Understanding Usage Limits
ISMS Copilot tracks usage through a credit system that ensures fair access and optimal performance. Your plan determines your credit allocation, and usage resets automatically within a 4-hour session window.
How Usage Limits Work
Every message you send consumes credits from your plan's allocation. The amount varies based on conversation length and whether you've uploaded files.
The 4-hour session window: Your usage limit resets automatically every 4 hours from when you start using the platform. This means if you begin a session at 10:00 AM, your limit resets at 2:00 PM, giving you a fresh allocation.
You don't need to track your usage manually. When you approach your limit, ISMS Copilot will notify you with a clear message showing when your next reset occurs.
What Affects Credit Consumption
Message Length and Complexity
Standard messages in new or short conversations use a baseline amount of credits. Complex questions requiring deep analysis may consume slightly more, but the biggest factor is conversation history.
Conversation Length
Long conversation threads consume significantly more credits per message than short ones. Think of it like photocopying: sending a message in a 3-message conversation is like copying a single page. Sending a message in a 50-message thread is like photocopying an entire binder every time you add one page—the AI needs to review the full conversation context each time.
Very long conversations (20+ messages) can use multiple times more credits per message than starting fresh. This is the single biggest factor affecting your usage rate. Good news: Message compaction is now live for Think mode (Claude Opus 4.6), enabling much longer conversations without severely impacting your usage limits. Fast mode support is coming soon.
File Uploads
Uploading documents consumes extra credits beyond the message itself. Large PDFs (approaching the 10MB limit) in a long conversation will consume credits faster than small files in fresh threads.
Best practice: Upload files in new conversations when possible, especially for large documents or gap analysis tasks.
AI Model Selection
Different models (Claude, GPT, Grok, Gemini, Mistral) may have slightly different credit costs based on their capabilities, but conversation length remains the dominant factor across all models.
Plan Comparison
Higher-tier plans offer substantially more usage than lower tiers:
Free Plan: 10 credits per session. Suitable for exploring the platform and light usage.
Plus Plan ($24/month or $240/year): 50 credits per session for daily compliance work.
Standard Plan ($49/month or $490/year): 100 credits per session — 2x the usage of Plus. Built for teams managing multiple frameworks.
Pro Plan ($100/month or $1000/year): 200 credits per session — 2x the usage of Standard. For heavy workloads and multiple projects.
Business Plan ($250/month or $2500/year): 400 credits per session — 2x the usage of Pro. Maximum allocation for enterprise teams.
If you consistently hit your limit within the 4-hour window, upgrading to Plus typically solves the issue for most users. The increased allocation supports dozens of messages per session, even in longer conversations.
The Limit Message
When you reach your usage limit, you'll see a message like:
"You've reached your usage limit for this session. Your limit will reset at 2:30 PM, or upgrade for higher limits."
The reset time shown is specific to your current session. You can wait for the automatic reset or upgrade your plan for immediate access with higher limits.
Known Limitation: Long Conversations
Very long conversations (especially those started before the current usage system) consume credits faster than expected. This is because longer threads accumulate significant context that increases processing costs with each message.
Current workaround: Start a new conversation for your current work. You'll get better performance and more predictable credit usage. You can always reference your old conversations for historical context. Now available: Message compaction is live for Think mode (Claude Opus 4.6), enabling near-infinite conversations without this heavy usage impact. Fast mode support is coming soon.
Checking Your Usage
View your current token and message usage at any time in Settings > Usage. This lets you verify remaining capacity before hitting limits.
To check your remaining usage:
Click Settings (gear icon in the header)
Select Usage from the left menu
Review your Usage progress bar showing current consumption
Check specific counts: remaining tokens and messages for your current session
Note the Countdown to Reset timer showing when your limit resets
The Usage page updates in real-time, so you can monitor consumption during active sessions and plan complex tasks accordingly.
Check your Usage page before starting large document uploads or long gap analysis tasks. If you're near your limit, wait for the reset timer or upgrade to avoid interruption mid-task.
How to Upgrade
To increase your usage limits:
Click the "Upgrade your plan" button (top right, with star icon)
Review plan features and pricing (Plus, Standard, Pro, or Business)
Choose your plan and billing cycle (monthly or annual)
Complete payment through Stripe
Your new limits apply immediately after successful payment. See Subscription Plans and Pricing for complete upgrade details.
When Limits Feel Wrong
If your usage limits seem incorrect—such as hitting your limit unusually fast or experiencing inconsistent behavior—contact support through the help menu. Include details about:
When you noticed the issue
Approximate number of messages sent before hitting the limit
Whether you were continuing a very long conversation
Any file uploads in that session
The support team can investigate your specific usage patterns and help determine if there's an issue or if you need a different plan tier.
Related Resources
Subscription Plans and Pricing - Full plan comparison and features
Troubleshooting Common Issues - Solutions for usage and limit errors
Starting Your First Conversation - Best practices for efficient messaging