Credit System
How MakePhotos credits work — two pools, consumption order, costs, and top-ups.
Credit System
MakePhotos uses a credit-based system. Every generation and transformation costs credits. API usage shares the same credit pool as the web application.
Two credit pools
Your account has two separate credit pools:
Monthly credits
- Included with your subscription tier
- Reset to your tier's limit at each billing cycle
- Unused credits do not roll over
Top-up credits
- Purchased one-time via credit packs
- Never expire
- Persist across billing cycles
Consumption order
Credits are always deducted from monthly credits first, then top-up credits. This maximizes the value of your purchased top-ups since monthly credits reset anyway.
Available: 20 monthly + 50 top-up = 70 total
Generate (cost: 4):
→ Deduct 4 from monthly
→ Result: 16 monthly + 50 top-up = 66 total
Generate (cost: 20):
→ Deduct 16 from monthly + 4 from top-up
→ Result: 0 monthly + 46 top-up = 46 totalCredit costs
| Operation | Base cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Photo generation | 1 credit | Per image at 1K |
| Background removal | 10 credits | Flat rate |
| Upload | Free | No credit cost |
| Check balance | Free | No credit cost |
Resolution multiplier
Generation cost scales with resolution:
| Resolution | Credit multiplier |
|---|---|
1K | 1× |
2K | 2× |
4K | 4× |
Formula: cost = baseCost × resolutionMultiplier
Subscription tiers
| Tier | Monthly credits | Monthly price |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | 50 | $9 |
| Pro | 1,000 | $29 |
| Max | 3,000 | $49 |
| Ultra | 10,000 | $99 |
Annual plans are available at a discount.
Top-up packs
| Pack | Credits | Price | Per credit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50 Credits | 50 | $4.99 | $0.10 |
| 200 Credits | 200 | $14.99 | $0.07 |
| 500 Credits | 500 | $29.99 | $0.06 |
| 1,000 Credits | 1,000 | $49.99 | $0.05 |
Top-ups are priced higher per-credit than subscription allowances to incentivize tier upgrades.
Refunds on failure
If a generation fails (AI model error, timeout, etc.), credits are automatically refunded via an atomic database operation. You never lose credits to failed generations.