Description: A current guide to Replit Starter, Core and Pro: Free Mode limits, reset windows, paid Agent modes, model routing and 2026 changes.
Yes. Replit Starter costs $0 and includes Free Mode, subject to a daily Agent allowance and a monthly ceiling. The five-hour refresh announced in August 2026 refers to Core and Pro Free Mode allowances. Free Mode is an Agent setting, not a separate subscription. [1][2][3]
Plan comparison
| Plan | Allowance cycle | Key limits | Price reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | Daily; monthly ceiling | Limited builds; one 30-day published app | $0 |
| Core | Free Mode: five hours at launch | Power/Max use monthly credits | $20/month announced in February |
| Pro | Larger Free Mode allowance | Up to 15 builders; monthly credits | From $100/month in February |
| Enterprise | Contract-dependent | Admin-approved models | Custom |
Why daily and five-hour resets both appear
The Starter help page explicitly says Agent credits replenish daily, up to a monthly maximum. Cloud credits for databases, storage and publishing replenish separately each month. The August 18 launch announcement says Core and Pro Free Mode limits refresh every five hours, with a larger allowance on Pro. It does not establish a single wall-clock reset time for all users worldwide. [1][3]
What you can actually do for free
Starter offers Agent chat, Design Canvas and limited building. Full autonomous builds, Power/Max, Plan Mode and third-party connectors require Core or higher. Its single published app goes offline after 30 days. A free prototype should therefore not be confused with permanent free hosting. [1][2]
The 2026 timeline and conflicting guidance
Core and Pro can do eligible everyday work in Free Mode without spending Power/Max credits while their allowance remains. Switching to paid modes uses monthly credits, while deployment, databases and storage have their own usage costs. Scheduled Routines require Power or Max and a per-run budget. Replit says it requests confirmation before paid Agent actions begin. [2][4][5]
Find your own reset time
Core pricing and Pro were announced on February 24; Free Mode arrived August 18; intelligent model routing followed August 26. The launch cited GPT-5.6 Luna, but the current mode guide says Free Mode automatically chooses a model. Use the current guide for operating rules and the dated announcement for historical context. Economy was renamed Power. Pro rollover differs between the February post (one month) and current Pro documentation (two months); check the terms of your subscription. [5][3][6][7][8]
Bottom line
Use Starter for small daily experiments. If subscribed to Core or Pro, start in Free Mode and spend Power/Max credits only when the work needs them. Treat the Agent allowance and the cloud bill as separate budgets.
Official sources
References (9)
- https://docs.replit.com/billing/plans/starter-plan docs.replit.com
- https://docs.replit.com/billing/ai-billing docs.replit.com
- https://replit.com/blog/replit-introduces-free-mode replit.com
- https://docs.replit.com/chat/free-mode docs.replit.com
- https://docs.replit.com/features/agent/agent-modes docs.replit.com
- https://replit.com/blog/intelligent-model-routing replit.com
- https://replit.com/blog/pro-plan replit.com
- https://docs.replit.com/billing/plans/replit-pro docs.replit.com
- https://replit.com/pricing replit.com
