Quotas and Credits: How Generation Limits Work
Citadex tracks quotas (scans, prompts, projects) and credits (per-article generation cost) separately. Standard generation = 1 credit, Deep Research = 5 credits, Classic = 0. Here's how each plan stacks up.
Two different counters
Citadex limits your usage with two parallel systems, and confusing them is the #1 billing question we get:
- Quotas — monthly resets, plan-fixed. Cover scans, prompt slots, projects, team seats.
- Credits — per-action cost, deducted on use. Cover Content Studio generation runs.
Both are visible from Settings → Billing & Usage at the top of the page.
Quotas (reset monthly)
Quotas refill on the first of each month and don't carry over. Here's the per-plan breakdown:
| Resource | Starter ($79/mo) | Pro ($199/mo) | Enterprise ($499/mo) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prompts per project | 60 | 200 | Unlimited |
| Visibility scans / mo | 20 | 100 | 500 |
| Projects | 1 | 5 | Unlimited |
| Team seats | 2 | 10 | Unlimited |
| Markets per project | 1 | 3 | Unlimited |
| Knowledge Base sources | 25 | 100 | Unlimited |
When you hit a quota mid-month, the affected feature stops accepting new requests and shows the current usage prominently. Existing data is unaffected — you can still view your dashboard, alerts, and history.
Credits (per-generation, refills monthly)
Credits are how Content Studio meters article generation. Each plan includes a monthly credit allocation:
| Plan | Monthly credits |
|---|---|
| Starter | 50 |
| Pro | 250 |
| Enterprise | 1500 |
Generation modes consume credits at different rates:
| Mode | Pipeline | Credit cost |
|---|---|---|
| Classic (single-shot generator) | 1 model call | 0 credits |
| Standard | 3 agents (Researcher → Writer → Headline) | 1 credit |
| Deep Research | 6 agents with web search (Researcher → Strategist → Writer → Editor → SEO → Headline) | 5 credits |
Classic is free because it's a baseline tool — you still get article drafts even when you're out of credits. Standard and Deep Research run the multi-agent pipeline that produces audit-ready content; those cost credits because they invoke many model calls in sequence. See Multi-Agent Content Generation for what each pipeline actually does.
The failed-generation rule
If a generation fails (any agent in the pipeline errors out, the model rejects the request, your input is rejected upstream), no credits are deducted. You only pay for successful, delivered articles. We refund credits automatically if a generation partially completes and then fails — no support ticket needed.
This applies to:
- API errors mid-pipeline
- Content moderation rejections
- Network timeouts on long-running Deep Research runs
- Audit-stage hard blocks that you don't override
Where to check your balance
- Settings → Billing & Usage — full breakdown of both quotas and credits, with monthly history
- Top of Content Studio — current credit balance shown next to the generate button
- Per-project dashboard — scan quota usage shown on the dashboard header
When a quota or credit pool drops below 10% remaining, you get an in-app notification with an upgrade link.
Buying extra credits
You can top up credits without changing your plan. Top-ups never expire — unlike monthly allocations, purchased credits roll forward indefinitely.
| Pack | Credits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Small | 100 | $25 |
| Medium | 500 | $99 |
| Large | 2000 | $349 |
Find the top-up button in Settings → Billing & Usage. Payment is processed via your existing card on file.
Upgrading mid-month
Upgrades take effect immediately. We prorate the new plan's cost against the remaining month, charge the difference, and immediately credit you the new plan's full quota and credit allocation (minus what you've already used in the current month under the old plan).
Downgrades take effect at the end of the current billing cycle to avoid losing access mid-month.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: I'm out of credits but I still need to publish today. What are my options?
Three options: (1) Use Classic mode in Content Studio — it's free of credits. (2) Buy a top-up pack. (3) Upgrade your plan. Top-up is fastest if it's a one-time need.
Q: Do scans count against quota even if they fail?
No. Failed scans are not counted. Same rule as credits — you only pay for successful work.
Q: My Autopilot subscription — does it share credits with my regular plan?
Yes, Autopilot draws from your regular credit pool. Pricing on the Autopilot tiers includes substantially larger credit allocations to cover the daily publishing cadence — see the pricing page for details.
Q: I deleted a project — does that free up the quota?
Yes. Deleting a project frees the project slot immediately. Scans run against that deleted project remain counted in your historical scan-of-the-month usage.
Q: Can I see which articles consumed which credits?
Yes. Settings → Billing & Usage → Credit History shows every generation, the mode used, the credit cost, and a link back to the resulting article.
Q: Are credits transferable between team members?
Credits and quotas are workspace-wide, not per-user. Anyone on the team draws from the same pool, and the workspace owner sees the unified balance.
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