Understanding usage
Thesia counts two things separately: full simulations use your plan's capacity, and reads use a monthly allowance. You see the price of a run before it starts.
Two meters
| Read | Full simulation | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A fast estimate across a market population | A study, site audit, creative test or post simulation |
| Time | Seconds | Minutes |
| Counted against | Monthly read allowance | Your plan's monthly capacity, then credits |
See what each plan includes on the pricing page.
What makes a run cost more
- More people in the audience.
- More depth. Deliberation costs twice a single pass, and a deep run costs four times as much.
- More variants, and more turns in a discussion guide.
- For audits, more visitors, more pages per visitor, and more analysis types. Turning on persona reasoning doubles the cost.
- For video, more scenes and longer speech-to-text.
Replying in a conversation with an audience does not use capacity on paid plans.
How you are charged
- Set up the run. Thesia quotes it.
- You accept the quote. Capacity is reserved as the run starts.
- When the run ends, actual usage is settled and anything unused goes back.
The app shows usage as a percentage of your weekly and monthly windows. The API and MCP use the underlying unit, called a session. You can check where you stand in Billing or with GET /api/usage/status.
Thesia credits
On an active paid subscription you can buy credits for work beyond your included capacity. Included capacity is used first. Credits do not expire, and they are available while your subscription is active. The Free plan cannot buy them. Billing currently labels them Aetherya Credits.
Credits extend capacity. They do not unlock features your plan does not include, or lift abuse limits.
If a run is too big
Reduce the audience, the depth, the number of variants or the length of the media. All of these lower the quote directly.
Questions
How do I know how much capacity a run needs?
Thesia quotes a run before it starts. The app shows the price as a share of your plan, and the API and MCP show it in sessions. Nothing is spent until you accept.
What happens when I reach a usage limit?
The run is declined before it starts, so nothing is charged. You can wait for your monthly window to reset, reduce the study, upgrade, or purchase Thesia credits if you have an active paid subscription.
How are refunds handled for failed runs?
Capacity is reserved when a run starts and settled when it ends. If a system failure stops the work, the unused reservation is returned automatically.
Need help sizing your work? Contact us · All docs