Billing & Credits

Context Ark uses a credit-based system for LLM operations. Credits are consumed when you build kernels or generate documentation.

Credit Costs

[!TIP] Use BYOK (Bring Your Own Key) to bypass credit costs entirely. You pay your LLM provider directly.

Pricing Tiers

Spark (Free)

• Credits: 20 one-time
• Best for: Testing Context Ark
• Includes: 1 kernel build, basic doc generation
• Limitations: No BYOK, community support only

Growth ($10)

• Credits: 100
• Best for: Side projects and MVPs
• Includes: Full doc generation, priority queue
• Limitations: No team features

PRO ($25)

• Credits: 300 (+20% bonus = 360)
• Best for: Professional developers
• Includes: All features, email support
• Limitations: None

DEV GOD (Lifetime BYOK)

• Credits: Unlimited (use your own keys)
• Price: Waitlist only
• Best for: Power users with provider accounts
• Includes: Zero credit consumption, priority support

SCALE (Enterprise)

• Credits: Custom
• Price: Contact sales
• Best for: Teams, agencies, enterprises
• Includes: SSO, dedicated support, SLA

How Credits Work

1┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
2│                    User Action                            │
3│                         │                                 │
4│              ┌──────────┴──────────┐                      │
5│              ▼                     ▼                      │
6│        BYOK Enabled?          Credit Check                │
7│              │                     │                      │
8│          Yes │             ┌───────┴───────┐              │
9│              ▼             ▼               ▼              │
10│     Use Provider Key   Sufficient?    Insufficient        │
11│     (0 credits)            │               │              │
12│                            ▼               ▼              │
13│                      Deduct Credits   Show Upgrade        │
14│                            │                              │
15│                            ▼                              │
16│                     Process Request                       │
17└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Credits Never Expire

Once you purchase credits, they remain in your account indefinitely. There's no monthly reset or expiration date.

Checking Your Balance

View your current balance at any time:

1. Click your avatar in the top-right corner
2. Select Settings > Billing
3. Your balance is displayed at the top

Purchasing Credits

1. Go to Settings > Billing > Buy Credits
2. Select a credit pack (Growth, PRO)
3. Complete Stripe checkout
4. Credits are added instantly

Refund Policy

Credits are non-refundable once purchased. If you experience technical issues that consume credits unexpectedly, contact support within 48 hours for a courtesy credit.