Credits are the unit of measurement for contact exports in SphereScout. Every time you export a contact record, one credit is deducted from your balance. Your plan gives you a fixed pool of credits each month, and that balance resets on your billing date — unused credits do not carry over. Understanding how credits work helps you plan your outreach campaigns without interruption.Documentation Index
Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.spherescout.io/llms.txt
Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
What counts as one credit
One credit equals one exported contact record. When you run a search and export 500 contacts, SphereScout deducts 500 credits. Browsing search results, previewing contacts in the dashboard, and running searches without exporting are all free — credits are only consumed at the point of export.Viewing your credit balance
Your current credit balance is always visible in the top bar of your dashboard. The display shows:- Subscription credits remaining — credits from your current monthly plan
- Purchased credits remaining — one-time top-up credits, if you have any
Monthly credit reset
Subscription credits reset on the same date each month — your billing date. The reset brings your balance back to your plan’s full monthly allocation. Credits that you did not use in the previous month are forfeited; they do not roll over to the next cycle.Purchased (one-time) credits do not reset monthly. They remain in your account until you use them, regardless of billing cycles.
Subscription plans and credit allocations
SphereScout offers three subscription tiers. All plans include access to every search filter, all export formats, and unlimited searches.| Plan | Monthly credits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | 15,000 | $49 / month |
| Growth | 50,000 | $99 / month |
| Scale | 500,000 | $499 / month |
What happens when you run out of credits
When your credit balance reaches zero, exports stop. You can still search and preview results, but the export button will be disabled until you replenish your balance. You have two options to restore access:Buy a credit top-up
Purchase a one-time block of credits to continue exporting without waiting for your monthly reset. Top-ups are immediately added to your purchased credit balance.
Upgrade your plan
Switch to a higher plan tier to get a larger monthly credit allocation. Your new plan credits become available immediately on upgrade.
Subscription credits vs. purchased credits
SphereScout maintains two separate credit pools in your account.Subscription credits
Subscription credits
These credits come from your active monthly plan. They refresh automatically on your billing date and are the primary source of credits for most users. Subscription credits expire at the end of each billing cycle if unused.
Purchased credits
Purchased credits
These are credits you buy as a one-time purchase outside your subscription. They do not expire and are not affected by billing cycles. SphereScout uses your subscription credits first; purchased credits only draw down after your subscription balance is exhausted.
How to make the most of your credits
Narrow your search before exporting
Use filters to target exactly the contacts you need. A tighter search means fewer irrelevant records in your export, so your credits go further.
Use presence filters
Filter for contacts that have an email, phone, or specific social profiles before exporting. This ensures every credit you spend produces a contact you can actually reach.
Monitor your balance
Keep an eye on the credit counter in the dashboard top bar, especially mid-month during active campaigns. Top up early to avoid campaign interruptions.