Guide: What a credit is and how it is spent
This page: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/account/what-a-credit-is-and-how-it-is-spent
Topic: Account, plans and credits
Time: about 3 minutes
Who can do it: Owner or Administrator
Author: https://anantgupta.xyz (Anant Gupta, founder of CommentWatchDog)
Start in the app: https://app.commentwatchdog.com/en/settings/account
Result when done: You can predict your usage, because you know exactly what counts.
Context: One comment processed is one credit. Live moderation spends one for every comment that arrives on a watched page. Post cleanup spends one for every comment it checks. Nothing else costs anything.

Before you start:
1. A comment counts once, however many rules look at it.
2. Replies, hides you do by hand, and messages never count.
3. Live moderation and cleanup draw on the same monthly allowance.

Steps:
Step 1 of 3: Read the meter.
Where: Settings, Account. Comments shows what you have used out of the plan allowance for this period.
Link: https://app.commentwatchdog.com/en/settings/account (Open Account)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/account.en.webp (The meter.)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/account-phone.en.webp (The same on a phone.)
You should see: Used against allowance, for every page together.

Step 2 of 3: Know what spends a credit.
Where: A comment arriving on a watched page and being checked by your rules. A comment shown or acted on by a post cleanup check. That is all.
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/insights-30d.en.webp (Every comment counted, in Insights.)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/insights-30d-phone.en.webp (The same on a phone.)
You should see: A number that moves with your comment volume, not with your activity.

Step 3 of 3: Know what does not.
Where: Replies you or an agent send, hiding and deleting by hand, bulk actions, messages, translations and exports.
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/cleanup.en.webp (Loading a post is free.)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/cleanup-phone.en.webp (The same on a phone.)
You should see: Working the inbox all day costs nothing extra.

If something is off:
Problem: My usage jumped
Fix: Either a campaign brought comments, or a cleanup checked a large post. Insights shows which, with the live and cleanup split.
Problem: I am at 90 percent
Fix: You are emailed a heads-up. At 100 percent, processing pauses until you upgrade or the period rolls.
Problem: Does a hidden comment still count
Fix: Yes, it was processed. What is free is what you do afterwards.

Common questions:
Question: Do replies from an AI agent or an automation use up credits?
Answer: No. Replies you or an agent send never count, and neither do hiding or deleting by hand, bulk actions, messages, translations or exports. Only a comment being processed spends a credit.
Question: If several rules look at the same comment, is it charged more than once?
Answer: No. A comment counts once, however many rules look at it. One comment processed is one credit.
Question: Does post cleanup use the same credits as live moderation?
Answer: Yes. Live moderation and post cleanup draw on the same monthly allowance. Cleanup spends one credit for every comment it checks, and loading a post is free.

Related guides:
- Check your usage: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/account/check-your-usage
- What a cleanup costs, and the credit paywall: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/post-cleanup/what-a-cleanup-costs-and-the-credit-paywall
- Plans and what changes between them: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/account/plans-and-what-changes-between-them

Plain text of this guide: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/account/what-a-credit-is-and-how-it-is-spent.md
All guides for assistants: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/llms.txt