Short answer: Free users can use Napkin Slides. At 100 credits per generated slide, 500 weekly credits equal five slide generations in a simple calculation, assuming no other AI usage. That is not five guaranteed finished presentations. The included Free allowance renews weekly and does not roll over.
Compare the allowances
| Plan | AI credits | Renewal | PPT/SVG exports |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | 500 weekly | Weekly | Limited |
| Plus | 10,000 per paid seat/month | Monthly | Unlimited |
| Pro | 30,000 per paid seat/month | Monthly | Unlimited |
| Enterprise | Custom quote | Contract-specific | Check contract |
Free includes unlimited manual editing and PNG/PDF exports, but adds Napkin branding. Plus removes the branding and adds three brand styles; Pro supports custom fonts and optional credit top-ups. Annual subscribers still receive plan credits monthly, not a year's supply upfront. Confirm prices for your region and billing cycle at checkout.
Three different ways to spend 500 credits
Napkin's September 2, 2026 Slides guide says one generated slide costs 100 credits. Five cost 500; six would need 600. If you run out mid-deck, the partial presentation remains saved so you can resume after a refill or upgrade.
Napkin Visuals has another meter: its pricing FAQ estimates about one credit per selected word when converting text into a graphic. Selecting 80 words might cost around 80 credits. That is an estimate, not a universal billing formula for languages without spaces or more advanced features.
Effects costs 100 credits per application according to the dedicated help article. Generating one slide and applying one Effect therefore uses 200 credits in this example. Manual changes to colors, icons, dimensions and layout cost zero AI credits. Reselecting text and pressing Auto Spark to regenerate is a new chargeable generation. Unlimited editing does not mean unlimited AI retries.
What day and time does Free reset?
Official help confirms weekly renewal for Free and monthly renewal for Plus and Pro. Your individual next refresh date appears in Account Settings or Teamspace subscription settings. No single universal weekday, UTC hour or local reset time is specified in the public sources reviewed. Do not assume “Monday at midnight” is an official schedule for every account.
Unused plan credits do not accumulate into the next period. Separately purchased top-up credits do not expire, according to the help center. However, the specific September 2 guide directs users to purchase top-ups if they are on Pro, while the broad pricing FAQ says additional credits can be bought after running out. Check actual account eligibility rather than promising every Free user a purchase button.
Can Free export PowerPoint?
Yes, a limited number of times. The September 2 Slides-specific guide explicitly allows limited PPT and SVG exports on Free; Plus and Pro have unlimited exports. PNG and PDF exports are unlimited on every plan. The broad pricing table highlights unlimited PPT/SVG as a Plus benefit, which can be mistaken for a total Free ban. The feature-specific guide is more precise, but does not publish the exact free export count.
What actually changed in 2026?
Napkin announced Slides in beta on July 22, then documented its credit and export rules on September 2. This added whole-presentation creation alongside Visuals' text-to-graphic workflow. Neither date proves that the 500-credit weekly allowance itself changed; an authoritative previous quota and effective date were not found.
Bottom line
Spend credits generating essential slides, then polish manually. Five Effects alone can exhaust a week's 500 credits. Check the balance, personal refresh date and export counter in your account before committing to deliver a PPT file.
References (7)
- [1] Napkin AI official pricing: https://www.napkin.ai/pricing/
- [2] Credit balance and refresh date: https://help.napkin.ai/en/articles/12108746-what-are-ai-credits-and-how-can-i-check-how-many-i-have-left
- [3] Credits & Plans, September 2, 2026: https://help.napkin.ai/en/articles/15955724-credits-plans
- [4] Unused plan credits and top-ups: https://help.napkin.ai/en/articles/12114823-do-unused-ai-credits-carry-over-to-the-next-month
- [5] Effects credit cost: https://help.napkin.ai/en/articles/15923705-effects-in-napkin
- [6] Manual edits and regeneration: https://help.napkin.ai/en/articles/15924387-does-editing-or-regenerating-a-visual-cost-credits
- [7] Napkin Slides beta announcement, July 22, 2026: https://www.napkin.ai/blog/napkin-launches-slides/
