Kaizen #34 - API Credits

Kaizen #34 - API Credits

Hello everyone!

Welcome back to another post in the Kaizen series.
We will be discussing an interesting topic this week - API Credits.

In this post, we will cover the following.
1. What are API credits?
2. Add-on credits and pricing details
3. How are the credits deducted?

1. What are API credits?

Zoho CRM consists of different editions to cater to its wide range of customers. Each edition in Zoho CRM has a limit associated with it, called API Credits. The system uses API credits to track API usage. Whenever you make an API call, the system deducts the credits from your account. The credits deduction is based on the type of API Call, the intensiveness of the performance, and the memory usage of the operations involved in the API calls. 

The following table shows the allocation of credits for each edition of Zoho CRM.

Edition

Allowed Credits

Maximum Credits

Free

5000 credits
5000 credits
Standard/Starter
5,000 credits + (Number of User licenses x 250) + Add-on credits
100,000 credits
Professional
10,000 credits + (Number of User licenses x 500) + Add-on credits
500,000 credits
Enterprise/Zoho One/CRM Plus
15,000 credits + (Number of User licenses x 1000) + Add-on credits
1,000,000 credits
Ultimate
15,000 credits + (Number of User licenses x 2000) + Add-on credits
Unlimited

The available API credits will be the minimum of the calculated allowed credit limit (above table) and the corresponding edition's maximum credit limit. For example, if the organization is in the Professional Edition and the user licenses are 1000, the total credits would become 510,000. However, the maximum API credit limit will still remain 500,000 (minimum between 500,000 and 510,000).

2. Add-on credits and pricing details

In certain cases, organizations may need extra credits (besides the available credits) to perform more API operations.Zoho CRM offers add-on credits to handle additional credit requirements. If an organization requires more API credits than the allowed limit for its edition, you can contact support@zohocrm.com and purchase extra credits.

The following table gives the pricing details for different credit slabs.
Add-on Credits per 24 hours
Price in $ per 1000 Credits

First 25,000

0.14
Next 75,000
0.06
Next 150,000
0.05
Next 250,000
0.025
Next 500,000
0.012

An illustration on the calculation of price for add-on credits:
Consider that an organization wants to purchase 75,000 add-on credits. For the first 25,000 credits, the price will be $0.14 and for the next 50,000 credits, it will be $0.6, for every 1000 credits, respectively.

Hence, the price for a 24-hour period will be: 
For the first 25,000 credits = (25,000*0.14)/1000  
For the next 50,000 credits = (50,000*0.06)/1000 
Total credits = 3500/1000 + 3000/1000 = $6.5. 
Thus, the price per month will be $6.5*30 = $195

Note:
1. If you want to purchase 100,000 credits, then you will be charged a total of $300 per month ($105 for the first 25000 + $195 for the next 75,000).
2. You can purchase either a maximum of 500,000 extra credits or the difference between your edition's maximum credit limit and your current API limit, whichever is lower.

3. How are the credits deducted?

API credits are deducted based on a 24-hour rolling window from the start of the call.
The 24-hour rolling window starts when you make the first API call. The system frees the API credit used after the 24 hours of each API credit consumption. 

Let us understand it better by an example. Refer to the image below. You can see that the user starts with 5000 credits and exhausts it by 18:00 GMT. Furthermore, by 02:30 GMT the next day, the 500 credits that were used up, get credited to the account. Subsequently, by 06:30 GMT, the next day, 1500 credits will be credited to the account, and so on. This is how the 24-hour rolling window works.



The number of credits deducted depends on the intensity and the memory consumption of the API call. The "intensity" varies with the type of the API. For instance, while a user makes a meta API call, only one credit is consumed from the available credits. However, when the user makes a bulk read or bulk write API call, it will cost around 50 or 500 credits accordingly.

The following table describes the number of credits deducted based on the type of API call.

