How credits map to dollars and the platform margin

Credits are HIIE's unit for managed inference. This article explains exactly what a credit is worth and where the platform margin is taken — so the numbers on your meter make sense.

One credit = $0.01 of actual value

A single credit represents $0.01 of actual inference value. Metering bills at actual cost with no markup, so when you run a managed prompt the engine deducts credits equal to the real underlying inference cost.

The 30% margin is taken once, at grant

When you buy credits — via a plan or a top-up — a 30% platform margin is applied a single time, at the moment of grant. The granting formula is:

credits = price × 100 × 0.70

So paying $10 delivers $7 of actual inference value (700 credits); the other 30% is the platform margin. Because the margin is taken up front, your ongoing usage is billed at true cost — there's no second markup layered on each run.

Why this matters for your meter

This model is why your balance can honestly read as "balance / monthly grant." Your monthly credits reflect the real dollar value of inference you can consume, and each run draws down that value at cost.

A quick reference

• $20 (Starter) → 1,400 credits ($14 value)
• $99 (Pro) → 6,930 credits
• $150 (Scale) → 10,500 credits ($105 value)

If you bring your own key, none of this applies — your runs are unmetered and post as $0.