A Clear Guide to How Credits Work Across AI Content, Hyperdrive, and OTTO SEO
If you’ve ever wondered why your credits ran out, what Hyperdrive actually consumes, or how many OTTO sites your plan supports, you’re not alone. Search Atlas uses a structured credit and quota system to power advanced SEO and content automation at scale. This guide breaks down each type of credit, how they work, and how to track or expand them.
🧭 1. What’s the Difference Between a “Quota” and a “Credit”?
🧭 1. What’s the Difference Between a “Quota” and a “Credit”?
In Search Atlas:
A quota is your overall monthly limit for a resource (e.g., “500 AI Gen Points per site/month”).
A credit is the unit used to act (e.g., “1 Cloud Stack = 20 credits”).
Search Atlas uses three resource types:
Search Atlas uses three distinct resource types, each tied to different platform functions:
AI Gen Points – for content generation
Hyperdrive Credits – for off-page automation
OTTO Activations – for live sites running OTTO SEO
Each tool on the platform draws from its corresponding quota type — these are not interchangeable.
✅ All quotas reset monthly, and their limits vary by plan tier.
🧠 2. AI Gen Points
🧠 2. AI Gen Points
Each OTTO Add-On you purchase includes:
500 AI Gen Points per month – used for content generation in Content Genius and OTTO on-page automations
7.5 Hyperdrive Credits – used for off-page automation like link building
You can purchase an additional 500-point AI Gen blocks for $19.
📊 Where to track usage:
Go to Account → Quota Dashboard, then look under “AI Gen Points” and “Hyperdrive Credits.”
🚀 3. Hyperdrive Credits
🚀 3. Hyperdrive Credits
Hyperdrive Credits power off-page SEO automations, such as:
Cloud Stacks (13 backlinks across trusted cloud platforms)
Press Releases
Citations
Usage examples:
Cloud Stack = 15 credits
Hyperdrive add-on = $1 for one credit
Each OTTO site includes 7.5 credits/month
Credits can be expanded anytime via the Upgrade Panel.
🌐 4. OTTO SEO: Activations
🌐 4. OTTO SEO: Activations
OTTO Activations determine how many live domains you can actively optimize with OTTO SEO at any given time.
Starter: 1 site
Growth: 2 sites
Pro: 4 sites
🔁 When OTTO is deactivated on one site, that activation becomes available and can be applied to a different site. This allows flexible usage across your domains within your activation limit.
Each OTTO activation includes:
500 AI Gen Points
7.5 Hyperdrive Credits
You can manage your active sites and monitor usage from the Quota Dashboard in your account.
🔁 5. When Do Quotas Reset?
🔁 5. When Do Quotas Reset?
All credits reset monthly, based on your billing cycle.
Starter: tracked per account
Growth & Pro: tracked per seat
Credits do not carry over if unused
Check your reset date under:
Account → Billing → Renewal Date
Credits reset monthly according to your billing cycle.
Starter plans: credits tracked per account
Growth & Pro plans: credits tracked per seat
Unused credits do not carry over
You can check your reset date under:
Account → Billing → Renewal Date
When your subscription payment is processed, quotas reset automatically for the new billing cycle. You don't need to do anything.
To verify your reset:
Go to Account → Billing → Current Quotas
Check that your AI Gen Points, Hyperdrive Credits, and OTTO Activations have refreshed.
If quotas haven’t updated, first confirm your payment has cleared in the Billing section. Logging out and back in can also resolve temporary display delays. If the issue persists, contact Support to have your quotas restored.
📊 6. Plan Comparison
📊 6. Plan Comparison
Starter ($99/month)
– 1 OTTO SEO Project
– 10 OTTO Google Ads Campaigns
– 3 GBP Galactic Projects
– 5 GSC Site Projects
– 2 User Seats
Growth ($199/month)
– 2 OTTO SEO Projects
– 10 OTTO Google Ads Campaigns
– OTTO Meta Ads (Coming soon)
– 10 GBP Galactic Projects
– 15 GSC Site Projects
– 3 User Seats
Pro ($399/month)
– 4 OTTO SEO Projects
– 10 OTTO Google Ads Campaigns
– OTTO Meta Ads (Coming soon)
– 25 GBP Galactic Projects
– Unlimited GSC Site Projects
– 5 User Seats
💡 All credits (AI and Hyperdrive) and OTTO activations reset monthly with your billing cycle. Unused credits do not roll over. Usage and reset dates are visible under Account → Billing → Current Quotas
🛒 7. Add-Ons & Expansion Options
🛒 7. Add-Ons & Expansion Options
You can purchase:
500 AI Gen Points → $19
100 Hyperdrive Credits → $99
OTTO Site Activations:
1 site → $99
2–3 sites → $85 each
4–9 sites → $69 each
10–24 sites → $59 each
25–49 sites → $49 each
50+ sites → $39 each
GBP Automation Locations → $15 per location
AI Premium Quota → Pricing variable by plan
Article Creation Credits → $1 per article
Content Assistant Full Articles → $1 each
Content Assistant Keywords → Pricing by volume
GSC Projects → $2 per project
Keyword Tracking Projects → $33 per project
Tracked Keywords:
50 keywords → $4
100 keywords → $7
200 keywords → $10
All add-ons activate instantly and are managed via the Upgrade Panel or by contacting Support.
💡 Note: OTTO Deep Freeze releases the activation slot 14 days after the site is frozen. Quotas are shared across all active projects — think of them as a resource pool rather than project-specific limits.
📈 Whether you're publishing at scale, optimizing for local search, or building authority through links, the credit system ensures you're always in control.
If you have any questions about your current limits or need help with customizing your setup, our team is here to help you.