Zenode uses token based pricing for advanced AI features
⚡ TL;DR: Basic Catalog search and Browsing Parts are always free. Credits pay for the tokens that are consumed when you ask Zenode's AI to work on your behalf by interpreting documents, surfacing insights, or answering questions directly. There are three self-serve plans with different amounts of monthly credits. You can also earn credits for free through community activities.
Browsing our part catalog is free on Zenode:
Search and refine with parametric filters
Access part information and specifications
Read through datasheets, reference manuals, and other available documents
💡 None of these actions use credits because they're not directly leveraging AI. However, our catalog is still the largest and deepest in industry, and we have created a much broader 'search surface' with which to find what you're looking for.
Credits are consumed in line with token usage for using Zenode's AI features to interact with part information directly.
Discovery is AI-powered component search. Type a natural-language question and Zenode searches across millions of parts to find answers. This is the lightest credit action.
Deep Dives go deeper than Discovery, parsing the actual technical documentation (datasheets, reference manuals) and returns detailed answers with source citations. Deep Dives use ~10x the credits of a Discovery query because the AI is reading and analyzing significantly more material.
Interactive Docs lets you ask questions about a specific part's documentation and get cited answers directly from the datasheet. Each query uses a small amount of credits (similar to Discovery).
Alts (a.k.a. Cross Refs) is Zenode's most powerful AI feature. It compares a reference part against alternatives side-by-side, grounded in actual datasheet parameters (not just marketing specs). Alts uses the most credits (roughly 100x a Discovery query) because the AI is doing deep analysis across multiple parts simultaneously. It's also where Zenode saves the most engineering time.
💡 All self-serve plans include full access to every AI feature. The difference between plans is how many credits you get and whether you can top up when you run out.
Free Plan: When you sign up, you get a one-time credit grant loaded into your account (no card required) to try all of our AI Features. When your credits run out, you can earn more through community activities (see below) or upgrade to a paid plan.
Starter ($50/mo): Starter gives you great utility for most users, and unlocks Top-ups, which persist until you use them.
Pro ($400/mo): Pro gives you roughly 16x the monthly credit capacity of Starter, and access to beta data features as they become available.
Available on Starter and Pro. When your monthly credits run out mid-cycle, you can purchase additional usage. A few things to know about top-ups:
Top-up credits are used only after your monthly credits are exhausted. Your monthly allocation always gets consumed first.
Top-up credits persist across billing cycles until spent. They don't expire.
You can earn bonus credits by helping us grow the community and sharing your work. Earned credits land in your top-up balance and behave exactly like purchased top-ups (they persist until spent and are consumed after your monthly credits).
Referring Zenode to friends and colleagues
Following us on LinkedIn
Completing surveys and feedback forms
Earning activities are available on all plans, including Free. This is the primary way Free users can extend their usage beyond the initial grant.
Billing: Paid plans renew on your billing date.
Cancellation: If you cancel, you’ll keep paid access until the end of your billing period. After that, your account reverts to Free.
Refunds: If you believe a refund is necessary, please reach out to Support@Zenode.AI.
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