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

        All-in-one knowledge management and training platform for your employees and customers.







                              Zoho Developer Community




                                                    • Desk Community Learning Series


                                                    • Digest


                                                    • Functions


                                                    • Meetups


                                                    • Kbase


                                                    • Resources


                                                    • Glossary


                                                    • Desk Marketplace


                                                    • MVP Corner


                                                    • Word of the Day


                                                    • Ask the Experts



                                                              • Sticky Posts

                                                              • 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.
                                                              • Kaizen #226: Using ZRC in Client Script

                                                                Hello everyone! Welcome to another week of Kaizen. In today's post, lets see what is ZRC (Zoho Request Client) and how we can use ZRC methods in Client Script to get inputs from a Salesperson and update the Lead status with a single button click. In this
                                                              • Kaizen #222 - Client Script Support for Notes Related List

                                                                Hello everyone! Welcome to another week of Kaizen. The final Kaizen post of the year 2025 is here! With the new Client Script support for the Notes Related List, you can validate, enrich, and manage notes across modules. In this post, we’ll explore how
                                                              • Kaizen #217 - Actions APIs : Tasks

                                                                Welcome to another week of Kaizen! In last week's post we discussed Email Notifications APIs which act as the link between your Workflow automations and you. We have discussed how Zylker Cloud Services uses Email Notifications API in their custom dashboard.
                                                              • Kaizen #216 - Actions APIs : Email Notifications

                                                                Welcome to another week of Kaizen! For the last three weeks, we have been discussing Zylker's workflows. We successfully updated a dormant workflow, built a new one from the ground up and more. But our work is not finished—these automated processes are


                                                              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

                                                                                                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

                                                                                                                • Power up your Kiosk Studio with Real-Time Data Capture, Client Scripts & More!

                                                                                                                  Hello Everyone, We’re thrilled to announce a powerful set of enhancements to Kiosk Studio in Zoho CRM. These new updates give you more flexibility, faster record handling, and real-time data capture, making your Kiosk flows smarter and more efficient
                                                                                                                • Change eMail Template for Event-Invitations

                                                                                                                  Hello ZOHO-CRM Team How I can change the eMail Template for Event-Invitations? I work with the German Version of the Free Version. I know how I can modify eMail alerts or Signature Templates, but where I can other eMails modify you send out? Thank you
                                                                                                                • Workdrive Oauth2 Token Isn't Refreshing

                                                                                                                  I have set up oauth for a bunch of zoho apis and have never had a problem with oauth. With workdrive i am using the exact same template i usually use for the other zoho apps and it is not working. All requests will work for the first hour then stops so
                                                                                                                • Migrate Your Notes from OneNote to Zoho Notebook Today

                                                                                                                  Greetings Notebook Users, We’re excited to introduce a powerful new feature that lets you migrate your notes from Microsoft OneNote to Zoho Notebook—making your transition faster and more seamless than ever. ✨ What’s New One-click migration: Easily import
                                                                                                                • How can I import OLM to Yandex Mail easily?

                                                                                                                  For migrating Mac Outlook OLM data to Yandex Mail efficiently, the Aryson OLM Converter is a reliable professional tool that ensures complete data integrity throughout the process. Unlike manual methods, which can risk inconsistent formatting or missing
                                                                                                                • Introducing Radio Buttons and Numeric Range Sliders in Zoho CRM

                                                                                                                  Release update: Currently out for CN, JP, AU and CA DCs (Free and standard editions). For other DCs, this will be released by mid-March. Hello everyone, We are pleased to share with you that Zoho CRM's Layout Editor now includes two new field formats—
                                                                                                                • Is it possible to setup bin locations WITHOUT mandating batch tracking?

                                                                                                                  Hi fellow zoho users, I'm wondering if anyone else has a similar issue to me? I only have some products batch tracked (items with shelf life expiry dates) but I am trying to setup bin locations for my entire inventory so we can do stock counting easier.
                                                                                                                • Implementing Inventory Process

                                                                                                                  I am just starting to create an inventory system through Zoho for a nonprofit. We receive in-kind donations of items for kids, and utilize them in 2 or 3 different programs. Then families come in and take the items. I'm thinking of this structure: Our
                                                                                                                • Best way to start zoho inventory with bulk openning stock

                                                                                                                  We are already using zoho book since long time for cars trading company. Now to streamline more, would like to import the excel data of closing stock of inventory to zoho inventory and to start on. Since we need to track each VIN (unique vehicle id number)
                                                                                                                • Service Reports.