API Call

Number of Credits Deducted
Get Users/Roles/Profiles
1
Get list of Modules
1
Get Field Meta Data
1
Get Module Meta Data
1
Get IDs of deleted records
2
Get records with cvid parameter
3
Convert Lead
5
Add/Remove Tags to Multiple records
1 credit for every 50 records
Insert/Update/Upsert
1 credit for every 10 records
Bulk Read Initialize

50

Bulk Write Initialize
500
All other APIs
1
So, based on the type of API call a user makes, the associated credit is deducted from the available credits for the CRM edition.

When you exhaust your available credits, the system throws the "TOO MANY REQUESTS" error.
Sample Error Response: 
{
    "code": "TOO_MANY_REQUESTS",
    "details": {},
    "message": "Many requests fired than the allowed limit for the past 24 hours.",
    "status": "error"
}

We hope you found this post useful. Let us know your thoughts in the comment section or reach us out at support@zohocrm.com.

Cheers!














    Access your files securely from anywhere







                            Zoho Developer Community





                                                  Use cases

                                                  Make the most of Zoho Desk with the use cases.

                                                   
                                                    

                                                  eBooks

                                                  Download free eBooks and access a range of topics to get deeper insight on successfully using Zoho Desk.

                                                   
                                                    

                                                  Videos

                                                  Watch comprehensive videos on features and other important topics that will help you master Zoho Desk.

                                                   
                                                    

                                                  Webinar

                                                  Sign up for our webinars and learn the Zoho Desk basics, from customization to automation and more

                                                   
                                                    
                                                  • Desk Community Learning Series


                                                  • Meetups


                                                  • Ask the Experts


                                                  • Kbase


                                                  • Resources


                                                  • Glossary


                                                  • Desk Marketplace


                                                  • MVP Corner




                                                            • Sticky Posts

                                                            • Kaizen #197: Frequently Asked Questions on GraphQL APIs

                                                              🎊 Nearing 200th Kaizen Post – We want to hear from you! Do you have any questions, suggestions, or topics you would like us to cover in future posts? Your insights and suggestions help us shape future content and make this series better for everyone.
                                                            • Kaizen #198: Using Client Script for Custom Validation in Blueprint

                                                              Nearing 200th Kaizen Post – 1 More to the Big Two-Oh-Oh! Do you have any questions, suggestions, or topics you would like us to cover in future posts? Your insights and suggestions help us shape future content and make this series better for everyone.
                                                            • Celebrating 200 posts of Kaizen! Share your ideas for the milestone post

                                                              Hello Developers, We launched the Kaizen series in 2019 to share helpful content to support your Zoho CRM development journey. Staying true to its spirit—Kaizen Series: Continuous Improvement for Developer Experience—we've shared everything from FAQs
                                                            • Kaizen #193: Creating different fields in Zoho CRM through API

                                                              🎊 Nearing 200th Kaizen Post – We want to hear from you! Do you have any questions, suggestions, or topics you would like us to cover in future posts? Your insights and suggestions help us shape future content and make this series better for everyone.
                                                            • Client Script | Update - Introducing Commands in Client Script!

                                                              Have you ever wished you could trigger Client Script from contexts other than just the supported pages and events? Have you ever wanted to leverage the advantage of Client Script at your finger tip? Discover the power of Client Script - Commands! Commands


                                                            Manage your brands on social media



                                                                  Zoho TeamInbox Resources



                                                                      Zoho CRM Plus Resources

                                                                        Zoho Books Resources


                                                                          Zoho Subscriptions Resources

                                                                            Zoho Projects Resources


                                                                              Zoho Sprints Resources


                                                                                Qntrl Resources


                                                                                  Zoho Creator Resources



                                                                                      Zoho CRM Resources

                                                                                      • CRM Community Learning Series

                                                                                        CRM Community Learning Series


                                                                                      • Kaizen

                                                                                        Kaizen

                                                                                      • Functions

                                                                                        Functions

                                                                                      • Meetups

                                                                                        Meetups

                                                                                      • Kbase

                                                                                        Kbase

                                                                                      • Resources

                                                                                        Resources

                                                                                      • Digest

                                                                                        Digest

                                                                                      • CRM Marketplace

                                                                                        CRM Marketplace

                                                                                      • MVP Corner

                                                                                        MVP Corner






                                                                                          Design. Discuss. Deliver.

