A deep dive into how credits work in TestGorilla — what they’re used for, how they’re consumed, and how to manage them effectively.
Credits are a usage unit that allows you to take specific actions — like sourcing or evaluating candidates.
Every TestGorilla plan includes credits. Paid plans (Core and Plus) include a yearly credit allocation. The Free forever plan includes 10 credits per month, renewing on the 1st with no rollover. Credits let you invite and assess candidates, source new talent, and access additional features. This guide explains everything you need to know about credits, including how to purchase more, enable automatic upgrades, and track your usage over time.
All images and amounts shown are for illustrative purposes only — your credit balance and pricing depend on your specific plan and contract.
If you are learning about credits for the first time, you may prefer to read this brief introduction article: Learn how credits work.
Approx. reading time: 6-7 minutes.
In this article
- Credit consumption
- Credit usage report
- Upgrading to a higher credit tier
- Automatic upgrades
- Common questions
Credit consumption
Always free
These features cost 0 credits. If your assessment contains only free features, it will cost 0 credits to evaluate candidates.
- Adding qualifying questions and custom questions to your assessment is always free.
- Using our AI resume scoring tool is always free.
Each plan includes a base credit allocation. These credits can be used throughout the year to invite candidates, source candidates, and access other features, giving you flexibility based on your hiring needs.
Core plan
Your Core plan includes 250 credits.
An assessment with up to 5 skills tests costs 1 credit per candidate.
Using a One-way AI video interview test consumes an additional credit per candidate.
Using a Conversational AI video interview test consumes 2 additional credits per candidate AI Resume Scoring consumes 0 credits
Sourcing a candidate (contacting them through TestGorilla Sourcing) costs 1 credit.
- If you source a candidate and later invite them to complete an assessment, you’ll only be charged once for each action: 1 credit for sourcing and 1 credit for the assessment (2 credits total).
- Credits are only deducted once the candidate completes any qualifying questions and starts the assessment.
Plus plan
The Plus plan offers customized credit tiers.
An assessment with up to 5 skills tests costs 1 credit per candidate.
ID verification (confirming candidate identity with secure ID checks) costs 1 credit per candidate.
Adding a conversational AI video interview to your assessment costs 2 credits per candidate.
Adding a 1-way AI video interview costs 1 credit per candidate.
Sourcing a candidate costs 1 credit, with the same rules as the Core plan:
- If you source a candidate and later invite them to complete an assessment (with skill tests and a 1-way video interview), you’ll only be charged once for each action: 1 credit for sourcing and 2 credits for the assessment (3 credits total).
- Credits are only deducted once the candidate completes any qualifying questions and starts the assessment.
Note: The Plus plan includes the full TestGorilla AI video library (both one-way and conversational) with science-backed scoring rubrics. The Core plan includes the one-way library only.
➡️ Learn more: TestGorilla plans and pricing
Examples
Here’s how credit usage works in practice:
- Assessment with qualifying questions, custom questions and AI resume scoring = 0 credits.
- Sourcing only: Contacting a candidate through Sourcing = 1 credit per candidate.
- Assessment with skills tests only: Inviting one of your own candidates (for example, from a job listing or your talent pool) = 1 credit per candidate, once they start the assessment.
- Assessment with skills test + conversational AI interview: Inviting a candidate to complete an assessment with an AI interview = 3 credits per candidate.
- Sourcing + assessment with skills test only: Sourcing a candidate and then inviting them to an assessment (no AI interview) = 2 credits per candidate (1 + 1).
- Sourcing + ID verification + assessment with skills tests + one-way AI interview: Sourcing a candidate and inviting them to an assessment with an AI interview = 4 credits per candidate (1 + 1 + 1 + 1).
Credit usage report
The credit usage report allows you to see a deep dive of how and when you have used credits. You can create this report any time in your account.
From the Plan & billing tab, click on Generate credit usage report. A new window will open allowing you to select a time frame from the past 365 days, and we'll email the download link once the report is ready. Transactions completed within the last 10 minutes may not yet be reflected in your report. Regenerate the report after a brief delay to ensure the data is current.
Upgrading to a higher credit tier
Customers on Core and Plus plans can upgrade to a higher credit tier at any time directly within the application, or opt in to our new auto-upgrade feature (more on auto-upgrades in the next section).
