Understanding Credits

How Credits Work

Credits are how Jellypod meters AI generation. Every subscription includes a monthly allocation that refreshes each billing cycle, even on annual plans, and you can purchase more at any time.

How Credits Are Consumed

Credits are consumed when you publish or download an episode, or generate or render a Short:

• Publishing or downloading an episode: 60 credits per minute of audio
• Generating or re-rendering a Short: 5 credits per second of the Short's final duration
• Regenerating a Short's visual: 10 credits per second of the regenerated shot, minimum 1 credit

Regenerating a Short's narration is free, including when you swap its host. Editing a Short's script or timeline is always free too; credits are only charged for the AI generation steps above.

For example, publishing a 10-minute episode consumes 600 credits at the moment you publish or download it. A 30 second Short costs about 150 credits to generate, and the same rate applies each time you re-render it after making edits. Regenerating a single 3 second shot's visual costs 30 credits.

For episodes created in the Studio, everything up to that point is free: writing and editing your script, generating and previewing audio, switching video templates, and building or playing back a Magic Video. Credits are only deducted when you produce the final file.

Shorts work differently: generating a Short produces a finished video immediately, so credits are deducted at the moment you click Generate Short, not at a later publish or download step.

Episodes generated or imported through the API or MCP connector work like Shorts, not like Studio drafts: they render immediately at the same 60 credits per minute rate, so credits are deducted at generation time rather than waiting for a later publish or download. The episode is still created as an unpublished draft, only the credit timing changes.

Checking Your Balance

Your credit balance is visible in the sidebar account menu (click your avatar in the bottom-left) and in Account Settings > Usage & Billing for a detailed breakdown.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do unused credits roll over to the next month?

Yes, for one additional month. Each monthly allocation is spendable in the month it's granted plus the following month, then it expires. Credits you've purchased as top-ups never expire.

If I have credits, do I still need an active subscription?

Yes. Credits and account access are separate: creating and publishing content requires an active subscription or plan, regardless of your credit balance. If your subscription lapses, you'll need to resubscribe before you can create or publish again, even if you still have purchased credits available.

If I download an episode and publish it later, do I pay credits twice?

Not if you reuse the same render. When you publish, you can select a previous download instead of creating a new one, and that reuse costs no additional credits. You're only charged again if you create a new render.

Does generating an episode through the API or MCP connector cost credits right away?

Yes. Unlike the Studio, where episodes are free to generate and only cost credits when you publish or download, the API and MCP connector render every generated or imported episode immediately, so the 60 credits per minute rate is charged at generation time.

Does regenerating a Short's narration cost credits?

No. Regenerating narration audio, including when you change a Short's host, is free. Only regenerating a visual or rendering the Short costs credits.