How minutes and AI credits work
Minutes pay for live captions; AI credits pay for summaries and Ask AI. Here's exactly what uses them, and when they come back.
What uses minutes
Minutes count while a session is live: from the moment captions connect until you pause or stop. They're counted in small steps, so a short session only costs the time it actually ran.
- Pausing is free. While a session is paused, no audio is sent and no minutes are used.
- Silence is not free. A live session uses minutes even when nobody is speaking. Pause when you step away, and stop when the meeting ends.
- Everything costs the same. Captions only or with translation, Instant or Accurate, extension or desktop app: a minute is a minute.
- One balance, two apps. The extension and the desktop app draw from the same minutes, and two sessions running at once both count.
When minutes and credits renew
| Plan | What you get | When it renews |
|---|---|---|
| Free | 20 minutes and 3 AI credits when you sign up | One-time: they don't renew |
| Monthly plans | Your plan's hours and AI credits | Reset to the full amount on each monthly billing date; unused minutes and credits don't carry over |
| Yearly plans | Twelve months of hours and AI credits, upfront | Reset on your yearly renewal date |
| Extra hours packs | A one-time purchase for paid plans | Never expire; used after your plan's minutes run out |
| Team | A shared pool: 15 hours and 60 AI credits per seat, plus any monthly hours you add | Resets each billing period; one-time extra hours never expire |
To see what's left, look for Remaining time in the extension popup, or open the account menu (your avatar) in the desktop app for Plan minutes and Pay-as-you-go minutes. Remaining AI credits show in the AI tab.
When you run out
If your minutes reach zero during a session, SonicMeet stops it and saves what it has so far. You need at least one minute left to start a new session.
- Free plan: choose a plan to keep going.
- Paid plan: wait for your next billing date, buy a one-time pack of extra hours that never expires, or move up to a higher plan.
- Team member: the team's shared pool is empty. Ask your team owner or admin to add hours.
What uses AI credits
| Action | AI credits |
|---|---|
| Generate a summary, during or after a meeting | 1 |
| Regenerate a summary | 1 |
| Open a summary you already have | Free |
| Each Ask AI answer | 1 |
| Share the transcript only | Free |
| Share with a summary, when the session has none yet | 1, to create the summary |
| A summary or answer that fails to arrive | Refunded |
AI credits renew with your plan, the same way minutes do. Accurate translation doesn't use them. Team members share the team's credits.
Common questions
Do the free minutes reset every month?
No. Every new account gets a one-time 20 minutes of live captions and 3 AI credits to try SonicMeet. To keep going after that, choose a plan.
Do unused minutes roll over?
No. Plan minutes and AI credits reset to your plan's full amount at each renewal. Extra hours packs are the exception: they never expire.
Am I charged for silence?
Yes, while a session is live. Minutes count from the moment captions connect until you pause or stop, whether or not anyone is speaking. Paused time is free.