Credits and usage
How Layout credits work, what consumes them, and how to get more.
Credits are what Layout uses to meter your AI builds. Every message you send to the AI to generate or change an app spends credits. This page explains where credits come from, what they pay for, and what happens when they run out.
What consumes credits
One credit is spent each time you send a message in the chat that kicks off an AI build. That includes:
- The first message that creates a project
- Follow-up messages that edit, add, or remove features
- Messages that apply database migrations
Reading code, previewing your app, rolling back versions, cloning a project, and publishing do not consume credits.
Credits are checked before each run. If you do not have enough, Layout blocks the message and shows an upgrade prompt — nothing is spent.
The three credit buckets
Your balance is made up of up to three buckets. Layout spends them in order: daily, then subscription, then top-up.
Daily (free)
Every account gets a small daily allowance. The free plan includes 3 daily credits, drawn from a 20-credit monthly pool. Daily credits reset every day at midnight. Unused daily credits do not roll over.
If your monthly pool runs dry before the end of the month, your daily refill drops to zero until the next month.
Subscription
Paid plans add a monthly credit bucket sized to the tier you pick on the Pro plan. These credits reset at the start of each billing cycle and do not roll over.
Subscribers still receive the free daily credits on top of their plan — Layout spends those first so your plan allowance lasts longer.
Top-up (one-time)
Subscribers can also buy top-up credit packs. Top-up credits stack on top of your plan, are used last, and expire one year after purchase.
Checking your balance
You can see your balance in two places:
- User menu — click your avatar in the top-right to see a compact breakdown with a "Buy Credits" button
- Billing page — open layout.dev/billing for a full view of each bucket, when each resets, and your plan
Each bucket shows remaining credits over the total quota, for example 2/3 for daily.
Low-credit warnings
Layout warns you before you run out:
- A banner appears above the prompt when you have 2 or fewer usable credits left
- A banner also appears when you are completely out — the button opens the credit top-up or plans dialog directly
What happens when you run out
When you send a message without enough credits, Layout does not start the build. Instead, you see a dialog that depends on why you ran out:
Getting more credits
Upgrade your plan
Pick a Pro tier with the monthly credit count you need.
Buy a top-up pack
Subscribers only. One-time purchase, expires in one year.
Upgrades apply immediately. Downgrades apply at the end of your current billing period. You can cancel at any time from the Manage subscription link on the Billing page.
Tips for stretching your credits
- Batch changes into one prompt — "add dark mode and move the settings button to the top-right" costs one credit; two separate messages cost two.
- Be specific on the first try — vague prompts lead to correction rounds. See Writing better prompts.
- Roll back instead of re-prompting — if a change went the wrong way, opening the version history and rolling back costs nothing.