Credit System

How Dune’s usage-based credit system works for fair and flexible querying

How you spend credits on Dune

Dune uses a usage-based credit system that charges based on actual compute resources consumed, ensuring fair pricing for all users regardless of query complexity.

See full blog post announcement here

How the Credit System Works

Our query engine uses a flexible credit-based pricing model that scales with your actual resource consumption. When you run a query, credits are spent in proportion to the resources used—simple queries cost fewer credits, while complex queries that require more computational resources use more credits.

This approach ensures fair pricing across our platform, which spans over 100 chains, complex tables, and multiple ways to consume data through APIs and various connector options. The credit system adapts to your needs: small, efficient queries are economical, while larger, more complex queries can leverage extended timeouts and additional resources as needed.

Your credits work seamlessly across all query types and data consumption methods, providing transparent and predictable pricing that scales with your usage.

Key benefits:

• Usage-based – Pay in proportion to actual consumption
• Efficiency – Incentives to write cleaner, optimized queries
• Scalable – Sustainable future support for larger workloads with longer timeouts and expanded connector options to come in the near future

This fair, usage-based model ensures Dune can keep pace with your most ambitious data needs.

Credit Pricing

Credits are consumed based on the actual compute resources used for each query execution. The more complex your query, the more credits it consumes, but simple queries cost significantly less. At the moment, we don’t share a single, per-query formula because credit usage depends on real-time factors (the compute your query actually uses, the engine you choose, and current network/data access conditions.

To stay in full control, you can set:

• a global query cost cap (per-execution ceiling). More info on how to do this here.
• a monthly overage limit (account-level ceiling). These controls ensure you never exceed what you’re comfortable spending per run or per month. Learn how to set this up here.

Credit Pricing = Overage Pricing
Overage is charged at the same rate as your plan. The price per 100 credits shown for each plan is what you pay for any usage beyond your included credits, keeping things simple and transparent.

Quick Plan Reference

Plan	Monthly Price	Annual Price	Credits/Month	Cost per 100 Credits
Free	Free	-	2,500	$5.00
Analyst	$75/month	-	4,000	$1.875
Analyst (Annual)	$65/month billed annually	$780/year	4,000	$1.625
Plus	$399/month	-	25,000	$1.596
Plus (Annual)	$349/month billed annually	$4,188/year	25,000	$1.396
Premium	Existing customers only	-	Varies	Contact support
Enterprise	Custom pricing	-	Custom	Contact sales

Enterprise: Whether you’re an existing plan considering an upgrade or a new team, we can custom-tailor a plan to your pricing needs at dune.com/enterprise. Enterprise clients receive favorable per-credit pricing and customized support.

Explore the complete pricing plan with credit limits and features for each tier: dune.com/pricing

Managing Your Credit Usage

• Review your usage. Check your query volume and costs regularly to stay informed about your credit consumption.
• Optimize your queries. Efficient queries save credits and run faster. See here for tips.
• Pick the plan that fits. If you anticipate heavy usage or notice overages, please contact our sales team at dune.com/enterprise to discuss the best plan for your needs. Enterprise clients receive favorable per-credit pricing and customized support.
• Cap your query costs. Control spending by setting a maximum credit limit for individual queries. More info on how to do this here.
• Set overage limits. Configure your overage spending limits to control costs. Learn how to set this up here.

Need Help?

Have questions or need additional support? Contact Us

FAQ

Pricing & Plans

How does Dune's credit system work?

Dune uses a usage-based credit system that charges based on actual compute resources consumed. This ensures fair pricing where lightweight queries cost less and complex queries cost more based on their actual resource requirements, providing everyone with a fair and flexible experience.

Is there a Free plan?

Yes. The Free plan includes 2,500 credits per month at no cost. With the usage-based system, credits are consumed based on actual query resources. Small, efficient queries use fewer credits, allowing you to run more queries within your monthly allowance. Larger or more complex queries will use credits more quickly. If you consistently need more capacity, you can upgrade to a paid plan anytime.

Can I run bigger queries if I stay on a Free plan?

Yes, but you will be limited to the Small and Medium engine. If you often hit timeout limits, consider the Analyst or Plus plans.

How are credits calculated?

Credits are based on the actual compute effort measured in CPU-seconds and network resources a query consumes. This means lightweight queries cost fewer credits, while complex, resource-intensive operations require more credits.

At the moment, we don’t share a single, per-query formula because credit usage depends on real-time factors (the compute your query actually uses, the engine you choose, and current network/data access conditions).

In practice: Credits scale with compute used. Heavier queries consume more credits; lighter ones consume fewer. Engine matters. Large runs complex queries fastest and therefore consumes credits at a higher rate than Medium; Small prioritizes queue time over speed and is most efficient for simple jobs.

To stay in full control, you can set: a global query cost cap (per-execution ceiling), and a monthly overage limit (account-level ceiling).

I run a lot of API queries. Will they cost more?

Cost will depend on compute used by those API queries. You can check the usage dashboard in Settings to track API-specific consumption.

Usage & Monitoring

How can I monitor my credit consumption?

The usage and billing dashboard shows credits used, overages, and historical usage.

Will I see the cost before running a query?

You’ll see costs after execution.

Can I run bigger queries now?

Yes more complex queries and higher data volumes with longer timeouts for Enterprise clients.

Optimization & Support

How can I lower my credit usage?

Write efficient SQL, limit unnecessary joins or scans, and reuse results when possible. Our docs include query optimization tips.

What if I consistently exceed my plan credits?

You can upgrade to a higher plan or contact our sales team to discuss a custom Enterprise solution.

Who do I contact for help?

Reach out to [e-mail] or your Dune account manager for Enterprise plans.