Credits, prompts or answers: three ways tools meter the work
Some plans count questions, some count answers and some sell credits. Here is how the directory splits, what each unit hides, and the one question that makes any allowance comparable.
Put three AI visibility pricing pages side by side and you will often find three different units. One plan offers “50 prompts”. Another offers “2,250 answers a month”. A third offers “2,000 credits”. They can’t all be compared directly, and that is not an accident of design. Each unit puts the uncertainty in a different place.
How the directory meters work
We sorted every tool by the unit its cheapest published offer is stated in.
- 12
- 6
- 6
- 5
- 4
- 1
Out of 34 tools in the Hyperfind directory, 11 November 2026.
Prompts are the most common single unit, but far from universal: several plans state an answer allowance alongside their prompt limit, and others sell credits. A sizeable group either sells by quote or doesn’t publish a numeric allowance at all, which is why a fair price comparison has to leave room for “not confirmed”.
What each unit hides
Prompts
Easy to understand: the number of questions you track.
- Hides how many platforms each prompt is asked on
- Hides how often it runs
- May be shared across all brands
Answers or responses
Closest to the real work: one answer from one platform.
- Lets you trade prompts for platforms or frequency
- Runs out faster than you expect when you add platforms
- Watch for months with five weekly runs
Credits
A general-purpose currency spent on different kinds of work.
- One answer may cost different credits on different platforms
- Reports, audits and content may draw on the same pool
- The exchange rate is often not published
Usage pricing
Pay for the work actually run, usually from a prepaid balance.
- No fixed allowance to outgrow
- Cost moves with every change to the workload
- Minimum top-ups and expiry dates matter
Credits in practice
Credit plans are flexible, which is their appeal. OtterlyAI shows a monthly credit allowance alongside the number of prompts it buys at a displayed set-up, and that number changes with the platforms you pick. Rankscale sells monthly credits that brand dashboards share. Waikay uses credits for reports, action plans and tracking alike.
The catch is the exchange rate. If a provider doesn’t say how many credits one answer on one platform costs, nobody outside can turn credits into a workload. On this site we never do that conversion. The calculator lists those plans as needing confirmation instead of inventing a number.
Turning any allowance into your workload
- Write your four numbersPrompts, platforms, brands and runs a month.
- MultiplyThat is your monthly answer count.
- Match the unitPrompts: check runs and platforms. Answers: compare directly. Credits: ask the rate.
- Check the extrasAudits and content may use the same allowance.
Our piece on the number behind every plan has an interactive counter for step two. Once you have your answer count, Promptmonitor-style answer allowances can be compared directly, and prompt allowances can be checked against your schedule.
For usage-priced tools the question flips: instead of “does it fit?”, it’s “what will this month cost?”. That is the subject of our walk-through of prepaid credit.
Sources
- OtterlyAI pricing viewed 11 Nov 2026
- Rankscale pricing viewed 11 Nov 2026
- Waikay free plan viewed 11 Nov 2026
- Promptmonitor pricing viewed 11 Nov 2026
Directory figures come from Hyperfind’s profiles of 34 tools, not the whole market. Prices follow each provider’s published offer on the date shown in its profile.