                                                                                                                  Hello Team, I have a requirement to create multiple service reports for a single AP. That means, in one AP I have 5 service line items, and all line items are linked to assets. Once I complete the AP, I want to generate 5 individual service reports, one
                                                                                                                • Blueprint enhancements - Parallel and multiple transitions, and more

                                                                                                                  Last modified on Sep 4, 2023: All Zoho CRM users can now access these enhancements. Initially, these features were available only on an early access basis and by request. However, as of August 2, 2023, they have been made available to all users in all
                                                                                                                • Item Bulk Edit - Allow for Reorder Level

                                                                                                                  We're implementing a process for using the Reorder Level field for Items, and I have to go through and add this value to a huge chunk of our Items. It's driving me bonkers that I have to do this individually through the UI rather than bulk updating. It
                                                                                                                • Zoho CRM || Unable to Bulk Assignment of Territories for Contacts

                                                                                                                  Dear Zoho CRM Support Team, I hope this email finds you well. We recently performed a bulk upload of Contacts into Zoho CRM using the official sample Excel template downloaded from the CRM. The upload itself was completed successfully; however, we encountered
                                                                                                                • What's New in Zoho Inventory | August – October 2025

                                                                                                                  Hello customers, The last quarter has been incredibly productive! We've released a powerful slate of new features and enhancements in Zoho Inventory designed to give you better control, greater efficiency, and expanded functionality across your inventory
                                                                                                                • Disable Zoho Inventory Tracking / Delink Zoho Books & Inventory

                                                                                                                  We have integrated zoho inventory with zoho books? Now after a long time, we want to disable inventory tracking and delink these 2 modules. Zoho says we cant do it. Anybody else going thru the same ? Any possibility at all? Why does zoho not allow to
                                                                                                                • Tracking Non-Inventory Items

                                                                                                                  We have several business locations and currently use zoho inventory to track retail items (sales and purchase orders). We were hoping to use zoho inventory to track our non-inventory items as well (toilet paper, paper towels, etc). I understand that we
                                                                                                                • Price Managment

                                                                                                                  I have been in discussions with Zoho for some time and not getting what I need. Maybe someone can help explain the logic behind this for me as I fail to understand. When creating an item, you input a sales rate and purchase rate. These rates are just
                                                                                                                • Set Warehouse based on Vendor

                                                                                                                  Greetings. I would like to set automaticaly the Warehouse based on the Vendor. Context: I am working on an adaptation of a Purchase Order to be used as a Quotation. I have defined that when a user has to raise a quote the Vendor will be "PROCUREMENT" I would like to set the Warehouse to a predefined value when "PROCUREMENT" is set as Vendor. I have tried to do with the Automation feature using the Field Update option, but Warehouse does not is listed as a field. Can you help? Thanks in advance.
                                                                                                                • Auto tagging

                                                                                                                  Some of the articles I enter into Notebook get there when I enter them in Raindrop.io and IFTTT copies the articles in Notebook. When this happens the notes are tagged but instead of useful one word tags with topic the tag pertains to the specific article
                                                                                                                • How do I save audio files to my PC that I record into Zoho Notebook from my phone?

                                                                                                                  I was thinking of using Zoho Notebook as a way to store composition ideas, as well as for other things if it can handle this. For this to be useful for me though, I need to be able to have an easy way to download those audio files to my PC, either individually
                                                                                                                • Search mails in shared mailbox

                                                                                                                  Hi everyone, is there a way to search mails in shared mailbox's? Search in streams or mail doesn't return anything from mails in shared mailboxes. Thanks! Rafal
                                                                                                                • Kaizen #186 : Client Script Support for Subforms

                                                                                                                  Hello everyone! Welcome back to another exciting Kaizen post on Client Script! In this edition, we’re taking a closer look at Client Script Support for Subforms with the help of the following scenario. " Zylker, a manufacturing company, uses the "Orders"
                                                                                                                • Writing SQL Queries - After Comma Auto Suggesting Column

                                                                                                                  When writing SQL Queries, does anyone else get super annoyed that after you type a comma and try to return to a new line it is automatically suggest a new column, so hitting return just inputs this suggested column instead of going to a new line? Anyone
                                                                                                                • Sync your Products Module for better context.

                                                                                                                  In customer support, context is everything. The integration between Zoho Desk and Zoho CRM helps your sales and support teams function as one, delivering better customer experiences. With the latest update to this integration, you can now sync the Product module in your Zoho CRM with your Zoho Desk portal. This feature enables products from Zoho CRM to reflect in the "product" field in Zoho Desk. This can save your support team valuable time and effort.    Some things to note when syncing the two:
                                                                                                                • Where is the desktop app for Zoho Projects???

