How do credits work in InstantDM?

What uses a credit

• 1 credit = 1 DM that Instagram or Facebook accepts. This includes the first button message, follow-gate messages, each message in a DM sequence or flow, and file messages.
• Resending a missed DM from Automation Recovery uses a credit.
• DMs you send through the InstantDM API or the MCP connection (for example from Claude) also use 1 credit each.

Free (no credit used):

• Public replies under comments.
• DMs that Instagram or Facebook refuses.
• Comments that were skipped (no matching trigger word, for example).

Credits on each plan

Plan	Credits
Free	500 credits to start
Legend Pro, Trendsetter, Trendsetter Pro	Unlimited DMs, paced per hour (see How many DMs can InstantDM send per hour?)
Multi Starter	30,000 automated DMs per account per month
Multi Pro	300,000 automated DMs per account per month

New accounts also get a first-week trial: paid features are unlocked in the web app for about a week, no card needed. During that week the Home banner shows how many days or credits are left. After that the account stays on Free.

Steps

To check your usage:

1. Click My Plan in the sidebar.
2. Scroll to Current Subscription.
3. Read Plan, Status, Monthly Usage and Renewal.

The usage number updates in batches, so it can be a little behind your real sends.

On the phone app

The Home screen shows a plan card with your plan name and plan credits.

What happens when you run out

• Nothing is sent: no DM and no public reply. The person who commented sees nothing.
• The missed events show in Automation Recovery as Out of credits (“You had no credits left when this came in.”) while your renewal date is recent or still ahead, so you can resend them after you upgrade or renew. Not every missed event may be listed. See How do I resend DMs that failed or were missed?
• You may also get an email.

Good to know

• On Free, after the first week, automated DMs end with ”|| Automation powered by InstantDM”. Any paid plan removes it. Flow messages don’t get this line.
• When a paid plan ends or is cancelled, you keep it until the end of the period. Then the account moves to Free with 0 credits, so automations stop. Your automations and settings are kept.
• Instagram only lets you reply within 7 days of a comment or 24 hours of a DM. Older missed events can’t be resent, even after you upgrade.

If it doesn’t work

• Automations stopped and Automation Recovery shows “Out of credits”: upgrade or renew from My Plan, then resend. See How do I upgrade or change my plan?
• You are on a paid plan but nothing is sent: check that the plan Status is active in My Plan, then see Why didn’t my automation send a DM?