Credits & Billing

TL;DR: lognow uses a credit system: 1 credit = 1 minute of base transcription = $0.003. Credits are deducted only when you stop a recording (rounded up to the next minute). Recordings under 10 seconds are free. New accounts get 200 free credits (about 3 hrs 20 min) on first sign-in. Translation adds +1 credit per translated minute when enabled. AI titles and summaries are billed separately and off by default.

How Credits Work

lognow uses a simple credit system:

• 1 credit = 1 minute of recording time
• 1 credit = $0.003 (three-tenths of a cent)
• Credits are deducted when you stop a recording (not when you start)
• Recordings under 10 seconds are free
• Durations are rounded up to the next full minute (e.g., 2 minutes 15 seconds = 3 credits)
• Realtime or async translation adds +1 credit per translated minute and appears as a separate translation_usage entry
• AI titles and summaries are billed separately based on actual AI usage (minimum 1 credit per generation). Auto-generation is opt-in — off by default.

Free Credits

Every new account receives 200 free credits on first sign-in. That's about 3 hours 20 minutes of transcription at no cost.

Checking Your Balance

Your current credit balance is always visible in the header bar. Click on it to see:

• Current balance
• Transaction history
• Option to buy more credits
• Coupon redemption
• Auto top-up setup

Buying Credits

All packs use the base flat rate of $0.003 / credit. Pick whichever size fits your expected usage — credits never expire.

To purchase:

1. Click on your credit balance in the header
2. Select a credit package
3. Complete the purchase via Stripe (secure payment)
4. Credits are added to your account instantly

You can also enter a custom dollar amount (minimum $10) at checkout — the credits are calculated at the flat rate and rounded down to whole credits, so a custom $10 purchase grants the same 3,333 credits as Starter.

Translation

Translation is opt-in. When enabled, lognow bills the base transcription and a matching translation surcharge:

• Base transcription: 1 credit per minute
• Translation surcharge: +1 credit per translated minute
• Billing history shows the surcharge as a separate translation_usage row

For example, a 12-minute translated recording bills 12 transcription credits plus 12 translation credits. This keeps plain transcription pricing unchanged while making the higher translation provider cost visible.

Auto top-up

Auto top-up is optional. When enabled, lognow charges your saved Stripe payment method and adds the configured credits after your balance falls below the threshold. The settings and credits dialogs show the approximate dollar charge before you save. If your balance is already below the threshold, the next billing check after a recording or async ingest may trigger the charge.

International payments

All charges are processed by Stripe in US dollars (USD). If your card is denominated in another currency, your issuing bank (or Stripe's currency conversion service) will convert the amount, typically with a foreign-exchange fee of around 1%. lognow does not control or receive these fees — what you see on your statement may be a few cents different from the listed USD price.

Transaction History

View your complete transaction history by clicking your credit balance in the header and opening the History tab. You can:

• See all credit additions and deductions
• Load older entries as needed
• Audit paid rows (topup, auto_topup) and usage rows (transcription_usage, translation_usage, title_usage, summary_usage)

AI Title & Summary Generation

lognow can generate a concise title and a meeting-style summary for any completed session using an AI model. AI generation is billed separately from transcription:

• Pricing is calculated from actual model token usage with a built-in margin. A typical title costs 1 credit; summaries scale with transcript length.
• A confirmation dialog shows the expected and maximum credit cost before each manual generation — you can cancel if it's more than you want to spend.
• Auto-generation is off by default. You can opt in under Settings → AI Generation to have a title and/or summary generated automatically when a recording ends.
• Each generation appears in your transaction history as a title_usage or summary_usage entry so the cost is always auditable.

Coupons

Have a coupon code? Click your credit balance in the header and redeem it from the Redeem tab to receive bonus credits.

Refunds

If you experience a technical issue during recording that prevents proper transcription, contact us at support@lognow.app. We review refund requests on a case-by-case basis and can credit your account accordingly.

Negative Balance

If your balance goes below zero (e.g., due to a long recording or translated session), you won't be able to start new recordings until your balance is positive again. This post-pay model avoids losing completed work; purchase credits or let auto top-up restore access.