Credits are Twain's usage currency. You spend them when you generate a lead, and how many you spend depends on the mode you pick for that lead.
What a generation costs
Research and messages are produced in a single generation. There is no separate charge for generating a sequence and then generating research on the same lead.
Action | Cost |
Generate a lead on Base | 1 credit |
Generate a lead on High | 2 credits |
Generate a lead on Ultra | 10 credits for the first message step, then 2 credits for each additional step |
Re-generating a lead in the same campaign and mode | Free |
Bulk imports, list operations | Free |
Upgrading a lead to a stronger mode charges that mode's cost, because Twain runs the deeper research and writes again. For what each mode actually researches and how to decide between them, see How Modes Work: Base, High, and Ultra.
API and orchestration usage
Actions performed via the API consume credits at the same rate as the web app, at the cost of the mode used for that generation.
‼️ Important note for Clay users: Unlike the web app, which remembers a lead automatically, API calls are triggered by your orchestration tool. Rerunning an existing row sends a new request to Twain and consumes credits again, at the cost of the mode in that request. To avoid extra costs, we recommend using conditional logic to only run the API for empty rows.
Example
Generate Lead A on Base on Day 1 → costs 1 credit.
Update Lead A with new data on Day 10, same campaign and mode → 0 additional credits.
Upgrade Lead A to High → costs 2 credits, and you get the deeper research and a new sequence.
Generate Lead A in a different campaign → normal credit charge applies.
Seeing where your credits went
Every campaign has a log showing who generated which leads, in which mode, and how many credits it cost. Open it from the campaign view if a charge looks unexpected.
Getting credits
Free trial: new accounts start with 500 credits.
Monthly subscription: your balance is topped up automatically each month.
On-demand top-ups: purchase extra credits anytime, no plan upgrade needed.
Shared balance: one credit pool powers the API, the web app, and your entire team.
Why this system exists
One balance covers every mode, so you can spend lightly on volume and heavily on the accounts that matter.
Makes credit spending predictable and scalable.
Allows teams of any size to share a common credit pool instead of paying per seat.