monday.com AI Credits Explained – Pricing, Trial Balance & Purchasing Options (2026)

What Are monday.com AI Credits?

AI credits are the currency unit for AI-powered features in monday.com. Every time a user intentionally triggers an AI task – such as running an AI Block in an automation or an agent call – credits are consumed.

The essentials in 30 seconds:

• 1 AI Credit = $0.01 (yearly subscription)
• 1 AI action = 8 credits = $0.08
• One-time trial balance: 6,000 credits (Standard/Pro) or 12,000 credits (Enterprise)
• After that: purchase credit packages starting at $960/year
• From July 20, 2026: Sidekick messages and images also consume credits
• Many of the most valuable features still cost zero credits

💡 AI Credits ≠ Vibe Credits/Publishing. This article describes the system for AI Blocks, Agents and CRM features. monday Vibe (the App Builder) has had a separate dual pricing model since May 6, 2026: a $10/app/month publishing fee plus credit consumption per prompt (build phase, end-user prompts, internal AI blocks). Customers who buy credit packages get free published apps on top – Enterprise gets 5, for example. Full breakdown in our monday Vibe Pricing 2026 article.

The Big Move: Sidekick Switches to the Credit Model

Starting July 20, 2026, monday Sidekick messages, Sidekick image generation, and AI Workflow runs will consume AI credits – depending on the complexity of the interaction. Previously, these features were free for many users.

What this means in practice:

• Sidekick Lite was previously limited to 5 messages per day and free – this model is being discontinued.
• Sidekick messages now cost between 1 and 8 credits depending on complexity.
• Sidekick image generation typically costs 8–16 credits per image.
• AI Workflow runs consume 8 credits per execution if they include an AI Block.
• New monday AI features also consume varying credits depending on the action.

📚 Official overview of all AI features and their credit costs: monday AI Feature Catalog

Practical impact: Teams that used Sidekick as a free assistant will need to budget for ongoing costs from July 20. Especially with heavy image generation or complex multi-step prompts, consumption can rise faster than with pure AI Blocks.

What Changed? Old vs. New System

Until Q4 2025, every monday.com account received 500 free AI credits per month. The new system works differently:

The effective price for standard AI actions hasn't changed – but the increased granularity is a real advantage: in the old system, every action cost a flat 1 credit ($0.08). Now, actions can be priced more precisely. You only pay for the actual AI workload consumed.

How Credits Are Consumed

The Core Rule: Per Item, Not Per Action

This is the most important point many people miss: credits are charged per item within a 24-hour period, not per individual action. If three AI Blocks run on the same item, you pay only 8 credits once – not three times.

What Costs Credits

What Costs Zero Credits

These features are included in every paid plan – completely free:

• AI Formula Builder
• AI Docs Assistant
• AI Updates Assistant
• Prompt to Board
• AI Board Views
• AI Text Filters
• AI Column Suggestions
• AI Workforms
• Refine Text
• CRM Timeline Summary
• CRM Deal Insights
• AI Risk Insights
• monday MCP (external AI connectivity)
• monday Magic (build solutions)

⚠️ Sidekick is no longer free from July 20, 2026. Sidekick messages and image generation will consume credits. See the section The Big Move: Sidekick Switches to the Credit Model for details.

Our tip: Start with these free features. Many teams go weeks before they even need credits.

When Credits Are Not Consumed

Not every AI interaction costs credits:

• Failed actions: If the AI throws an error, no credits are deducted
• No change: If an AI action doesn't modify the item
• Previews: Preview views of AI results
• Free features: Everything from the list above

The Trial Balance

Since Q4 2025, every account receives a one-time trial balance:

What does this mean in practice?

• 6,000 credits = 750 AI Block actions (at 8 credits per action)
• 12,000 credits = 1,500 AI Block actions
• Or: 6,000 credits = 40 Sales Agent calls (at 150 credits per call)

For a small team (5–10 people) using AI Blocks occasionally, the trial balance typically lasts 2–4 months.

Purchasing Credit Packages

Once the trial balance is used up, admins can purchase credit packages in Admin Panel → AI Usage.

Yearly Subscription Packages

Monthly Subscription Packages

Monthly packages are approximately 25% more expensive than yearly subscriptions.

Important for large accounts: Enterprise customers with high volume must purchase through their Account Executive – self-service is not available.

How Billing Works

• Purchasing credits does not change your existing billing cycle
• Yearly plans: credits are prorated for the remaining term
• Monthly plans: credits reset monthly

Monitoring Credit Usage

Admins can track AI credit consumption in Admin Panel → AI Usage:

• View consumption per user
• Filter by user or feature
• Download usage data
• Enterprise-exclusive: Set per-user limits, receive threshold notifications, enforce partial availability when limits are exceeded

What Happens When Credits Run Out?

• Users see enforcement banners in the interface
• New AI actions cannot be created
• Already running automations with AI Blocks continue to run
• Free features remain fully available

Budget Planning: Example Calculations

Small Team (10 users, occasional AI usage)

• ~50 AI Block actions/week = 400 credits/week
• ~1,600 credits/month
• Trial balance lasts ~4 months
• After that: Starter package (8,000 credits) lasts ~5 months

Medium Team (30 users, daily AI usage)

• ~200 AI Block actions/week = 1,600 credits/week
• ~6,400 credits/month
• Trial balance lasts ~1 month
• After that: Standard package (20,000 credits) lasts ~3 months

CRM Team with Sales Agent

• 20 calls/week = 3,000 credits/week
• 50 SMS/week = 1,500 credits/week
• ~18,000 credits/month for Sales Agent alone
• Standard package lasts ~1 month – a larger package is worth it here

Our Recommendation

1. Start free: Use Formula Builder, Docs Assistant, Board Views, and the other 12+ free features extensively – they cost nothing.

2. Use your trial balance wisely: Test AI Blocks and Agents with the trial credits before purchasing.

3. Track your usage: Before the balance runs out, analyze in the Admin Panel who's consuming how many credits.

4. Buy yearly: 25% savings compared to monthly packages.

5. Leverage the 24h rule: When possible, bundle AI actions on the same item – multiple actions within 24h only count once.

Conclusion

The new credit system is more transparent than the old model with monthly free credits – but it requires more planning. The effective price per action remains $0.08, and most teams can stretch their trial balance for several months. The key takeaway: the most valuable features (Formula Builder, Docs Assistant, Deal Insights, Risk Insights, MCP) are and remain completely free.

Watch out for the Sidekick change: From July 20, 2026, Sidekick becomes a credit consumer. Teams that use Sidekick heavily should track usage early and consider larger packages if needed. Current costs per feature are listed in the official monday AI Feature Catalog.

→ Manage monday.com AI credits in Admin Panel

→ Discover free monday AI features