{"site":{"name":"Koji","description":"AI-native customer research platform that helps teams conduct, analyze, and synthesize customer interviews at scale.","url":"https://www.koji.so","contentTypes":["blog","documentation"],"lastUpdated":"2026-05-18T12:55:14.589Z"},"content":[{"type":"documentation","id":"1e06e547-c056-4c7a-b3a1-e046cf1bc89c","slug":"understanding-usage-limits","title":"Understanding Usage & Credits","url":"https://www.koji.so/docs/understanding-usage-limits","summary":"Koji uses a credit-based system where text interviews cost 1 credit, voice interviews cost 3, and report refreshes cost 5 (free on Interviews+). All plans include unlimited studies. Plans include Free (10 one-time credits), Insights (29/mo), Interviews (79/mo), and Enterprise (500+/mo). The quality gate ensures conversations scoring below 3 on the 1-5 scale are free. Structured questions are included at no extra credit cost. Overage is billed at €1/credit on paid plans.","content":"## How Koji's Credit System Works\n\nKoji uses a **credit-based usage model**. Every meaningful interaction on the platform consumes credits from your allocation. This system ensures you only pay for quality research — thanks to the [quality gate](/docs/how-the-quality-gate-works), low-quality conversations are always free.\n\n---\n\n## Credit Costs by Action\n\n| Action | Credit Cost | Notes |\n|--------|------------|-------|\n| **[Text chat interview](/docs/text-interview-experience)** | 1 credit | AI-moderated text conversation |\n| **[Voice interview](/docs/voice-interview-experience)** | 3 credits | AI-moderated voice conversation |\n| **Report refresh** | 5 credits | Free on Interviews and Enterprise plans |\n\nThese costs apply **only** when the conversation passes the [quality gate](/docs/how-the-quality-gate-works) (scores 3 or above on a 1-5 scale). Conversations that score below 3 are completely free.\n\n[Structured questions](/docs/structured-questions-guide) (scale, choice, ranking, yes/no) are included in every interview at no extra credit cost. Whether your interview uses open-ended questions, structured questions, or a mix of both, the credit cost remains the same — 1 credit for text, 3 for voice.\n\n---\n\n## Credits by Plan\n\n| Plan | Included Credits | Overage Rate |\n|------|-----------------|--------------|\n| **Free** | 10 (one-time starter grant) | Not available |\n| **Insights** (€29/mo or €290/yr) | 29 credits/month | €1/credit |\n| **Interviews** (€79/mo or €790/yr) | 79 credits/month | €1/credit |\n| **Enterprise** (custom) | 500+ credits/month | €1/credit |\n\nFor a detailed feature breakdown, see the [Plan Comparison Guide](/docs/plan-comparison-guide).\n\n### What this means in practice\n\nWith the **Insights plan** (29 credits/month), you could run:\n- 29 text interviews, or\n- 9 voice interviews + 2 text interviews, or\n- Any mix that adds up to 29 credits\n\nWith the **Interviews plan** (79 credits/month), you could run:\n- 79 text interviews, or\n- 26 voice interviews, or\n- 20 voice interviews + 19 text interviews\n- Plus unlimited report refreshes (free on this plan)\n\n---\n\n## Study Limits\n\n**All plans include unlimited studies.** There is no cap on the number of active studies you can run on any plan, including Free. Credits govern your interview volume, not your study count.\n\n---\n\n## When Credits Reset\n\n- **Paid plans (Insights, Interviews, Enterprise):** Credits reset on your **billing anniversary** — the date your subscription started. For example, if you subscribed on March 10, your credits reset on the 10th of each month.\n- **Free plan:** Your 10 starter credits are a **one-time grant**. They do not reset monthly.\n- **Bonus credits** (from admin grants or promotions): These do not reset and remain available until used or expired.\n\n---\n\n## Tracking Your Usage\n\nYou can monitor your credit usage from the **Dashboard**:\n\n1. Navigate to your Dashboard\n2. Your current credit balance and usage are displayed prominently\n3. View a breakdown of credits consumed by study\n4. Track how many billable conversations you've had this period\n\n### Usage Tracking Details\n\nKoji tracks these metrics per billing period:\n- **Studies created** — count of new studies\n- **Interviews completed** — total conversations\n- **Billable conversations** — conversations that passed the [quality gate](/docs/how-the-quality-gate-works) and consumed credits\n- **Report refreshes** — report generation events\n\n---\n\n## Managing Your Budget\n\n### Set an Overage Cap\nOn paid plans, you can set a **maximum overage limit** to prevent unexpected charges. This controls how many additional credits beyond your included allocation you're willing to pay for. Learn more about [how overage billing works](/docs/overage-billing-explained).\n\n- Set the cap to **0** to hard-stop at your included credits\n- Set a specific number to allow controlled overage\n- Leave it unlimited for uninterrupted research\n\n### Tips for Efficient Credit Use\n1. **Use text interviews when voice isn't necessary** — [text](/docs/text-interview-experience) costs 1 credit vs. 3 for [voice](/docs/voice-interview-experience)\n2. **Let the [quality gate](/docs/how-the-quality-gate-works) work for you** — low-quality conversations are automatically free\n3. **Batch your report refreshes** — collect more responses before refreshing to get more value per refresh\n4. **Add [structured questions](/docs/structured-questions-guide) to interviews** — get quantitative data alongside qualitative depth at no extra credit cost\n5. **Consider annual billing** — save 2 months free on any paid plan\n\n---\n\n## What Happens When You Hit Your Limit\n\n| Situation | Free Plan | Paid Plans |\n|-----------|-----------|------------|\n| Credits exhausted | Interviews pause until you upgrade | [Overage billing](/docs/overage-billing-explained) kicks in at €1/credit |\n| Overage cap reached | N/A | Interviews pause until next billing period |\n\nYou'll receive notifications as you approach your credit limit so you can plan accordingly.\n\n## Further reading on the blog\n\n- [User Research: The Complete Guide to Understanding Your Users (2025)](/blog/user-research-the-complete-guide-to-understanding-your-users-2025) — Learn what user research is, why it matters, and how to conduct it effectively. Discover how AI tools like Koji are transforming the researc\n\n<!-- further-reading:blog -->\n","category":"Billing & Plans","lastModified":"2026-05-13T00:26:36.807295+00:00","metaTitle":"Understanding Usage & Credits — Koji","metaDescription":"Learn how Koji's credit system works: text interviews cost 1 credit, voice costs 3, reports cost 5. Manage your research budget with overage caps and the quality gate.","keywords":["koji credits","koji usage limits","research credits","koji billing","credit-based pricing"],"aiSummary":"Koji uses a credit-based system where text interviews cost 1 credit, voice interviews cost 3, and report refreshes cost 5 (free on Interviews+). All plans include unlimited studies. Plans include Free (10 one-time credits), Insights (29/mo), Interviews (79/mo), and Enterprise (500+/mo). The quality gate ensures conversations scoring below 3 on the 1-5 scale are free. Structured questions are included at no extra credit cost. Overage is billed at €1/credit on paid plans.","aiPrerequisites":["plan-comparison-guide"],"aiLearningOutcomes":["Identify what resources have limits on each plan","Understand how and when limits reset","Track current usage through account settings","Manage usage strategically to maximize research output"],"aiDifficulty":"beginner","aiEstimatedTime":"7 min read"}],"pagination":{"total":1,"returned":1,"offset":0}}