Creative Units

Last updated: October 11, 2026

Creative Units (CUs) are what you spend in Layer. Generations, edits, reference set training and the agent's work all draw on one balance that belongs to your workspace, so knowing how a run is priced helps you plan a sprint and avoid running out in the middle of a delivery.

How it works

One balance for the whole workspace

Units belong to the workspace, not to a person. Everyone in it spends from the same balance, and there are no seat fees: adding a producer or a reviewer costs nothing until they generate. Your balance shows under Creative Units in the workspace menu at the bottom of the sidebar.

What decides the cost of a run

You pay for the outputs you generate. What one output costs depends on:

Each model's rate is listed on layer.ai/pricing. To estimate what a month of work will cost, use the pricing calculator.

The model

Every model has its own rate, so the same job costs a different amount on different models.

The size of the output

Depending on the model, the rate is per output, per megapixel, per second of video or audio, per character of speech, or per layer. Higher resolutions and longer clips cost more.

How many you make

A batch multiplies the cost: four variations cost four times one.

Training

Training a reference set on your artwork is priced by the training it runs.

The agent

The agent's own work in chat can use units on top of what its generations cost. Hover the coin icon in the chat box to see what the agent has used in the session; that figure excludes the assets it generated.

Seeing the cost before you run

The run button on a tool, an app or a workflow shows the estimated cost in CUs, and the figure updates as you change the model, size, duration or batch. Hover the figure for details. If live pricing is unavailable, you see the model's base rate instead. When the agent is about to generate, it can ask you to confirm the model, quantity and cost first in an Approve generation card.

While a run is in progress

When a run starts, Layer sets its estimated cost aside, so your available balance already accounts for it. It then charges for each output the run delivers and releases whatever is left over. This means:

  • A run that fails, or that you cancel, before it delivers anything costs nothing.
  • If you cancel a workflow part-way, the steps that already finished are charged and the rest is released.
  • On a self-serve plan, a run your balance cannot cover does not start. The run button explains why (Not enough creative units for this generation. Click to top up.), and clicking it opens the top-up.

Where units come from

For what each plan includes, see Plans and what they include.

A subscription

A monthly or annual amount of units. Subscription units expire at the end of each billing period, except a share that rolls over into the next one. Units breakdown on the usage page shows how much of each grant rolls over.

One-time packages

Buy Credits on the Billing page in workspace settings, or Top up in the workspace menu. Packages are credited immediately and do not renew. Only admins with billing access can buy units; other members are asked to contact one.

Auto-reload

On the Billing page, Auto-reload tops the workspace up automatically when the balance runs low, up to a monthly limit you set.

Earned units

When your workspace has achievements or rewards, Earn Free Units in the sidebar lists what you can claim. Claimed units land in the workspace balance. Claiming achievement units opens once the workspace has bought units.

Enterprise

Units are arranged with our sales team rather than bought in the app.

What it means for you

  • Budget a sprint from real runs. Run one representative asset of each kind you need (a character sheet, an icon, a trailer shot), note the cost on the run button, and multiply by the volume you plan. Then compare against what similar work cost last month on the usage page: see See what your workspace has spent.
  • Explore cheap, finish at full quality. Work out composition and direction at a lower resolution, shorter duration or smaller batch, then spend on the final. Some video and world models have a Draft toggle that renders a quick, low-cost preview; when a draft is the one, choose Complete draft from its right-click menu on the board, or in the viewer, to finish it at full quality.
  • Batch on purpose. A batch gets you several options in one run when you need to choose, but every output is charged. Once you have a direction, refine one image at a time.
  • Use the model that fits the job. A top-tier model is not always needed for a background plate or an icon pass. Compare costs as you switch models; see Choose a model.
  • Give teams a budget. On Enterprise, admins can cap how much each member of a group spends per day, week or month: see Set a usage limit for a group.
  • Use units before they expire. The usage page flags units that are about to expire. Plan heavy runs, such as a batch of variants for a live-ops event, before the period ends.
  • Watch for the low-balance warning. On a self-serve plan, a warning appears above the chat box and the tool panel when units run low, so you can top up before a run is blocked.

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