How credits work.
A credit is a small unit of conversion budget — fine-grained enough that short documents cost a handful, large books cost a hundred or two. The honest benchmark: roughly 100 credits covers one average English book of about 300 pages at Standard quality. Short documents — a 40-page brand guide, a tight methodology doc — can come in as low as 15 credits. Credits refresh with your plan each billing cycle and can be topped up any time as a one-off purchase.
Before any build starts, SkillPill shows you the exact credit cost and asks you to confirm. Nothing is charged until you click Confirm & Build. If the build fails at any point in the pipeline, those credits come straight back to your balance automatically — no email needed.
You see the exact credit cost — including quality and speed choices — before anything runs. Approve it, then we go.
The formula in plain English
Under the hood, the credit count is calculated from three things: how much text is in your source (measured in characters, not pages), what language it's in, and which quality and speed options you chose. Pages are a rough proxy at best — a dense academic page and a dialogue-heavy novel page are very different sizes. Characters are the honest measure.
The base rate is 6,000 characters of English source = 1 credit. That figure is then multiplied by a language factor, a quality factor, and a speed factor. The 15-credit minimum exists to cover the fixed processing cost that every conversion incurs regardless of source size.
Language multipliers
English is the most token-efficient script the model handles. Every other language requires more tokens to represent the same semantic content, which means more of our API cost per character — and that's reflected in your credit cost. This is not a surcharge; it's the underlying reality of how language models process different scripts. A live test with a Ukrainian edition of a short book that looked like 23,000 tokens turned out to be over 120,000 tokens in practice. Page count hides this entirely.
| Language group | Multiplier | Examples | Worked example — 300pp avg book |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | ×1.0 | English | 600K chars ÷ 6,000 = 100 credits Standard |
| Other Latin script | ×1.5 | Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Italian, Polish | 600K × 1.5 ÷ 6,000 = 150 credits Standard |
| Cyrillic script | ×2.5 | Ukrainian, Russian, Bulgarian, Serbian | 600K × 2.5 ÷ 6,000 = 250 credits Standard |
| Arabic / Hebrew / Indic | ×3.0 | Arabic, Hebrew, Hindi, Bengali, Tamil | 600K × 3.0 ÷ 6,000 = 300 credits Standard |
| CJK | ×4.0 | Chinese (simplified/traditional), Japanese, Korean | 600K × 4.0 ÷ 6,000 = 400 credits Standard |
The character count is computed at upload time from the extracted text — it's shown to you on the confirm screen before any credits move.
Quality: Standard vs Pro
Standard quality (built on Sonnet 4.6) is the right choice for the large majority of builds. It produces a solid, citation-grounded skill with full chapter structure, glossary, patterns, and cheatsheet — everything in the standard SKILL.md output. This is what ~90% of skills are built on.
Pro quality (built on Opus, the more powerful model with a deeper analysis pass) costs exactly twice the credits of Standard. The cost is higher because it genuinely costs us roughly twice as much to produce — more analysis passes, richer synthesis, a more thorough cross-referencing step. You'll notice the difference most on dense non-fiction where conceptual depth matters: academic texts, complex methodologies, structured frameworks with many interdependencies. For a brand guide or a straightforward SOP, Standard is usually sufficient.
Pro quality is unlocked starting from the Plus plan. Trial and Starter users build at Standard quality only.
Speed: Standard vs Real-time
Standard delivery runs your build through the Batch API, which processes jobs asynchronously and delivers results in up to about 24 hours. This is the default, and for most use cases — building a skill you'll use for weeks or months — the wait is irrelevant. Batch processing also lets us keep costs controlled, which is what funds the price point.
Real-time delivery skips the batch queue and runs the full pipeline immediately, delivering your skill in 30–60 minutes. It costs 4× the credits of the same build at Standard speed. This multiplier applies on top of quality — a Standard-quality build that costs 15 credits at Standard speed costs 60 credits at Real-time speed.
Real-time is an optional add-on on any paid plan. It's not available on the Trial (Trial builds run at Standard speed only).
What things actually cost.
