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The Samsa API uses the same credits as the app. Every API action draws from your organization’s existing Samsa credit pool at the same rates you pay in the app — there is no separate API price list and no per-seat API fee.
Credits are shared across the app and the API. An image you generate through the API costs exactly what the same image costs in the app, and both draw down the same organization balance. Check what a key can spend any time with GET /credits.

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Image generation

Image generation costs 5 credits per output at 1K, scaled by resolution and multiplied by the number of outputs:
num_outputs defaults to 1 (the app default is 4). For example, 4 outputs at 2K cost 5 × 4 × 2 = 40 credits.

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Magic Edit

A Magic Edit (POST /images/edits) costs 5 credits per edit at the base resolution. When the chosen engine exposes higher-resolution tiers, the same 1K/2K/4K multipliers as image generation apply, and multiple outputs multiply the cost the same way. Engines with a fixed resolution are always billed at the base 5 credits per output.

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Image operations

The six image operations — img2img, variations, resize, upscale, background removal, and vectorization — each draw credits at submit and return the exact amount as estimated_credits in the 202 (it equals what was deducted). The resolution multiplier is the same as image generation: 1K ×1, 2K ×2, 4K ×4. num_outputs defaults to 1. Img2img and resize take an explicit resolution; variations inherit the source image’s resolution tier (there is no resolution parameter) — a source with no recoverable dimensions prices at 1K.

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Upscale

Upscale is priced by the target resolution tier, multiplied by the model’s credit multiplier. SeedVR and Crystal are ×1; Magnific Creative and Magnific Precision are ×3. † For Crystal, 14K and above are priced by output megapixels (see below), not this fixed figure — the 14K/16K values in the ×1 column are the SeedVR price. Crystal matches the ×1 column exactly up to 12K.
The Magnific column shows the tier price where the model can reach it — the Magnific engines enforce per-model output caps, so the highest tiers are only reachable with Crystal. Resolution classes above 16K (20K–38K) are Crystal-only.
For Crystal, resolution classes above 12K (14K and up) are priced by the predicted output megapixels instead of the tier table:

Worked example — Crystal at 14K

A Crystal upscale whose predicted output is 101.6 MP (a 14K-class 16:9 image) costs ceil(101.6 × 0.6 / 5) × 5 = ceil(12.19) × 5 = 65 credits.

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Cache hits cost nothing

Background removal and vectorization are cached per source image. When the source is an image_id you own and a matching result already exists, the submit returns 202 with status: "completed" and estimated_credits: 0 immediately — no new job runs and the per-org concurrency cap is not consumed. Every other case (an https url or base64 source, or an owned image with no ready result) is the normal charged path.
A resize whose target ratio already matches the source (nothing new to outpaint) and that has no prompt skips the model, returns the flattened composition, and refunds the unused outputs — it still completes.

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Model creation

Creating a custom model (POST /models) costs 0 credits — it is a billable action recorded for your audit trail, charged at zero. You are billed for generating with the model, not for creating it.
Legacy LoRA “training” is deprecated and not available through the API — the legacy training endpoints return 410 Gone. “Model creation” and “model training” refer to the same Gemini-based flow; see the overview for what you can build.

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Video generation

Video is billed at a base of 5 credits per second, then scaled by the engine, the resolution, and whether audio is generated:

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Engine multipliers

The engine you pick sets the base multiplier. Some engines also generate audio, at an additional multiplier applied on top.
“included” means audio is generated at no extra credit cost (×1.0). A ”—” means the engine has no audio option. Engines omit engine to use the default, veo_3_1_lite.

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Resolution multipliers

On engines that expose resolution tiers, higher resolutions cost more:

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Worked examples

Kling 2.5 Pro Turbo · 5s

5 × 5 × 2 = 50 credits (fixed resolution, no audio).

Veo 3.1 Lite · 8s · 1080p

5 × 8 × 1 × 2 = 80 credits (no audio).

Veo 3.1 · 8s · 1080p · audio

5 × 8 × 5 × 2 × 1.25 = 500 credits.

MiniMax 01 · 5s

5 × 5 × 1 = 25 credits (fixed resolution, no audio).

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Refunds

If a job fails on Samsa’s side — a terminal provider error after credits were deducted — the credits are automatically refunded to the same organization pool they were drawn from. A failed job you submitted correctly does not cost you credits. (Client errors such as 422 validation_error are rejected before anything is charged.)

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When you run out of credits

If the balance the key can spend cannot cover an action’s cost, the submit request returns 402 before any job is created — nothing is charged and no job row exists.
  • insufficient_credits — the balance is below the cost, and the organization has no active teams (or is a budget-exempt system organization); also the fallback when the deduction itself fails operationally, whatever the regime — retry before treating it as a low balance. Top up or upgrade.
  • insufficient_team_credits — same, for a key assigned to a team with its own budget. Raise the budget, reassign the key, or top up.
  • insufficient_unallocated_credits — same, for a key that is not assigned to a budgeted team. Free unallocated credits, assign the key to a team with headroom, or top up.
  • subscription_inactive — the organization has no usable subscription. Reactivate billing.
GET /credits reports the balance a key can spend (available) and the budget scope that determines which of the three codes it gets.

Buy credits and top-ups

Purchase credits, add top-ups, and manage your plan in the Samsa app. API usage draws from the same balance.