Estimated reading time: 10 minutes

Understanding Comet’s credit-based pricing model is key to optimizing your infrastructure costs and planning your deployments effectively.

Note: Credit consumption rates are subject to change. Always check the Billing page in your dashboard for current rates and your real-time credit usage.

How the Credit System Works

Comet uses a credit-based capacity model rather than traditional usage-based billing. This approach provides predictable costs and transparent resource allocation.

Core Concepts

Credits as Capacity

Think of credits like a capacity limit rather than a currency you spend. Your subscription tier determines how many credits you have available, which in turn determines how much infrastructure you can run simultaneously.

Continuous Occupation

When you deploy a node, it continuously occupies credits for as long as it exists whether it’s running, paused, or in any other state. Credits aren’t consumed per hour or per transaction; they’re occupied by deployed resources.

Fixed Monthly Allocation

Each subscription tier provides a fixed number of credits per month. This allocation doesn’t change based on usage, you pay the same subscription fee regardless of how many credits are occupied.

No Automatic Replenishment

At the start of a new billing cycle, your existing nodes continue to occupy the same credits. There’s no automatic “reset” or credit replenishment. To free up credits, you must delete nodes you’re no longer using.

Subscription Tiers

Comet offers three subscription tiers, each with a fixed credit allocation.

• Basic Plan

• Individual developers

• Development and testing environments

• Small-scale applications

• Learning and experimentation

• Proof-of-concept projects

• Multiple standard nodes with supporting infrastructure

• Perfect for getting started and testing

• Ideal for development workloads

• Small to medium teams

• Production applications

• Multiple environments (dev, staging, production)

• Growing businesses

• Applications with moderate scale

• Multiple production-grade nodes

• Mix of LND and LITD nodes

• Multiple development and production environments

• Room for scaling and growth

• Large organizations

• High-scale production deployments

• Multiple teams and projects

• Mission-critical applications

• Complex infrastructure requirements

• Extensive node infrastructure

• Multiple production environments

• Large-scale Lightning and Taproot Assets operations

• Comprehensive multi-team setups

• Priority support with faster response times

• Advanced monitoring capabilities

• Custom configurations available

• Dedicated resources for critical workloads

Node Types and Credit Costs

Comet Platform supports two primary node types:

LND Nodes

LND Node - Lightning Network Daemon for Lightning Network operations LND nodes power Lightning Network functionality—instant, low-cost Bitcoin payments. Use these for payment applications, micropayment services, or any use case requiring fast Bitcoin transactions. Your node’s tier (Standard, Pro, or Enterprise) is automatically determined by your subscription plan, which affects resource allocation and performance characteristics.

LITD (TAPD) Nodes

LITD (TAPD) Node - Lightning Infrastructure Toolkit Daemon with Taproot Assets Protocol LITD nodes combine Lightning Network functionality with Taproot Assets Protocol capabilities. These nodes enable you to mint, transfer, and manage Taproot Assets on Bitcoin while maintaining full Lightning Network capabilities. Perfect for tokenized securities, stablecoins, or any digital asset needs.

Credit Consumption

Credit consumption varies based on:

• Node type (LND vs LITD)

• Node tier (Standard, Pro, Enterprise)

• Resource allocation

• Network (Mainnet vs Testnet)

Coming Soon: Bitcoin Core Nodes

Bitcoin Core node support is planned for a future release. Currently, Comet Platform focuses on LND and LITD nodes for Lightning Network and Taproot Assets operations. When available, Bitcoin Core nodes will provide full Bitcoin blockchain data and validation capabilities for applications that require direct Bitcoin node access.

Understanding Credit Usage

Monitoring Your Credit Balance

Your dashboard displays three key metrics in the right sidebar:

Active Nodes

Count of currently running nodes.

Credits in Use

Shows credit consumption (e.g., “0 of 1000 credits used”) with a progress bar indicating your usage percentage.

Next Billing Date

Displays when your next billing cycle begins and your subscription renews.

Example Dashboard Display:

Active Nodes: 2

Credits in Use: 450 of 1000 credits used

Next Billing Date: Jan 31, 2026 (In 26 days)

Viewing Detailed Credit Usage

For detailed credit consumption information:

1. Navigate to Billing from the left sidebar

2. View your plan summary showing:

• Current plan (Basic, Pro, or Enterprise)

• Credits left

• Price per month

• Included credits

• Used credits

1. Check the “Next Billing Date” section for renewal information

• Delete unused nodes to free up credits

• Upgrade your subscription for more capacity

Mid-Cycle Upgrades and Downgrades

Comet allows you to change your subscription tier at any time.