Enough with the formula — here's what real builds cost in practice, and how many of each fit inside a given plan's monthly allocation.
| Document | Size | Language | Quality | Speed | Credits | Fits in plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average non-fiction book | ~300 pp | English | Standard | Standard | ~100 | Starter: ~3 / Plus: ~10 / Premium: ~24 |
| Long business book or textbook | ~500 pp | English | Standard | Standard | ~160–184 | Starter: ~1–2 / Plus: ~5–6 / Premium: ~13 |
| Average English book | ~300 pp | English | Pro (Opus) | Standard | ~200 | Plus: ~5 / Premium: ~12 |
| Short brand guide or methodology doc | ~40 pp | English | Standard | Standard | 15–20 | Starter: ~15–20 / Plus: 50+ / Premium: 100+ |
| Average book in Ukrainian (Cyrillic ×2.5) | ~300 pp | Ukrainian | Standard | Standard | ~250 | Starter: ~1 / Plus: ~4 / Premium: ~9 |
| Short brand guide, Real-time delivery | ~40 pp | English | Standard | Real-time | 60–80 | Starter: ~4–5 / Plus: ~12–16 / Premium: ~30 |
| Dense English SOP or guide | ~50 pp | English | Standard | Standard | 15–20 | Starter: ~15–20 / Plus: 50+ / Premium: 100+ |
These are approximations. Your actual credit cost is computed at upload time from the character count of the extracted text and shown on the confirm screen. Two 300-page books in the same language can have meaningfully different character counts depending on formatting, footnotes, and text density — the estimate on the confirm screen is exact, not a range.
If the build fails at any stage — extraction, pipeline error, QA failure, timeout — the credits come back to your balance automatically. You'll see the refund in your Credit history within minutes. No form to fill, no email to send.
Plans.
Four tiers, each with a fixed monthly credit allocation that refreshes on your billing date. The Trial is a one-time seven-day window — not a recurring plan. All prices in USD.
~1 average English book (Standard)
- QualityStandard only
- Source capSmall (1 file)
- TurnaroundUp to 24h
Converts to Starter ($29/mo) on day 8 unless you cancel. Cancel: one click from Billing.
~3 average English books (Standard)
- QualityStandard only
- Source cap≤ 500 pages
- TurnaroundUp to 24h
- SupportEmail
Annual: ~$22/mo (3 months free).
~10 average English books (Standard) or ~5 Pro builds
- QualityStandard + Pro
- Source cap≤ 1,500 pages
- TurnaroundPriority
- Shareable links✓
Annual: ~$62/mo. Pro model unlocked.
~24 average English books (Standard)
- QualityStandard + Pro
- Source capUncapped
- TurnaroundPriority
- SupportPriority SLA
Annual: ~$134/mo. For weekly shippers.
Billing periods and discounts
Every paid plan (Starter, Plus, Premium) can be billed monthly or prepaid at a discount. You pick the billing period at signup or from the Billing page at any time.
| Period | Discount | Plus example | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly | — | $83/mo | Default. Pay each month. |
| 3 months | −10% | ~$75/mo ($224 prepaid) | Paid upfront, one charge. |
| 6 months | −18% | ~$68/mo ($408 prepaid) | Paid upfront, one charge. |
| Annual (12 months) | −25% | ~$62/mo ($747 prepaid) | "3 months free" framing. Best per-credit rate on your plan. |
Even on prepaid periods, credits are still allocated monthly — you do not receive all 12 months of credits upfront. The billing is prepaid; the credit drip is monthly. This keeps your usage smooth and prevents an accidental 12x splurge in month one.
What happens to unused monthly credits
Monthly plan credits reset on your billing date. Unused credits from the previous cycle do not carry over into the next cycle. Each billing date you start fresh with your plan's full allocation. If you have 80 credits left on day 29, those 80 credits are replaced by your full allocation on day 30 — the leftover is gone.
This is why top-up credits (one-time purchases) are treated differently from plan credits — see §4 below for how they interact with your monthly balance and how spending order works.
Credits you buy as a one-time top-up stay on your account until you spend them — they don't reset with your billing cycle. If you buy 200 credits in July and only use 80, the remaining 120 are still there in August, September, and beyond.
How to top up.
Topping up takes about 60 seconds. Credits land on your account immediately after payment — there is no processing delay. Here is the exact flow.
Open the credits pill in the app header.
In the app, look at the top right of any page — you'll see a pill showing your current credit balance (e.g., TRIAL · 85 CREDITS ▾). Click it to open the dropdown. Alternatively, go directly to Billing → Credit history from the app navigation — both paths lead to the same place.
Choose "Top up credits".
In the dropdown you'll see three links: Top up credits, Credit history, and Upgrade plan. Click Top up credits →. This opens the top-up modal.
Pick a pack.
Four pack sizes are available. Bigger packs cost less per credit — there is no commitment and no subscription implied by any pack. The system pre-selects the smallest pack that covers any shortfall you currently have for a pending job.
| Pack | Price | Rate | vs base |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50 credits | $2.00 | $0.040 / credit | Base rate |
| 200 credits | $7.20 | $0.036 / credit | −10% |
| 500 credits ★ | $16.50 | $0.033 / credit | −18% · best for most |
| 1,000 credits | $30.00 | $0.030 / credit | −25% |
A custom amount input is also available if you want a number between the standard packs. The per-credit rate is shown live as you type.
