How do compute points work on Poe?
Compute points are Poe's single currency for using every AI model. Each message costs points based on the model you pick — a light model may cost around 20 points, while frontier, image, or video models cost thousands. Free users get about 10,000 points daily; Premium is $19.99/month for 660,000 points monthly (as of 2026-07).
Why — the first-principles explanation
Poe lets you use dozens of different AI models — made by OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and others — from one app. The problem is that each model costs Poe a different amount to run. A small, fast model is cheap. A giant reasoning model, or one that draws an image or renders a video, is far more expensive. If Poe charged a flat "per message" rate, heavy users of pricey models would drain money while light users would overpay.
Compute points solve this by turning every action into one shared unit. Instead of tracking dollars per model, Poe assigns each model a point cost per message. When you send a message, Poe subtracts that model's cost from your balance. This is the same idea as an arcade converting real money into tokens so every game can be priced fairly against the others.
Your point balance refills on a schedule tied to your plan. Free users get a daily allowance (about 10,000 points) that resets each day. Paid subscribers get a much larger monthly pool — 660,000 points on the $19.99 Premium plan, scaling up to 8.25 million on the top tier. Points generally do not roll over, so an unused daily or monthly balance is lost when it resets.
Because costs vary so widely, the practical lesson is simple: the model you choose, not the number of messages, drives how fast your points disappear. Chatting with a cheap model all day may barely dent your balance, while a handful of long video generations can wipe out a monthly pool.
An example that makes it click
Think of Poe like a theme park that runs both a kiddie carousel and a giant roller coaster. At the gate you buy a wristband loaded with 10,000 ride-points. The carousel costs 20 points a ride, so you could ride it hundreds of times. The roller coaster costs 3,000 points because it's huge and expensive to run, so you only get three rides before your wristband is empty.
Nothing charges you "per ride" in dollars — everything is priced in the same points. That's why two kids with the same wristband can have totally different days: one rides cheap attractions all afternoon, the other blows the whole balance on a few big rides. On Poe, the "big rides" are the top models and image or video generators.
How to do it
- Open Poe (web or app) and look at your points balance, usually shown in the sidebar or account menu.
- Before sending, check the point cost listed next to each bot or model — it tells you how many points that message will spend.
- Use cheaper, lighter models for everyday chatting to stretch your daily or monthly balance.
- Save expensive frontier models and image/video generators for tasks that truly need them.
- If you run low, wait for the daily/monthly reset or buy add-on points from the account page.
Key facts
- Compute points are a universal usage currency covering every model and bot on Poe.
- Free accounts receive roughly 10,000 compute points per day, which reset daily and do not roll over.
- The $19.99/month Premium plan includes about 660,000 compute points per month (as of 2026-07).
- Point cost per message varies by model, from around 20 points for light models to thousands for frontier, image, or video models.
- Higher tiers scale the monthly pool up to 8.25 million points on the $249.99/month Pro Max plan.
- Add-on point packs can be purchased when you run out before your reset.
One app to chat with many models (GPT, Claude, Gemini and more) on shared credits.
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Compute points are how Poe charges you for using AI. Instead of paying per model, everything on Poe is priced in one shared currency: points. When you send a message, Poe subtracts that model's point cost from your balance. Here's the key: costs vary wildly. A small, fast model might cost around twenty points. A powerful reasoning model, or one that makes an image or a video, can cost thousands. Free users get about ten thousand points a day that reset each morning. The Premium plan, at nineteen ninety-nine a month, gives you around six hundred sixty thousand points monthly. Points usually don't roll over, so use them or lose them. The takeaway: it's not how many messages you send that drains your points — it's which model you pick. Chat with cheap models to stretch your balance, and save the expensive ones for when you really need them.
What authoritative sources say
People also ask
Do Poe compute points roll over?
No. Unused daily points reset each day and monthly points reset each billing cycle; they generally do not carry over.
Can I buy more points if I run out?
Yes. Poe sells add-on point packs so subscribers can top up before their next reset.
Why did one message cost thousands of points?
You likely used a frontier model, a long reasoning task, or an image/video generator, which cost far more than light chat models.
How do I see a model's point cost?
Poe displays the cost per message next to each bot or model before you send, so you can budget as you go.