Skip to main content

How credits work

Credits pay for the AI features in Hero Marketer. Subscriptions cover product access and a monthly credit allocation. Heavy AI usage that exceeds the allocation can be topped up.

What 1 credit means​

1 credit is roughly equivalent to $1 of AI spend on the underlying models that power Hero Marketer. The denomination keeps the math intuitive: 50 credits is about $50 of AI work, 100 credits is about $100, and so on.

Monthly allocation by plan​

Each plan includes credits at renewal:

  • Pro. 50 credits per month.
  • Growth. 100 credits per month.
  • Agency. 250 credits per month.

Credits granted at renewal don't roll over indefinitely. Anything unused expires at the end of your billing period.

What consumes credits​

The AI driven parts of Hero Marketer use credits:

  • Building a campaign through the wizard. 1 credit per campaign created. Covers keyword research, clustering, ad copy generation, sitelink generation, and extension drafting.
  • Regenerating ad copy. 1 credit per regeneration. If the first set isn't right, regenerating produces a new set.
  • Generating sitelinks. Included in the campaign credit. Standalone sitelink generation outside a campaign is also covered.
  • Hero AI conversations. Variable. Each exchange costs a small amount of credits. Simple questions cost a few credits worth; deeper investigations cost more. Hero AI shows estimates before deeper queries and warns before spending if you're low on credits.
  • Re running product analysis. Small credit cost. Most users only do this when meaningfully changing the product description.

What doesn't consume credits​

Several things are free:

  • Reading the dashboard. No credit cost regardless of how often you check.
  • Managing accounts and products. Adding, switching, editing settings.
  • Looking at the campaign wizard. Browsing through it without saving costs nothing. Credits only charge when you click Create campaign.
  • Connecting or disconnecting Google Ads. Free.
  • Settings, billing, exporting your data. Free.

When credits run low​

A warning appears when your balance drops below 10 percent of your plan's allocation (5 credits for Pro, 10 for Growth, 25 for Agency). The warning shows on the dashboard and as a toast.

Two paths from there:

  • Buy more credits. $50 for 50 credits. Top ups don't expire and roll over until used. See Buy more credits.
  • Wait for renewal. If you can hold off, your monthly allocation refreshes at the start of the next billing period.

When credits run out​

If you hit zero, AI features pause. Specifically:

  • The campaign wizard's create button is disabled. You can browse and edit drafts but not launch a new campaign.
  • Hero AI prompts you to top up. Mid conversation, Hero AI will pause and ask you to buy credits before continuing.

The dashboard, account management, and viewing past campaigns continue to work normally. Hero Marketer doesn't lock you out of anything you've already done.

To unblock: top up or wait for renewal. See Out of credits.

Credits versus subscription​

These are separate:

  • Subscription ($49, $99, or $249/month) buys you product access and the monthly credit allocation.
  • Credits are what's actually spent on AI usage.

You always need an active subscription. Topping up credits when your subscription is canceled won't restore access.

When usage doesn't match expectations​

A few common surprises:

  • Hero AI used more than expected. Some questions trigger deeper investigations that cost more credits than a simple lookup. The chat shows estimates before expensive queries.
  • Regeneration counts. Each ad copy regeneration is its own credit charge. If you regenerate three times, that's 3 credits beyond the original campaign credit.
  • Failed campaigns still charge. If Hero Marketer attempts to create a campaign and Google Ads rejects it (usually for policy reasons), you'll still be charged 1 credit because the AI work was done. Reach out if you think a charge was unjustified.

Refunds for unused credits​

See Refund policy.