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Models, tokens and usage

Which model is working, which balance it uses, and what happens when that balance runs out

Horizon has two AI model tiers: Basic and Premium. Tokens measure how much AI work your account has processed. A “premium token” is not a different kind of text: it is usage from the allowance that keeps ordinary chat on the Premium model.

The meter is the bill. The model is who does the work. They are not always the same: an alpha hunt charges a flat 20,000 tokens from your premium or trial balance, then runs the research on the Basic model.

Basic and Premium models

The Premium model is the default for Pro and Elite while premium allowance remains. You can switch an ordinary chat to Basic whenever you want to preserve that allowance.

When the paid premium allowance and any bonus tokens are exhausted, ordinary chat automatically continues on the Basic model. Pro and Elite include unlimited Basic usage.

The underlying providers may change. The model selector therefore names the service level—Basic or Premium—rather than a particular third-party model.

Allowances

  • Free trial: a one-time 300,000-token pool or seven days, whichever comes first. Trial chat uses the Basic model.
  • Pro: 2.5 million premium tokens per paid cycle, followed by unlimited Basic usage.
  • Elite: 5 million premium tokens per paid cycle, followed by unlimited Basic usage.
  • Bonus premium tokens: one-time purchased tokens that do not expire.

Paid premium allowances refill when the subscription renews. Bonus tokens do not reset.

Which balance is used first?

For ordinary Pro or Elite chat:

  1. Paid premium allowance
  2. Bonus premium tokens
  3. Unlimited Basic model

For a trial account with bonus tokens, the purchased bonus balance provides Premium-model usage before the account returns to its trial balance.

Alpha hunts

An alpha hunt has a flat 20,000-token charge. This is separate from the number of tokens the research process actually uses.

  • Pro and Elite: paid premium allowance first, then bonus tokens.
  • Free trial: trial pool first, then bonus tokens if needed.
  • Not enough balance: the hunt does not start.

The hunt's research process uses the Basic model by design. The premium or trial allowance is the wallet used to meter access to the fixed-price operation. The charging balance and the model doing the work are separate concepts.

Why the meters are separate

The sidebar shows separate balances because they follow different rules:

  • Paid premium allowance refills with the subscription.
  • Bonus premium tokens do not expire.
  • Unlimited Basic usage does not consume a limited Pro or Elite balance.