Manta handbook · 9 of 10
How to Manage Credits and Billing in Manta
How Manta credits work, how to see what a run costs, what happens when you run low, and how to add capacity — a short, practical guide.
Manta runs consume credits. This guide covers how to see where they go and how to make sure you don't run out mid-release.
How credits work
Every account includes a number of Manta Credits — 5 a month on the free tier, more on paid plans. Each run consumes credits based on how much of your app it explores: a shallow pass over a few pages costs far less than a deep exploration of a large application.
Step 1 — See your balance and usage
Open the billing section. You'll see your current balance, when it refreshes, and a history of what recent runs cost.
[Screenshot: the billing screen showing credit balance, refresh date, and recent run costs]
Step 2 — Check what a run will cost
Run cost scales with depth and app size. If you're watching your balance:
- Use a shallower run for routine smoke checks and keep deep exploration for before releases.
- Point runs at a specific area rather than the whole app when you only need to check one thing.
- Each completed run shows its actual credit cost, so you can calibrate over a few runs.
[Screenshot: a completed run's summary with its credit cost shown]
Step 3 — When you're running low
If your balance gets low, runs pause until your credits refresh at the start of your next cycle. To keep testing immediately, buy a one-off add-on package — a fixed number of extra credits that don't expire with the cycle.
[Screenshot: the add-on packages screen with one-off credit bundles]
Step 4 — Upgrade for a higher monthly allowance
If you're regularly buying add-ons, a higher plan with a larger monthly credit allowance is usually cheaper. Team plans also add seats and higher limits — see pricing.
Tips and common mistakes
- Don't run deep exploration on every commit if you're on a limited plan — reserve it for merges and releases, and use shallow passes in between.
- Add-on credits are the fix for a mid-release crunch; a plan upgrade is the fix for a recurring pattern.
- Watch the first few runs' costs to learn what depth costs for your app.
What to try next
- Pricing — plans and what each includes.
- How to Fit Manta Into Your Release Process — pacing runs so cost matches value.
Start free — 5 credits a month, no card.
Try it on your own app
Point Manta at a URL and see what it finds — no scripts, no setup. Free, no credit card.