Docs  /  Start here

How do Soldr credits actually work — and what do they cost?

You signed in and got 25 credits. Now what spends them? Nobody wants to ask a question and find out afterward it cost something, or generate a build and get an unpleasant surprise on the total. Here's exactly what's free, what's billed, and how the number is calculated — not a rough idea of it, the actual formula.

What never costs a credit

Describing your idea, asking questions in chat, getting help after something's built, and troubleshooting a build that isn't working — none of it draws credits. That includes pasting serial output for a diagnosis and uploading a photo of your breadboard for a vision check: both are reading and explaining, not generating, so both are free every time, not just the first time.

The one exception is typing the /explain command specifically — see below. Ordinary chat questions, however detailed, are not /explain and stay free.

What actually costs a credit — and how much

Credits are spent when Soldr generates something you can flash or build from: code, or a wiring diagram. Each is billed the same way — by the size of what was actually produced, not a flat fee per click.

1. The formula: 1 credit per 200 billable tokens

   Soldr counts the tokens that went into what it generated and divides by 200, rounding up. A small sketch costs a few credits; a larger multi-file build costs more, in direct proportion to its size.

2. Capped at 150 credits, no matter how large the build

   Even an unusually large generation can't draw more than 150 credits in one go. That's the ceiling on a single code or wiring generation, not on your account.

3. Code and wiring are billed separately

   Asking for a wiring diagram after your code is already generated is its own draw, using the same per-200-tokens formula — it isn't bundled into the code's cost.

4. The one exception: the /explain command

   Typing /explain followed by a topic asks for a deep-dive write-up, and that specific command costs a flat 5 credits — but only when it actually delivers a real explanation. A bare /explain with nothing to explain, or one that errors out, charges nothing. This is a deliberately separate, named command, not the same thing as asking a question in chat.

Buying more — no subscription, ever

When you're out, you buy a one-time pack. Nothing recurring, nothing to cancel, and the rate never changes: 1 credit = ₹1.

All three are the same Soldr Credits product on Compoden, in different sizes — buy once, the credits land on your account, done.

A worked walkthrough

Say you sign in fresh: 25 credits. You describe a build, get a parts card, ask a couple of clarifying questions, and change your mind about a sensor twice — still 25 credits, because none of that generates anything yet. You ask for the code: your first generation, so it's free no matter its size — still 25 credits, now with a real sketch. You ask for the wiring diagram next: this one bills, at 1 credit per 200 tokens of what was generated, capped well under the 150-credit ceiling for anything reasonably sized. Every generation after that bills the same way, and you can watch the balance the whole time rather than finding out at the end.

If something about a charge doesn't look right

• Check whether the draw was for code or a wiring diagram specifically — they're billed separately, so two draws for one build isn't a double-charge.
• A generation that came back small but cost more than expected is worth a second look — ask Soldr directly what a specific charge covered; that question itself is free.
• Still unclear? Reach out at [email protected] with the approximate time of the charge and what you asked for.