Step Credits, Tokens & Storage

Glow meters Step credits, Glow AI tokens, and Retained storage separately. Eligible Free workspaces use the allocation shown in Usage. Pricing lists current rates, and Paid workspaces use their selected allocations.

At a glanceVerified in app · Oct 30, 2026

Use it to: Understand how Step credits, hosted Glow AI tokens, and retained file storage are metered, reserved, and reset
Find it: Workspace menu → Billing and usage → Usage, and Step Executions tab
Cost: 1 Step credit per charged non-AI action (5 per started 10 MB on file Steps) · 0 Step credits for triggers, routing, waits, and hosted AI Steps
Limits: 1 GB equals 1,000,000,000 bytes · Consumable allowances replenish monthly and do not roll over

Creating another workspace does not grant another Free allowance. See Plans & Feature Comparison for eligibility rules. Allowances are shared across workspace automations and members, and cannot be exchanged.

What a run costs

Live runs and Draft test runs draw from three allowances:

Allowance	What uses it	Example
Step credits	Charged non-AI Steps, once per item or pass	Custom Variables: `1 Step credit / run`. Scheduler: `Free` (`0`).
Glow AI tokens	AI Prompt, AI Agent, AI Data Transform, and AI Conditions (input + output)	AI Prompt: `319` tokens (`257` read, `62` written); `0` Step credits.
Storage	Retained files and Data Stores; does not reset monthly	`1 GB` (`1,000,000,000` bytes) on Free and base Paid bands.

Before a run: Check the Step header rate (1 Step credit / run, Free, 5 Step credits per started 10 MB, or AI estimate).
After a run: Check the Step Executions card (Charge for this attempt: 0 Step credits · 319 Glow AI tokens) or Billing and usage → Usage by automation, Step, day, and model.
AI-derived credit estimate: Hosted AI Steps cost 0 Step credits. Header estimates (About 14 AI-derived shared credits / run) and {{ N.estimatedCreditsUsed }} use 1 credit per hosted model call + 4 credits per 1,000 input tokens + 16 credits per 1,000 output tokens (1,600 input + 400 output = 13.8 ≈ 14).
Lower usage: Pin Steps in tests and disable unused AI Agent helpers. Pass specific fields instead of $full_result, prefer a deterministic Condition, and cap Estimated credits.

Estimate your automation usageInteractive estimator

Runs per month: 1,000Chargeable action Steps per run: 2 (1 credit each)Triggers, Conditions, Wait & Repeater Steps: 3 (Free)Hosted AI usage per run

Step credits / month2,0002 Step credits / run · 3 control/trigger Steps free

Glow AI tokens / month~320,000~320 Glow AI tokens / run (input, output & reasoning)

1. Step Credits

Glow reserves credits before billable work starts and settles the charge on completion. Charged non-AI Steps use 1 Step credit (5 per started 10 MB on file Steps). Control Steps, skipped branches, and hosted AI cost 0 Step credits.

What Is Free (0 Credits)

Operation or Step	Cost	Notes
Built-in & app triggers (`Scheduler`, `Click to start`, `Webhook`, `Form`, `Chat`, `Error Trigger`, app triggers)	`0` (`Free`)	Polling checks with no new events start no run and cost `0`.
Flow & routing Steps (`Conditions`, `Switch`, `Filter`, `Repeater`, `Do Nothing`, `Stop and Error`, `Subflow`)	`0` (`Free`)	Deterministic rules are free; AI Condition / AI Filter use AI tokens.
Waiting time (`Wait`, `Human Review`, AI Agent tool approvals, slot queue)	`0` (`Free`)	No credits accrue while paused or queued.
Pinned Steps & Testing data (`Pin output for tests`, `Run with test data`)	`0` (`Free`)	Test runs skip pinned Steps at `0` credits and `0 ms`.
MCP authoring & reads (`search_components`, `update_workflow`, `validate_workflow`, `get_workflow`)	`0` (`Free`)	Direct MCP builds and validation cost `0` credits and `0` AI tokens.

