How AI Generation usage and overage works

---
title: How AI generation usage and overage work
section: Plans & Billing
slug: ai-usage-and-overage
---


BlockPress uses AI for outlines, drafts, rewrites, meta descriptions, alt text, internal-link suggestions, and SEO title generation. Every paid plan includes a monthly AI quota; this article explains how usage and overage work so there are no surprise charges.


## What counts as one "AI generation"


Each of these counts as exactly **one generation**:


- Generate an outline
- Generate a full article draft
- Rewrite a paragraph or section
- Generate a meta description
- Generate alt text for an image
- Generate an SEO title suggestion
- Run an internal-link scan on an article


So writing one full article from scratch typically uses **3–6 generations** (outline + draft + a meta description + a few rewrites).


## Quota per plan


| Plan | AI generations / month |
|---|---|
| Free | 10 |
| Growth | 30 |
| Pro | 400 |
| Max | 2,000 |


The current month's usage is always visible:


- In the **editor header** as `Plan · X/Y AI` (turns amber as you approach the cap)
- On the dashboard usage card
- On `/app/billing`


## What happens when you hit your quota


**Free plan:** AI calls are blocked. You'll see a paywall modal asking you to upgrade. Existing articles still publish — only AI generations are gated.


**Paid plans (Growth, Pro, Max):** automatically roll into **overage** at **$0.05 per extra generation**, billed via Shopify's usage-based billing.


## The overage cap (so you can't get surprise-billed)


Every paid plan ships with a **$50/month overage ceiling** by default. Once you hit it, AI calls are blocked for the rest of the cycle — exactly like the Free plan's behavior — until the next month rolls over.


You can raise or lower this cap at any time from `/app/billing` → **Overage settings**. Set it to $0 if you never want to be charged extra; set it higher if you publish heavily.


## When usage resets


The counter resets at the **start of your next Shopify billing cycle**, not the calendar month. If you installed on the 15th, your reset is the 15th. The dashboard shows your current period dates.


## Onboarding doesn't count


The first-install pipeline (Crawl → Analyze → Research → Refine) uses several AI calls but **doesn't count against your monthly quota**. We treat it as a one-time setup gift. It's logged for our internal cost analytics only.


## Tips to stretch your quota


- **Outline once, draft from it** — saves rewrites later
- **Use saved templates** for repeat formats (product round-ups, comparisons) so you don't AI-generate the structure each time
- **Run Internal Link AI in batches** rather than once per article


Any month you legitimately need more, the smart move is upgrading rather than paying overage — Pro at $29/mo gives you 400 generations vs Growth's 30 + overage.


Need help estimating which plan fits your publishing pace? Open chat.

Updated on: 26/05/2026