Token Budgets
PropellerDeck uses a daily token budget system to manage AI usage across plan tiers. Understanding how it works helps you get the most out of your plan.
What Are Tokens?
Tokens are the units that AI language models use to process text. Both the messages you send (input tokens) and the responses the AI generates (output tokens) consume tokens. Longer messages and responses use more tokens.
How the Budget Works
Each plan tier includes a daily token budget that applies per user per day:
- Free (Tier 0) — Limited daily budget, suitable for light exploration.
- Builder (Tier 1) — Enhanced daily budget for regular, active use.
- Founder (Tier 2) — Unlimited usage with no daily cap.
Your budget tracks both input and output tokens combined. You can check your current usage in your account settings under the Plan or Usage section.
Daily Reset
Your token budget resets daily. The reset happens at midnight UTC. If you exhaust your budget before midnight, AI responses will be unavailable until the reset occurs — you will see a notice in the chat interface indicating your budget is exhausted.
When Your Budget Runs Out
If you reach your daily limit:
- AI chat responses are paused until the next daily reset.
- You can still access non-AI parts of the platform (file management, settings, etc.).
- A notification appears in the chat panel to let you know.
Upgrading Resets Your Budget Immediately
If you upgrade your plan, your token budget resets to the new tier's limit right away — you do not have to wait until the next daily reset. This means upgrading mid-day gives you access to your full new budget immediately. See Upgrading Your Plan for how to upgrade.