                                                                                          Create visually engaging stories with Zoho Show.

                                                                                          Get Started Now


                                                                                            Zoho Show Resources


                                                                                              Zoho Writer Writer

                                                                                              Get Started. Write Away!

                                                                                              Writer is a powerful online word processor, designed for collaborative work.

                                                                                                Zoho CRM コンテンツ








                                                                                                  Nederlandse Hulpbronnen


                                                                                                      ご検討中の方




                                                                                                            • Recent Topics

                                                                                                            • goingout e mail block

                                                                                                              info@ozanrade.com.tr
                                                                                                            • Incoming mails blocked

                                                                                                              Zoho User ID : 60005368884 My mail Id is marketing#axisformingtechnology.com .I am getting following message "Your Incoming has been blocked and the emails will not be fetched in your Zoho account and POP Accounts. Click here to get unblocked." Please
                                                                                                            • Assistance Needed: Ticket Status Not Updating and Sorting by Last Customer Reply in Zoho Desk

                                                                                                              Hello, I’m facing two issues in Zoho Desk that I’d like your guidance on: Ticket Status Not Updating: When a customer replies to a ticket, the status does not change to Reopened. Instead, it remains in Waiting on Customer, even after the customer’s response
                                                                                                            • Configuring Email Notifications with Tautulli for Plex

                                                                                                              Hi I'm new to Zoho. I am from Canada and I have a I use a web based application called Tautulli for Plex that monitors my Plex media server. It also sends a newsletter to my followers. To set this up they require a "From" email address., a smtp server
                                                                                                            • Is there a way to automatically add Secondary Contacts (CCs) when creating a new ticket for specific customers?

                                                                                                              Some of our customers want multiple contacts to receive all notifications from our support team. Is there a way to automatically add secondary contacts to a ticket when our support team opens a new ticket and associates it with an account? This would
                                                                                                            • How to Set Up Zoho Mail Without Cloudflare on My Website

                                                                                                              I'm having some trouble with Cloudflare here in Pakistan. I want to configure Zoho Mail for my domain, but I'm not sure how to set it up without going through Cloudflare. My website, https://getcrunchyrollapk.com/ , is currently using CF, but I'd like
                                                                                                            • Spam is Being Forwarded

                                                                                                              I am filtering a certain sender directly to the Trash folder. Those messages are still being forwarded. Is this supposed to happen?
                                                                                                            • IMAP Block

                                                                                                              My two accounts have been blocked and I am not able to unblocked them myself. Please respond to email, I am traveling and this is urgent.
                                                                                                            • "DKIM not configured"

                                                                                                              Hello. I have been attempting get the DKIM verified but Toolkit keeps sending the message that it is not configured, but both Namecheap and Zoho show it as configured properly. What am I missing?
                                                                                                            • Zoho mail with custom domain not receiving email

                                                                                                              i registered zoho mail with my own domain. I can login and access the mail app. I tried to send email from an outlook email account and an icloud email account. Both emails were not received. My plan is free. I also tried to send email from this zoho
                                                                                                            • Set connection link name from variable in invokeurl

                                                                                                              Hi, guys. How to set in parameter "connection" a variable, instead of a string. connectionLinkName = manager.get('connectionLinkName').toString(); response = invokeurl [ url :"https://www.googleapis.com/calendar/v3/freeBusy" type :POST parameters:requestParams.toString()
                                                                                                            • Waterfall Chart

                                                                                                              Hello, I would like to create a waterfall chart on Zoho analytics which shows the movement in changes of budget throughout a few months, on a weekly basis. Should look something like the picture below. Does anyone know how to?
                                                                                                            • Help Center and SEO: Any Benefit to My Domain-Mapped Website Ranking?