Outcomes & Fair Charging

Outcome	Charging behavior
Successful work	Uses `1` Step credit per charged non-AI call (`5` per started `10 MB` on file Steps).
Failure before billable work starts	Releases the reservation (`0` credits).
Failure after billable work starts	Can consume credits. Internal redeliveries after an infrastructure error are not re-charged.
Skipped work	Costs `0` credits (`Skipped: not charged`).
Allowance exhausted	Stops new work with `out_of_credits` without queuing triggers for replay. Completed work remains chargeable.

Pattern	Reservation and settlement
Run for each item	Reserves for the item list and settles against chargeable work, failed attempts, and item retries.
Repeater	Meters each chargeable Step invocation inside the loop body per pass.
Child automation	Meters its own Steps. Resuming the parent Step does not charge the parent twice.

Failed Steps can still use credits. Auth, input, or provider errors can happen after billable work begins. Check Executions and verify the external service before retrying an uncertain write.

2. Glow AI Tokens

Hosted AI features (AI Prompt, AI Agent, AI Data Transform, and Workflow Assistant) share the workspace Glow AI tokens balance. Usage counts input tokens (instructions, schemas, context, documents), generated output tokens, and reasoning tokens. Multi-turn agents make several model calls per run, so measure a representative execution.

Hosted Glow AI vs. Custom Provider Keys

Glow-managed AIHosted Glow AI

Draws from your workspace Glow AI tokens balance.
Costs 0 Step credits for hosted model generation.
Covered by your Glow plan or Free token allowance.

Bring your own accountExternal Provider App Action

Uses Step credits at the action's rate (not Glow AI tokens).
The external provider bills your connected account directly.
Other Steps and tool calls still use Step credits.

3. Retained File Storage

Retained storage is standing capacity for workspace files (attachments, CSVs, PDFs), where 1 GB = 1,000,000,000 bytes.

No monthly deletion: Monthly resets never delete stored files.
Over capacity: Existing files stay readable, but new uploads pause until you free space or add storage.
File expiry: Automation files can have auto-delete dates under Files → Created by workflows. Execution history follows a separate retention policy (File Management).

Allowance Resets

Check Billing and usage → Usage for your reset date and active allocations.

Step CreditsResets monthly

Refills to full allowance at the start of each billing period. Powers standard triggers, actions, and custom code.

Glow AI TokensResets monthly

Refills to full allowance monthly. Covers input, output, and reasoning tokens for hosted AI models.

Retained StorageStanding capacity

Continuous disk volume that never resets. Stored files and datasets persist across billing cycles.

Monthly replenishment: Step credits and Glow AI tokens replenish monthly without rollover. Resets do not fund an ineligible additional or replacement workspace.
Timezones & annual plans: Resets follow the billing timezone; invoices and cross-payer funding timestamps use UTC. Annual plans still replenish monthly.

If runs stay blocked after a reset, check balances and safeguards in Usage Controls & Recovery. Restored capacity does not auto-resume stopped runs or replay missed events.

Execution slots do not purchase resources

Waiting for an execution slot occurs before billing admission and costs 0 credits and 0 retries. Once admitted, standard metering applies. Slots do not replenish allowances, and credits do not bypass concurrency caps (execution capacity).

Real-world calculation examples

Forecast usage from representative runs in Billing and usage → Usage (include retries, failed attempts, and Workflow Assistant tokens):

Scenario	Calculation	Estimated usage
Two `1`-credit actions per run over 5,000 runs	2 actions × 5,000 runs	`10,000` Step credits
One `1`-credit action for 150 items	1 × 150 items	`150` Step credits
Hosted AI Step at 1,400 tokens per run	1,400 × 2,500 runs	`3.5M` Glow AI tokens

Verify it works

Run: Run a test execution and open the Step's Executions tab or Billing and usage → Usage
You should see: The Charge for this attempt receipt shows the exact Step credits and Glow AI tokens settled for that execution.

What’s Next?

Purchasing & Changing Amounts: Select resource amounts and review the checkout quote.
Invoices & Payment Methods: Find available invoices, receipts, and usage exports.
Usage Controls & Recovery: Configure safeguards and recover from resource limits.