Description: Gamma starts free users with 400 AI credits, but when do they come back? Compare Free, Plus, Pro and Ultra, monthly rollover, referrals and what happens to purchased credits after cancellation.
Short answer: Gamma’s 400 starter credits do not automatically reset—daily, weekly or monthly. They are a one-time balance, and Gamma says the original free credits do not expire. Paid plan allowances, by contrast, renew monthly on your billing date. Looking for a universal midnight reset on Free is therefore looking for a timer that does not exist.[1][3]
Why 400 credits are not 400 presentations
A new Free account receives 400 credits on signup. If you spend 120, the remaining 280 will not magically become 400 on the first of next month. You can keep the unused starter balance instead of rushing to spend it. Gamma does not offer a conventional time-limited free trial; the Free plan itself can continue without a subscription.[1][3]
AI-assisted presentation creation, image generation and editing with Agent can consume credits. Costs depend on the action, the number of cards or images, the model and the complexity. Consequently, 400 credits do not mean 400 complete decks or 400 prompts. Gamma says AI errors and requests for clarification are not charged credits.[1]
Compare the plans before waiting for a reset
| Plan | Credit allowance | Renewal | Useful distinction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | 400 once at signup | No automatic renewal | Up to 10 slides per prompt; basic image models |
| Plus | 1,000/month | On billing date | Up to 100 slides per prompt; removes Gamma branding |
| Pro | 4,000/month | On billing date | API access, premium images, analytics and custom domains |
| Ultra | 20,000/month | On billing date | Higher-end models and expanded capabilities |
The figures are from Gamma's plan help checked on October 17, 2026. Subscription prices and availability depend on region, tax and checkout terms.[3][4]
Unused paid-plan credits can carry over, but your plan-credit balance is capped at twice the monthly allowance. On Plus, that is 2,000. If you have 600 left just before the renewal and receive another 1,000, you would have 1,600. Paying annually does not grant the whole year's credit allotment upfront: eligible allowances still arrive monthly.[1]
Can Free users earn more credits?
Yes. On Free, a successful referral through your link earns 200 credits after the referred person signs up. The maximum referral balance held at one time is 2,000. You can spend some and then earn more; this is a balance cap, not a lifetime referral cap. Referrals are restricted to Free users.[1]
For paid accounts, open Settings & members → Billing to find the next refresh date and separate balances. The official rule specifies the billing date, not a universal UTC reset hour. On Free, there is no scheduled refill to check.[1][2]
Buying credits and cancelling: two different clocks
You cannot buy extra credits while staying on Free. A paid subscription is required. Gamma's help lists 1,500 credits for US$6, with larger purchases available. Purchased credits are tracked separately from plan credits and are not subject to the twice-monthly-allowance rollover cap.[2]
While a paid subscription remains active, purchased credits do not expire. If you cancel, the included monthly plan credits end with the paid term, while separately purchased credits are preserved and expire one year after the cancellation date. That does not guarantee that every paid-only AI feature remains accessible on Free; access still depends on the feature and plan.[1][2]
On Free, Plus, Pro, Ultra and Teams, balances are allocated per member. Business and Enterprise can additionally use a shared workspace pool after individual balances are consumed. Auto-recharge in multi-user workspaces can trigger a separate charge for each member crossing the threshold, so a $6 example can become several $6 charges.[1][2]
What about “Unlimited AI creations” on the pricing page?
The pricing page advertises unlimited AI creations for paid plans, while the help center details credit charges for particular AI actions, models and editing tools. Read the marketing label alongside the feature-specific limits rather than assuming unlimited premium-model usage. Check the displayed credit cost before generation.[1][4]
Bottom line: Free's 400 credits are a one-time starting balance. Paid plan credits refill on your own billing date, subject to rollover limits; purchased credits are a separate balance with a different cancellation rule. Knowing which balance you are spending is more useful than waiting for a reset that Free never schedules.
References (4)
- [1] Gamma Help Center, How do credits work in Gamma? (checked 2026-10-17; page showed “Updated over 3 weeks ago”): https://help.gamma.app/en/articles/7834324-how-do-credits-work-in-gamma
- [2] Gamma Help Center, How do I purchase more credits? (checked 2026-10-17; “Updated over 2 weeks ago”): https://help.gamma.app/en/articles/12466653-how-do-i-purchase-more-credits
- [3] Gamma Help Center, How can I upgrade my Gamma subscription? (checked 2026-10-17): https://help.gamma.app/en/articles/8077107-how-can-i-upgrade-my-gamma-subscription
- [4] Gamma, Plans and pricing (checked 2026-10-17): https://gamma.app/pricing
Scope and timing: A help-page update label is not a feature launch date. A reliable effective date or complete historical series of earlier Free quotas was not established. These are the current conditions checked on October 17, 2026, not a claim that the rules changed that day. Check checkout for local prices and model availability.
