If you've looked at more than one AI lesson planning tool, you've probably seen the word "credits" appear somewhere in the pricing or FAQ. It's not always clearly explained. Here's what it actually means.
Why AI generation costs money to run
When you click "Generate lesson plan", the tool sends your inputs to a large language model — the same type of AI that powers ChatGPT or Claude. Running that model costs real money per request: the AI provider charges the software company, and the software company builds that cost into their pricing somehow.
Some tools absorb the cost in a flat subscription. Others use a credit system, where each AI generation uses one or more credits and your account has a monthly or annual allowance.
How credits work in ScholaPlan
ScholaPlan uses a credit system. Each AI lesson generation uses one credit. Your account comes with a generous allowance that covers typical teacher usage — a full-time teacher planning five lessons a week would use roughly 200 credits per year, well within the standard allocation.
Credits don't expire during your subscription. If you have a quieter term and don't use your full allowance, you don't lose them.
What to watch for when comparing tools
The credit question worth asking is: what does one credit actually generate? Some tools give you a credit for a full lesson plan. Others use a credit per section — so a complete lesson with objectives, activities, and differentiation might cost five or six credits. The headline credit number is meaningless without knowing the per-generation cost.
Also check whether credits reset monthly or accumulate. Monthly resets mean unused capacity disappears at the end of each month — a problem if your planning load is uneven across the year, as most teachers' is.
The flat-subscription alternative
Some tools avoid credits entirely and include unlimited AI generation in a flat fee. This is simpler, but the economics only work if the AI generation costs are low or the subscription price is high enough to absorb them. Be sceptical of "unlimited AI generation" claims from very cheap tools — the generation quality or the model used is often the thing that's been cut.
At £15/year, ScholaPlan's credit allowance is sized for realistic full-time teacher usage. If you generate multiple detailed lessons every day, you may need to consider usage — but for typical planning, the allowance is not a constraint you'll hit.
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