🔍 What Is the Difference?
Search Atlas has two separate settings that customers often confuse: plan capacity and AI quota. They control different things, and choosing the wrong one means you either pay for something you don't need or run into a hard limit that blocks your work.
- Plan capacity controls how many sites, projects, and SEO accounts you can add to your workspace. This is set by your subscription tier (for example, Growth).
- AI quota controls how many AI-powered actions (such as content generation, AI writing credits, or AI-assisted audits) you can consume per billing cycle. It does not affect how many accounts or projects you can manage.
📋 Quick Decision Matrix
Use this table to identify what you actually need before making any changes.
- I want to add more SEO client accounts or sites → Upgrade your plan (or add a site/account expansion).
- I have enough accounts but I'm running out of AI writing or generation credits → Add AI quota.
- I want both more accounts and more AI usage → Upgrade your plan first, then add AI quota if needed.
- I want to use AI features more heavily on existing accounts → Add AI quota only.
🧩 Your Specific Scenario: 2 More SEO Accounts
If your goal is to manage two additional SEO client accounts, you need to increase your plan's site or project capacity — not your AI quota. Here is why:
- Each SEO account you manage in Search Atlas occupies a project or site slot on your plan.
- The Growth plan includes a defined number of these slots. Once you reach the limit, you cannot add new accounts regardless of how much AI quota you have available.
- Adding AI quota alone will not unlock new project or account slots. Your workspace will still hit the same capacity wall.
- To accept two more client accounts, you need to either upgrade to a higher-tier plan that includes more slots, or contact the team to discuss an account-capacity add-on if available for your tier.
In short: AI quota is a consumption allowance. Plan capacity is a structural limit. They are independent of each other.
🤔 When Should You Add AI Quota Instead?
Adding AI quota is the right move when your plan already has enough room for all your accounts and projects, but you are hitting monthly limits on AI-powered tasks such as:
- AI content generation or rewriting
- AI-assisted keyword clustering
- Automated content briefs
- Any other credit-based AI feature
If you are not trying to add new accounts — only do more AI work inside existing ones — then a quota top-up is the efficient and cost-effective choice.
💡 How to Check Your Current Limits
Before making any changes, confirm where you actually stand:
- Log in to Search Atlas and go to the top-right avatar → Billing (Plans & Top-ups).
- Open the Subscription or Plan section.
- Review your current site/project usage (for example, "8 of 10 sites used") — this tells you if you are near your capacity limit.
- Review your AI credits or quota usage for the current billing period — this tells you if you are running low on AI consumption.
If both numbers show you are near your limits, you likely need a plan upgrade and may want additional AI quota. If only one is close to the limit, address that specific constraint.
📈 Choosing the Right Plan Upgrade
When upgrading to accommodate more SEO accounts, look for a plan tier that provides:
- Enough site or project slots to cover your current accounts plus expected growth
- An AI quota that matches your team's typical monthly usage
- Any additional features (such as white-label reporting or additional user seats) that your clients require
Upgrading your plan generally increases both capacity and AI quota together, making it the better long-term choice if you are scaling your agency or managing an expanding client list.
⚡ Summary
- Adding 2 more SEO accounts? You need a plan upgrade for the extra capacity.
- Running low on AI credits but no new accounts? Add AI quota only.
- Both limits are a concern? Upgrade your plan first, then assess AI quota separately.
- AI quota and plan capacity are independent settings — one does not unlock the other.
If you need further assistance, open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type human teammate to be connected with a member of our team.