When you upgrade to a higher credit tier:
- The cost is charged upfront
- Credit pricing is the same for both Core and Plus customers
- The price per credit decreases as you purchase more (volume-based discount)
- There is no pro-rated pricing—you pay the difference in cost between your current and new tier
- All credits, including the additional ones, expire at the end of your current contract period, so be sure to plan accordingly. Your renewal date remains unchanged
You’ll have access to a clear overview of your credit balance and expiry date within your account, and a credit ledger will be available to help you track historical usage.
Core plan customers can purchase up to 20,000 credits per contract year. If you need more than 20,000 credits, please contact us to upgrade to a Plus plan. A credit calculator will be available for Core customers to estimate their yearly spend and help them choose the most suitable tier, while Plus customers will be guided by our Sales team to estimate ideal credit tiers.
For more information on these plans and the available tiers, please visit our pricing page.
Automatic upgrades
You can also enable automatic upgrades.
When your available credits drop to 100 or fewer, your account will automatically move to the next credit tier. This ensures you never run out of credits and your hiring process continues without interruption. You’ll also receive an email notification each time an auto-upgrade occurs. Your renewal date stays the same.
To enable auto-upgrade:
Navigate to the Plan & billing tab in your account.
Find the Enable auto-upgrade section.
Toggle the switch to turn auto-upgrade on.
That’s it! Once enabled, your account will automatically upgrade whenever your balance falls below 100 credits.
Disable auto-upgrade
If you no longer want credits to be added automatically, you can disable auto-upgrade at any time.
To disable auto-upgrade:
Navigate to the Plan & billing tab in your account.
Find the Enable auto-upgrade section.
Toggle the switch to turn auto-upgrade off.
Once disabled, your plan will stay on your current credit tier. If you run low on credits, you’ll need to upgrade manually.
Common questions
Can I invite candidates to assessments for free?
Yes! If an assessment only includes qualifying questions, custom questions (essay, multiple-choice, file upload), and/or AI resume scoring, it costs 0 credits to invite candidates.
Does creating an assessment cost credits?
No, creating an assessment does not cost any credits. Credits are only deducted when candidates start taking the assessment.
How long are my credits valid?
All credits, including any additional ones you purchase, expire at the end of your current contract period. Your renewal date remains the same, even if you upgrade to a higher credit tier during the year.
How do credits work on the Free forever plan?
You get 10 credits per month. Credits renew on the 1st of each month and do not roll over. Credits are consumed when a candidate starts an assessment, based on what's in it: 1 credit per skills test, 1 for a one-way AI video interview, and 2 for Conversational AI video interview. AI Resume Scoring, qualifying questions, and custom questions cost 0 credits. When your credits reach zero, assessments will not accept new candidates until the 1st of the next month. There's no top-up on Free. To get more credits, upgrade to Core or Plus.
What happens when I run out of credits?
On paid plans, if your balance falls to 100 credits or fewer, your account can automatically upgrade to the next tier if auto-upgrade is enabled. If auto-upgrade is turned off, you'll need to purchase more credits manually through the Plan & billing tab before inviting or sourcing additional candidates.
On the Free forever plan, when your credits reach zero, assessments stop accepting new candidates. Your 10 credits renew on the 1st of the next month. There's no top-up on Free. To get more credits sooner, upgrade to Core or Plus.
Do unused credits roll over to the next year?
On paid plans - no. Credits reset at the end of your annual contract period.
On the Free forever plan - no. Unused credits do not roll over month to month. Your 10 credits renew on the 1st of each month.
Can I buy more credits at any time?
Yes. Core and Plus customers can upgrade to a higher credit tier at any time from within the app. The additional cost is charged upfront, and your renewal date does not change.
How do I know how many credits I’ve used?
You can view your current balance and credit ledger in the Plan & billing tab, or generate a Credit usage report to see your full history of credit transactions over the past 365 days.
Can multiple users spend credits?
Yes. Any premium users (owners, admins, or recruiters) can use credits to source or invite candidates. Hiring Managers can view results but cannot spend credits.
What if I need more than 20,000 credits?
Core customers who need more than 20,000 credits per year can contact our Sales team to upgrade to a Plus plan, which offers larger and customizable credit tiers.
Do I use credits when I take an assessment internally?
No. Internal assessments do not use credits. Both you and your registered account users can take the assessment before inviting candidates. Simply send an invitation to the email address of any registered account user. Our system will recognize you as an account user, so no credits will be used.