Skip to main content

​
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 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 extra credit 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 = Extra Credit Pricing
On paid plans, additional usage is billed at the plan’s extra credit rate, up to your configured extra credit limit. Free accounts and free trials cannot buy extra credits. Quick Plan Reference
Save with Enterprise Pricing: Enterprise plans receive significantly lower per-credit rates compared to standard plans, plus customized support and tailored solutions. Whether you’re scaling up or just getting started, contact our sales team to discuss custom pricing that fits your needs.
Legacy Premium: This plan is no longer available for new subscriptions. Existing Premium customers can continue to use their plan.
Free trial: New accounts start with Plus plan features and 2,500 total credits for up to 14 days. These credits are a trial allowance, not a monthly allocation. The trial ends after 14 days or when the credits run out, whichever comes first. You cannot buy extra trial credits; upgrade to a paid plan to continue running queries and using the API. After the trial, Free access is view-only and your saved work remains available.
Explore the complete pricing plan with credit limits and features for each tier: dune.com/pricing

​
Storage

Each plan includes a storage cap for data you write to Dune (uploaded tables, materialized views, query-created tables, etc.). Storage limits are per-plan caps and are not charged per-credit — once you hit your plan’s limit, you’ll need to free space or upgrade to continue writing new data.
Writing data to storage also consumes credits based on the volume written. See the API Billing reference for credits-per-GB rates and details on Data Writes.
For the full breakdown of API-related pricing dimensions (executions, data export, data writes, storage, and webhooks), see the API Billing page.

​
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 extra credits usage, consider upgrading to Enterprise for significantly lower per-credit rates. Contact our sales team at dune.com/enterprise to discuss custom pricing and tailored solutions for your needs.
  • Cap your query costs. Control spending by setting a maximum credit limit for individual queries. More info on how to do this here.
  • Set extra credit limits. Configure your extra credit 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

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.
Yes. Free access is view-only: you can browse dashboards and queries, and your saved work remains available. It does not include monthly credits, query execution, or API access. New accounts start with a 14-day trial with Plus plan features and 2,500 total credits.
No. Free access is view-only. You need an active trial with remaining credits or a paid plan to run queries. See current plans for engine access and limits.
Credits reflect the actual compute resources a query uses, including processing power, data scanned, and the time it occupies the query engine. 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 extra credit limit (account-level ceiling).
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

The usage and billing dashboard shows credits used, extra credits, and historical usage.
You’ll see costs after execution.
Yes more complex queries and higher data volumes with longer timeouts for Enterprise clients.
Yes, the system user represents automated executions on the Dune platform. This includes scheduled query runs, materialized view refreshes, and other background jobs that run without direct user interaction. When you see credit usage attributed to a system user, it typically means those credits were consumed by your scheduled queries or automated data refresh processes rather than manual query executions.

​
Optimization & Support

Write efficient SQL, limit unnecessary joins or scans, and reuse results when possible. Our docs include query optimization tips.
You can upgrade to a higher plan or contact our sales team to discuss a custom Enterprise solution.
Reach out to support@dune.com or your Dune account manager for Enterprise plans.