                                                                                                                  As a project manager, I need a desktop app for the projects I manage. Yes, there's the web app, which is AWESOME for cross browser and platform compatibility... but I need a real desktop app for Projects that allow me to enter offline information where
                                                                                                                • CRM verify details pop-up

                                                                                                                  Was there a UI change recently that involves the Verify Details pop-up when changing the Stage of a Deal to certain things? I can't for the life of me find a workflow or function, blueprint, validation rule, layout rule ect that would randomly make it
                                                                                                                • Does Zoho Writer have Dropdowns

                                                                                                                  I want to add a drop down field in Zoho writer. Is this possible?
                                                                                                                • openUrl in blueprints

                                                                                                                  My customer wants to open a URL at the end of a blueprint transition. Seems this isn't possible right now but it would be very useful. In this thread, https://help.zoho.com/portal/en/community/topic/openurl-not-working the Zoho agent said that it's logically
                                                                                                                • Dropshipping Address - Does Not Show on Invoice Correctly

                                                                                                                  When a dropshipping address is used for a customer, the correct ship-to address does not seem to show on the Invoice. It shows correctly on the Sales Order, Shipment Order, and Package, just not the Invoice. This is a problem, because the company being
                                                                                                                • Prepayment of a sales order

                                                                                                                  How does everyone handle this common (at least it is common for us!) situation? We require all our orders to be fully prepaid before shipment since we manufacture made to order, custom products. Since ZOHO does not allow a sales order to be prepaid, we are forced to create an invoice at the time an order is placed to allow the customer to pay it. Our sales category is therefore skewed, since the sale was actually booked at the time an order was placed, rather then at the time it is shipped, which
                                                                                                                • Access to Specific Zoho Desk layout for external parties

                                                                                                                  Hi, We have a partner who handles for us sales requests from specific markets. He is not a Zoho Desk user. But we want him to b part of a specific Zoho Desk layout to handle inquiries.  How to achieve it in the easiest way possible?
                                                                                                                • Deposit on a Sales Order

                                                                                                                  Good day, 100% of my business is preorders, no inventory. I am trying to run away from QB for one of my businesses, but I require two options that I don't seem to find with Zoho Books. 1 - If there is a way to apply a deposit on a sales order, as with
                                                                                                                • How Does Knowledge Base Search and Article Recommendation Work?

                                                                                                                  Hello, I would like to understand how the Knowledge Base search engine works. Specifically, does it search based on: The article title only? The full article content? Both, the article and the content? Keywords? Tags? Also, how does the system determine
                                                                                                                • Bulk Delete Attachments

                                                                                                                  Is there a way to bulk delete attachments on the form entries? our storage is full and deleting files one by one is pain taking process.
                                                                                                                • How do I sync multiple Google calendars?

                                                                                                                  I'm brand new to Zoho and I figured out how to sync my business Google calendar but I would also like to sync my personal Google calendar. How can I do this so that, at the very least, when I have personal engagements like doctor's appointments, I can
                                                                                                                • Ability to Disable System Banner Messages in Chat Flow Control

                                                                                                                  Dear Zoho SalesIQ Team, Greetings, We would like to request an enhancement related to the system banner messages in Zoho SalesIQ chat flow control. Current Behavior: SalesIQ allows configuring various automatic banner/system messages such as: Waiting
                                                                                                                • Idle Chat Reminders for Agent-Handled Conversations

                                                                                                                  Dear Zoho SalesIQ Team, Greetings, We would like to request an enhancement to the Idle Chat Handling functionality in Zoho SalesIQ—specifically for chats that are handled by human agents after a bot-to-agent transfer. Current Behavior: In Zobot settings,
                                                                                                                • Snapchat

                                                                                                                  Are there any plans to add Snapchat to Zoho Social or is there any API that we can use to integrate into Zoho.
                                                                                                                • Zoho Sign "An unexpected error occured" when clients trying to sign documents

                                                                                                                  We are unable to have clients sign our documents. When attempting to complete the process an error appears saying "an unexpected error occured" and in the document history just shows "signing failure." We are at a complete standstill with no response
                                                                                                                • ¡Vuelven los Workshops Certificados de Zoho a España!

                                                                                                                  ¡Hola usuarios de Español Zoho Community! Hace ya unos días que hemos dado la bienvenida al 2026, y promete ser un año de lo más emocionante. Y es que nos gustaría haceros nuestro particular regalo de Reyes, aunque lleguemos un poco tarde. 🎁 ¡Nos gustaría
                                                                                                                • Next Page