One credit is $0.01 of list value. A new account gets 400 credits once. Plans add monthly credits: Lite $5 for 500, Standard $50 for 5,500 and Pro $500 for 60,000; every plan opens the whole app. Packs are one-time and never expire: $10 for 1,000, $100 for 11,000 and $1,000 for 120,000. Reading a Story of the day costs 3 to 25 credits a version, most at 3; branches and your own builds show their price first. You pay each story or branch version once, and follows, diffs and notifications are free.
One unit: the credit
Every price in Amten is in credits, and 1 credit is $0.01 of list value. Prices follow the measured cost of the work plus a margin: reads of shared stories are spread over their readers, so they are cheap; your own questions are built for you, so they cost more. There are no daily limits and no per-task limits: a task runs when you have credits for its estimate.
Your first 400 credits arrive once, at sign-up: about three stories of your own, and plenty to read.
Plans and packs
A plan adds credits every month for a monthly price. A pack is a one-time purchase. Every plan opens the whole app; the larger ones add bonus credits.
| Option | Price | Credits | Expiry |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sign-up grant | Free, once | 400 | Never |
| Lite plan | $5 a month | 500 a month | End of the UTC month |
| Standard plan | $50 a month | 5,500 a month (+10%) | End of the UTC month |
| Pro plan | $500 a month | 60,000 a month (+20%) | End of the UTC month |
| Pack | $10 once | 1,000 | Never |
| Pack | $100 once | 11,000 (+10%) | Never |
| Pack | $1,000 once | 120,000 (+20%) | Never |
What things cost
Reading is cheap and building is priced up front. Every paid action names its price on the button before it runs.
| Action | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Read a Story of the day | 3 to 25 credits a version | Most at the floor of 3 |
| Open a pre-built branch | About 5 credits | Built for this story version already |
| A new research branch | About 99 credits, at most 150 | Estimate shown; you confirm |
| Build your own story | Floor 10 credits, at most about 225 | Estimate and ceiling shown first |
| Re-read, follow, diffs, notifications | Free | Always |
Pay each version once
A story version or a branch version is paid for once per person. Re-reading it, re-opening it on another device and reading its later diffs are free. When a followed story gets a new version, the diff is free; reading the full new version of a Story of the day is one more read.
An estimate is held while a build runs and released when it settles at its measured cost, which is usually lower. The "at most" figure is a ceiling, enforced while the work runs.
Expiry, and which credits are spent first
Monthly plan credits expire at the end of the UTC month and renew with the plan. Every other credit (the sign-up grant, packs, grants, promotions and refunds) never expires. A charge takes plan credits first, because they expire soonest, then the lasting ones.
When your balance runs low, Amten shows a calm prompt such as "12 credits left: enough for about 2 reads" with a way to add credits. It never blocks a story you already paid for.
Common questions
Is there a free plan?
There is a free start: 400 credits once at sign-up, which never expire. After that, a plan or a pack adds credits.
Do plan credits roll over?
No. Monthly plan credits expire at the end of the UTC month. Pack, grant, promotional and refunded credits never expire.
Are there daily limits?
No. A task runs whenever your balance covers its estimate.
Do I pay again when a story I follow changes?
Not for the diff or the notification. Reading the full new version of a Story of the day is priced once for that version.
Where are the full terms?
In the Terms of Use, credits section, at amten.ai/terms#credits.