Upgrading Your Subscription

When to Upgrade:

• Running low on available credits

• Planning to deploy additional nodes

• Scaling your application

• Need priority support features

1. Navigate to Billing page

2. Click “Upgrade Plan” button

3. View available plans on the “Available Plans” page

4. Toggle between “Monthly” and “Yearly” pricing

5. Click “Select” on your desired plan

6. Confirm the upgrade

7. Immediate Effect: New credits are available instantly

• Reduced infrastructure needs

• Cost optimization

• Project completed or scaled down

1. Review your current credit usage

2. Delete nodes if necessary to fit within the new tier’s allocation

3. Navigate to Billing → “Upgrade Plan” (same page for both upgrades and downgrades)

4. Select your new tier

5. Confirm the change

Billing Cycle and Payment

Monthly Billing

Comet subscriptions are billed monthly on the anniversary of your signup date.

Example:

• Signup Date: January 5

• Billing Dates: February 5, March 5, April 5, etc.

• Basic: Save $60/year ($25/month effective rate)

• Pro: Save $400/year ($166.67/month effective rate)

• Enterprise: Save $2,000/year ($833.33/month effective rate)

What You’re Paying For

Your subscription fee pays for your credit capacity, not usage. Whether you occupy 10% or 100% of your credits, the subscription cost remains the same.

Viewing Billing Information

Accessing Your Billing Details:

1. Navigate to Billing from the left sidebar

2. View your current plan summary

3. Check billing history table showing:

• Date

• Amount

• Status

• Type

• Current plan status (Active)

• Next billing date

• Recent payment history with amounts and status

Optimizing Credit Usage

Get the most value from your subscription with these optimization strategies.

Right-Sizing Your Nodes

Start Small, Scale Up

Begin with standard tier nodes for your subscription plan. Monitor performance metrics through the node’s Overview tab and upgrade your subscription if you need more resources or capacity.

Indicators You Need More Capacity:

• Consistently low available credits

• Frequent blocks on new deployments

• Need for additional nodes beyond current capacity

• Growing application requirements

Common Unused Nodes:

• Development nodes after project completion

• Testing nodes after QA cycles

• Proof-of-concept nodes after evaluation

• Duplicate nodes from troubleshooting

1. Navigate to My Nodes

2. Select the node you want to delete

3. Access the node details page

4. Before deletion:

• Download any important backups

• Close Lightning channels (if applicable)

• Withdraw on-chain funds

1. Delete the node to free up credits immediately

• Safe environment for experimentation

• No real Bitcoin required

• Test your application without risk

• Same functionality as Mainnet

• Best Practice:

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I purchase additional credits without upgrading my plan?

No. Credits are tied to subscription tiers. To get more credits, you need to upgrade to a higher tier.

What happens to my credits at the end of the month?

Nothing changes. Your existing nodes continue to occupy the same credits into the next billing cycle.

Credits don’t expire or reset.

Can I get a refund for unused credits?

No. You’re paying for capacity (credit allocation), not usage. Unused credits don’t result in refunds.

Do paused nodes still consume credits?

Yes. Pausing a node doesn’t free up credits—only deleting a node frees credits.

Can I transfer credits between accounts?

No. Credits are non-transferable and tied to your specific account and subscription.

How do I see exactly how many credits each node uses?

Check the Billing page for your current credit usage. The platform will also show you credit requirements before creating new nodes.

What’s the difference between monthly and yearly plans?

Yearly plans offer significant savings:

• Basic: Save $60/year (17% savings)

• Pro: Save $400/year (17% savings)

• Enterprise: Save $2,000/year (17% savings)

Next Steps

Now that you understand Comet’s credit system, you’re ready to:

Create Your First Node (/docs/getting-started): Deploy infrastructure with confidence

Manage Your Nodes (/docs/node-management): Optimize your deployments

View Your Billing (/dashboard/billing): Monitor credit usage in real-time

Upgrade Your Plan (/dashboard/billing/available-plans): Get more capacity when needed

Questions about pricing? Check the Billing page in your dashboard for the most current

information, or visit docs.cometplatform.com (https://docs.cometplatform.com) for additional resources.