.com. |
| "I downgraded but was charged the old amount" | Downgrades take effect next cycle | Normal. The new plan starts on your next billing date. |
| "Bill seems higher than my plan price" | Top-up credits or Enterprise overages | Review at app.viktor.com/settings/subscription. Top-ups and overages are billed separately. |
Need help? Message Viktor in your chat ("My credits seem off") and he pulls your usage data and explains what happened. For billing-specific issues, email support@viktor.com.
Ready to check your credits?
The fastest way to understand your usage is to ask. In Slack or Teams, tell Viktor: "How are my credits looking?" He pulls your balance, burn rate, and top consumers in seconds.
Start your first project today.
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