> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.chatref.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Billing Overview
> Chatref is pay as you go – keep a balance in dollars and your bot spends a little from it whenever it works.
Chatref is **pay as you go**. You keep a **Balance** in US dollars, and your bot
spends a little from it whenever it works – answering chats, training on your
content, and more. When the balance runs low, you top it up. There's no monthly
plan and nothing to cancel.
## How it works
Think of your **Balance** like prepaid credit on a phone. You add funds once, and
the cost of each thing your bot does is taken out of that balance as it happens.
You only pay for what your bot actually does.
New accounts start with **\$50 of free trial credit**, so you can build and test
your bot before paying anything. See [Add Funds](/billing/adding-funds) for how
the trial and top-ups work.
## What uses my balance?
A small amount comes out of your balance for each of these:
* **Chat replies** – every answer your bot writes to a visitor.
* **Training** – when your bot learns from your websites, files, and text.
* **Auto-tagging** – when chats are sorted into topics for you.
* **Insights** – when your dashboard summaries and tips are generated.
* **Inbox summaries** – when a long chat is summarized for you.
Each one is priced by how much text the AI reads and writes, so a short FAQ reply
costs far less than a long back-and-forth. The model you pick also matters –
see [How Pricing Works](/billing/how-pricing-works).
There's no monthly fee and no subscription. You're never billed on a schedule –
your balance only changes when your bot does something or when you top up.
## Keeping an eye on it
Your current balance is always shown in your dashboard under **Settings → Balance**,
in plain dollars. When it gets low, add funds and your bot keeps working without
interruption.
A coffee store doing light support can run for a long time on a single top-up.
Check your balance now and then, and top up before it reaches zero so your bot
never goes quiet.
## Next steps
See how cost is worked out and what each tier costs.
Use your free trial and learn how to top up your balance.