Pay via the card on file.
The top-up modal shows the exact charge amount and which card will be billed. If you have no card on file you'll be prompted to add one via Stripe's checkout. The summary line reads: Charge today — [amount], along with your current balance and what it will be after the top-up.
Credits land instantly.
After payment, your new balance appears in the header pill immediately. You'll also see a line in Credit history: Top-up · [N] credits · $[amount]. The credits are available for your next build right away.
How spending order works
When a build runs and credits are deducted, your monthly plan credits are spent first. Top-up credits are only drawn down after your monthly allowance is exhausted. This means top-up credits effectively sit in reserve and don't start depleting until your plan allocation for the cycle is gone.
Practically speaking: if you're on Starter (300 credits/month) and have 50 top-up credits on your account, the first 300 credits of builds in a cycle come from your plan allocation. Only once those 300 are spent do the 50 top-up credits start to count. At the end of the billing cycle, the 300 plan credits reset (unused ones are gone); the top-up credits carry forward as-is.
Unlike monthly plan credits, top-up credits stay on your account until you spend them. They don't reset at the end of a billing cycle and don't expire when you change plans or cancel (though they are forfeited if you close your account entirely).
Changing plans.
You can upgrade or downgrade your plan at any time from Billing. Upgrades take effect immediately; downgrades take effect at the end of your current billing period.
Upgrading: prorated charge explained
When you upgrade mid-cycle, you're charged the prorated difference in plan price for the remaining days in the current billing period. On your next billing date, you're charged the full new plan price. Here's what that looks like in practice.
The important thing is that the prorated charge figure in the upgrade modal is fetched live from the billing system and reflects the exact method being used. If you see "$25.20 (prorated for 14 remaining days of 30-day cycle)", that arithmetic checks out.
What happens to credits when you upgrade
When you upgrade your plan, your new plan's credit allocation is added to your balance immediately. The credits from your old plan that you've already used this cycle are not reimbursed — you're picking up from where you are, with the new plan's allowance topped up on top.
Note: the exact credit top-up mechanic at upgrade (whether you receive a full new-plan allocation immediately, or a prorated credit allocation for the remaining days) is subject to how this is implemented in the billing backend. If this matters for your decision, email support before upgrading and we'll confirm the exact behavior.
Downgrading
If you downgrade — for example, from Plus back to Starter — the change takes effect at the end of your current billing period. You keep full access to your current plan's features and credit allocation until that date. On the next billing date, you're charged the lower plan price and receive the lower plan's credit allocation going forward.
Skills you've already built are not affected by a downgrade. They stay in your account and remain yours regardless of which plan you're on.
Switching billing periods
You can switch between monthly and prepaid billing periods (3-month, 6-month, annual) from the Billing page. Switching to a longer period takes effect on your next billing date — you'll see the discounted rate applied to the next charge.
Cancel & refunds.
Cancellation is one click from Billing. There are no retention calls, no "are you sure" mazes, no emails you need to send first.
How to cancel a subscription
Go to Billing → Cancel in the app. Your subscription is cancelled immediately, but your access continues until the end of the period you've already paid for. No further charges follow. Skills you built stay in your account after cancellation — they don't expire, and the SKILL.md files are yours to keep regardless.
Cancelling the Trial
The Trial gives you seven days and 100 credits. If you cancel any time before day 8, no further charge is made. If you do nothing, on day 8 the trial auto-converts to the Starter plan at $29/month and your card is charged. We send a reminder email before this conversion happens.
The $10 trial charge itself is non-refundable after 14 days from signup. Within that 14-day window, email [email protected] with your account email and we'll refund it with no reason needed.
Automatic credit refunds
When a build fails — for any reason — the credits come back automatically. No email, no form. The refund appears in your Credit history within minutes. Failure cases covered: conversion pipeline error, QA failure (not enough of the skill's claims can be verified against your source), source file unreadable (scanned image PDFs, encrypted files, corrupt uploads), and pipeline timeout after 48 hours on Standard tier with no progress.
If you need a cash refund instead of a credit refund — for example you signed up specifically for that one build — email us within 14 days and we'll process it.
Top-up refunds
Unspent top-up credits purchased within the last 14 days are refundable in cash (less Stripe processing fees). After 14 days, unspent top-up credits remain on your account indefinitely but are no longer cash-refundable. If you need to discuss a specific case, email us.
For the complete refund policy — including all edge cases and timelines — see the full Refund Policy page.