                                                                                                              First of, I love the Help Center which I've just decided to integrate into my website to replace its old-fashioned FAQs. So much more to achieve there now! Lots of new benefits to the site visitors and to me in terms of organizing and delivering all the
                                                                                                            • Issue with Importing Notes against Leads

                                                                                                              Hi, I am attempting to import some Notes into Zoho CRM which need to be assigned to various Leads. I have created a csv file which I am testing that contains just one record. This csv file contains the following columns: Note Id Parent Id       (I have
                                                                                                            • Trigger a Workflow Function if an Attachment (Related List) has been added

                                                                                                              Hello, I have a Case Module with a related list which is Attachment. I want to trigger a workflow if I added an attachment. I've seen some topics about this in zoho community that was posted few months ago and based on the answers, there is no trigger
                                                                                                            • Option to Hide Project Overview for Client Profiles

                                                                                                              In Zoho Projects, the Project Overview section is currently visible to client profiles by default. While user profiles already have the option to restrict or hide access to the project overview, the same flexibility isn’t available for client profiles.
                                                                                                            • Creator Add Records through API - Workflows not triggered ?

                                                                                                              Hi Everyone, I am trying to add records to my Creator application through a third party app that I am developing. Currently, I am testing this through Postman. The records I need to add have a lot of workflows to run to populate dropdowns, fields, use
                                                                                                            • Zoho Books Idea - Include another field in Bank Details for Address

                                                                                                              Hi Books team, Currently use the Description field in the Bank Details to store the bank's address. This works fine but it would be great if you could add another field for Bank Address, so that other notes about the bank account could be stored in the
                                                                                                            • Zoho Books Idea - Bank Details Button on Banking

                                                                                                              Hi Books team, Sometimes I'm asked to share bank details with a customer or a colleague. So I go to the Banking Module, find the correct bank account, click Setting > Edit, then copy and paste the bank details. Wouldn't it be great if there was a button
                                                                                                            • Zoho Error: This Operation has been restricted. Please contact support-as@zohocorp.com for further details

                                                                                                              Hello There, l tried to verify my domain (florindagoreti.com.br) and its shows this error: This Operation has been restricted. Please contact support-as@zohocorp.com for further details. Screenshot Given Below -  please check what went wrong. Thanks
                                                                                                            • Important Update: Changes to Google Translate Support in Zoho SalesIQ

                                                                                                              We’re updating our default chat translation options across all Zoho SalesIQ data centres to offer a more secure, in-house solution for your translation needs. What’s changing? We will be offering Zoho Translate (our in-house tool) as the default translation
                                                                                                            • FSM Improvement Idea - Show an Import button when there is no data

                                                                                                              I am setting up FSM for a client and I noticed that there is no option to import data, see screenshot below. Even when you click Create Contact there is only an option to Import from Zoho Invoice. It is only after you add at lease 1 record that the Import
                                                                                                            • Zoho CRM Community Digest - July P1 | 2025

                                                                                                              Hey everyone, The start of July 2025 marked a special milestone: 200 posts in our Kaizen series! For those new here, Kaizen is a go-to series for Zoho CRM developers, where we regularly share best practices, tips, and expert insights to help you build
                                                                                                            • can't login Kiosk URGENT

                                                                                                              already try, can't login pls help to support. thanks.
                                                                                                            • Join our BI & Analytics Workshop at Zoholics UK 🇬🇧

                                                                                                              Hello users, We are thrilled to announce a hands-on workshop at Zoholics UK, 2025, led by Ashwinth and Alan, our Product Experts. This session is designed for anyone who wants to move beyond raw data and truly understand their business performance using
                                                                                                            • What’s New in Zoho Expense (April – July 2025)

                                                                                                              Hello users, We're happy to bring you the latest updates and enhancements we've made to Zoho Expense over the past three months, which include introducing the Trip Expense Summary report in Analytics, extending Chatbot support to more editions, rolling
                                                                                                            • Nimble enhancements to WhatsApp for Business integration in Zoho CRM: Enjoy context and clarity in business messaging

