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Knouds organizes access to models and features through four self-serve tiers (Free, Creator, Pro, Business) plus a custom Enterprise contract. Each tier gives you a credit allowance you spend when running pipelines, plus controls which models you can reach and which API capabilities your keys can grant. This page explains what each tier includes and how to move between them.

Plan comparison

PlanCreditsModelsAPI access
Free250 lifetime credits + trial grantsStandard models, trial-gated accessCanvas only (no external API)
Creator1,700 credits / monthStandard modelsCanvas only (no external API)
Pro5,000 credits / monthAll standard modelsworkflow:run/read/write + per-flow allowlist + webhook:receive. 100 req/min.
Business11,329 credits / monthAll models, including Seedance 2.0+ model:run + per-model allowlist + agent:invoke. 1,000 req/min.
Pro and Business credits refresh on each billing cycle. Creator credits refresh monthly. Free credits are a one-time lifetime grant. Credits do not roll over — unused credits from one period are replaced by the new period’s allowance.
Enterprise is available as a custom contract for high-volume teams. It includes unlimited rate limits, custom credit allowances, and dedicated support. Contact us at knouds.ai to discuss.

The Free tier and trial grants

The Free tier does not work like a paid plan with a small credit balance. Instead, Knouds gives you trial grants: a fixed number of free runs on selected models, after which access to that model is blocked until you upgrade. There are two trial grant shapes:
  • Count grants — for example, 3 free lifetime runs of a given model. Once you’ve used all three, that model is blocked on your account. You cannot top up your credit balance to unlock more runs; you must upgrade to a paid tier.
  • Time grants — a window of open access (for example, 7 days). Your first run opens the window. When the window closes, the model is blocked until you upgrade.
Trial grants are a “try before you buy” mechanism tied to your tier, not your credit balance. If you exhaust a trial grant, buying a top-up pack will not restore access. You need to upgrade to Pro or above.
The exact number of free runs and which models are trial-gated is shown in the model picker inside the canvas editor.

Monthly credit refresh on paid plans

On Creator, Pro, Business, and Enterprise, your credit balance is reset to your plan’s allowance each time your subscription renews. The renewal is handled automatically via Stripe. You can see the date of your last refresh in Settings → Billing. If you are on an annual plan, you receive a credit bonus compared to the monthly rate. The exact bonus is shown at checkout.

Business tier: application required

Subscribing to Business requires an approved business verification. You must complete the application before Stripe will accept your subscription. To apply:
  1. Go to Settings → Business Apply.
  2. Fill in your company details and submit the verification form.
  3. Wait for approval (you will receive an email notification).
  4. Once approved, go to Settings → Billing and select the Business plan.
Until your application is approved, the Business plan checkout is disabled for your account.

Seedance 2.0 and premium models

Seedance 2.0 (both image-to-video and text-to-video variants) is only available on Business and Enterprise tiers. If you try to run a workflow containing a Seedance 2.0 node on a lower tier, the execution will be blocked with a MODEL_TIER_REQUIRED error. Other models may also carry tier restrictions — the model picker shows a lock badge on any model your current tier cannot access.

API key capabilities

The API keys you create in the Developer Dashboard carry an explicit set of capabilities, capped by your tier ceiling:
TierAPI key ceiling
Free(empty — no external API access by product design)
Creator(empty — canvas only, no external API)
Proworkflow:run, workflow:read, workflow:write, workflow:<slug>:run, webhook:receive
Business / Enterprise+ model:run, model:<id>:run, agent:invoke
Capabilities are orthogonal — a Pro user can grant a Read-only key (workflow:read only) for audit/monitoring without unlocking the rest. Upgrading your tier automatically expands the ceiling. Existing keys keep the capabilities they were granted at creation; rotate or re-grant them after upgrading if you need the new permissions. See the API authentication guide for the full capability vocabulary, presets, and migration notes.

How to upgrade

  1. Go to Settings → Billing.
  2. Select the plan you want.
  3. Choose monthly or annual billing and complete checkout via Stripe.
Your credits are reset to the new tier’s allowance immediately after the Stripe payment is confirmed.
If you are on the Free tier and hitting grant limits frequently, upgrading to Pro is the fastest path to unblocked access — no application required.