A credit is what you spend when LocalAmp generates content for you. One generation run (one click of Generate Content) deducts one credit per site.
Pro users can skip this article. Pro subscribers have unlimited generations while the subscription is active. The number on your Dashboard may show “Unlimited” instead of a counter — that’s correct. You don’t have a balance to worry about.
The three numbers that matter
- Balance — how many credits you have right now. Shown on the Dashboard and in the nav chip.
- Monthly allowance — how many credits get added to your balance every 30 days. Depends on your plan.
- Next refresh — the date your next monthly allowance gets added.
How each plan’s credits work
- Free — starts with 3 credits at signup, then adds 1 credit every 30 days. Refresh is automatic.
- Starter — starts with 25 credits, adds 25 every 30 days. Refresh is automatic, driven by your Stripe billing cycle.
- Pro — no counter is used. Pro bypasses the balance gate entirely while the subscription is active.
Unused monthly credits do not roll over. If you’re on Starter and only used 5 credits this cycle, next cycle you start at 25, not 45.
One-time top-ups
If you need more credits before your next refresh, you can buy a one-time top-up pack from the Billing page:
- 1 credit — $1.99
- 10 credits — $8.99
- 25 credits — $19.99
Top-up credits never expire and stack with your monthly balance. If you bought a 10-pack on top of your Starter monthly grant, your balance can exceed the Starter cap.
When credits deduct
One credit is deducted per channel generated, when the generation actually produces output. If generation fails because of an invalid topic or a broken website URL, the credit is not charged for that channel.
Multi-channel runs cost one credit per channel. Generating GBP and Facebook in one click costs 2 credits. Generating all three (GBP + Facebook + LinkedIn) costs 3 credits. Make sure your balance covers every channel selected before clicking Generate.
When you run out
If your balance hits 0 on a non-Pro plan, the Generate button disables and you’ll see a “You’ve used all your generation credits for this cycle” banner. You have three options:
- Wait for your next refresh (shown in the banner).
- Upgrade to a higher plan.
- If a promotional offer is running (“50% off for 12 months”), take it from the paywall.
Why Pro doesn’t show a number
Pro subscribers bypass the credit counter entirely — the system checks “is this user on active Pro?” and if yes, skips the balance check. The internal balance may stay at 0 or some old number; it’s ignored. The UI will say “Unlimited” instead.
If you’re on Pro and still see “0 credits” or the “out of credits” banner, it’s almost always a browser cache or a stale tab. Hard-refresh (⌘⇧R on Mac, Ctrl+Shift+R on Windows).
What happens to my credits if I cancel?
Your remaining balance stays through the end of your billing period. When the period ends, your plan drops to Free and the monthly allowance resets to 1/month. You don’t get refunded unused credits, but you can spend them while they’re still yours.
See also: Understanding Free, Starter, and Pro plans · Cancelling your subscription.