                                                                                                              Dear Customers, We hope you're well! WhatsApp for business is a renowned business messaging platform that takes your business closer to your customers; it gives your business the power of personalized outreach. Using the WhatsApp for Business integration
                                                                                                            • Weekly Tips: Insert frequently used phrases in a jiffy using Hotkeys

                                                                                                              You often find yourself using similar phrases in an email —like confirming appointments or providing standard information. Constantly switching between the mouse and keyboard interrupts your flow and slows you down.Instead of typing the same phrases over
                                                                                                            • Undo Command in Notebook

                                                                                                              It would be handy to have an Undo in the row of icons at the bottom of the notes.
                                                                                                            • Improved UI for a Seamless User Experience - Calls, Tasks, and Meetings

                                                                                                              Hello all, We are making UI unification across CRM so that the UI experience is seamless across the product. As part of that effort, we have made changes to the details page of activity-based module records—Meetings, Calls, and Tasks. Let's look at these
                                                                                                            • New Customization options in the module builder: Quick Create and Detail view

                                                                                                              Hello everyone, We have introduced two new components to the module builder: Quick create and Detail view. The Quick Create Component It is a mini form used to create a record and associate it to the parent record from a lookup field. For example, if you have a Deals lookup in the Contacts module, then you can associate existing deals or create a deal and associate it with the contact. You can customize this Quick Create form by adding standard as well as custom fields. There is no limit to the number
                                                                                                            • Unable to send message; Reason:554 5.1.8 Email Outgoing Blocked

                                                                                                              Hi, I sent few emails and got this: Unable to send message; Reason:554 5.1.8 Email Outgoing Blocked And now I have few days since I cant send any email. Is there something wrong I did? Also can someone fix this please
                                                                                                            • Cross References Do Not Update Correctly

                                                                                                              I am using cross references to reference Figures and current am just using the label and number, i.e. Figure #. As seen here: When I need to update the field, I use the update field button. But it will change the cross reference to no longer only including
                                                                                                            • Add multiple users to a task

                                                                                                              When I´m assigning a task it is almost always related to more than one person. Practical situation: When a client request some improvement the related department opens the task with the situation and people related to it as the client itself, the salesman
                                                                                                            • Narrative 9: GC—Meaningful conversations that benefit your customers

                                                                                                              Behind the scenes of a successful ticketing system - BTS Series Narrative 9: GC—Meaningful conversations that benefit your customers Customers often seek immediate solutions, which is why self-service options are essential. Guided Conversations provides
                                                                                                            • FSM App Oddity

                                                                                                              We recently rolled out FSM to our technicians, and only one technician is having an issue. He's using an iPhone with iOS 18.6 installed. When he goes to service appointments using the calendar icon at the bottom of the app, he gets a list view only. Typically,
                                                                                                            • Cliq Not Working !

                                                                                                              Zoho Cliq has been experiencing connectivity issues since this morning. The app is unable to establish a connection with the server.
                                                                                                            • Injecting CSS into ZML pages

                                                                                                              Is there a way to inject CSS into ZML pages? Use case: 1. Dashboard displays 'Recent Activities' card displaying a list of newly added records 2. Each item in list links to the record onClick 3. When a user points the cursor over an item in the list,
                                                                                                            • Power of Automation :: Automated Weekly Notifications for Unapproved Timesheets

                                                                                                              Hello Everyone, A custom function is a software code that can be used to automate a process and this allows you to automate a notification, call a webhook, or perform logic immediately after a workflow rule is triggered. This feature helps to automate
                                                                                                            • Extracting Data from Sitelink APIs

                                                                                                              Hi All, I'm working to pull data on Sitelink using API calls but i can't seem to extract it. If you click expand, you will see it has a lot of data in it. I tried extracting from the map but it's not giving me anything. Is there a workaround on this or
                                                                                                            • Next Page