# How is AI Research metered, and what do paid sources cost?

Source: https://listplus.ai/en/help/find-contacts/research-costs-and-sources
Last updated: 2026-09-28

"[AI Research](https://listplus.ai/en/help/find-contacts/ai-research)" covers the basics of what a run costs; this article goes
deeper on how the metering actually works, source by source. For the full
credit-rate table across every feature, see "AI, research and import
costs."

## Metered by actual effort, not a flat fee

Every reasoning step the AI takes (deciding what to search, weighing a
result, checking a match) is billed by the amount of text it processes.
Google search, reading web pages and the LinkedIn check themselves are
free. There's no fixed price per lead or per run; starting a run only
needs at least 1 credit in your balance, and it then paces its own spend
to what you can afford.

## Paid sources: billed per call, not per run

Three extra sources are opt-in checkboxes under **Unlock additional
sources (paid)**, unlocked before you start a run: Reddit search,
Twitter / X search, and a BuiltWith technology lookup. Each is billed
**per individual call**, not once per run — the agent can call a paid
source several times during one research if it's useful — currently 6
credits per Reddit call, 3 credits per Twitter / X call, and 0.25 credits
per BuiltWith call. A call is charged whether or not it turns up something
useful, since the underlying source bills for the call itself. You choose
which paid sources to unlock before clicking **Start research**; a
resumed run keeps the same sources it started with, so to change them you
start a new research.

## Watching the cost live, and stopping anytime

While a run is active, a live counter next to your match count shows
credits used so far and updates continuously. Click **Stop** in the header
at any point to end the run immediately — everything found up to that
moment stays, but credits already used aren't refunded.

## Resuming costs again, and running out of credits

A run looks for up to 25 matches at a time. Clicking **Resume** — also on
a finished run — starts another pass of up to 25 new matches, and that pass
is metered exactly like the first one: reasoning steps plus any paid-source
calls. One research can collect up to 200 matches across all its passes.

If you run out of credits mid-run, the run stops itself, keeps what it
found, and the credits it used aren't refunded; top up and click
**Resume** to continue (details: "[Not enough credits](https://listplus.ai/en/help/plans-credits-billing/not-enough-credits)").

## Related topics

ai-research · price-list-ai-research-imports · write-a-good-research-brief
· not-enough-credits.

## FAQ

### What am I actually paying for during an AI Research run?

Two things: the agent's own reasoning steps (reading, searching, verifying), billed by the text they process, and any paid sources you've unlocked, billed per call. There's no flat fee per lead or per run.

### Are paid sources like Reddit or X charged once per run?

Per call — the agent may call an unlocked source several times in one run, and each call is charged even if it finds nothing. Current rates: see "[AI, research and import costs](https://listplus.ai/en/help/plans-credits-billing/price-list-ai-research-imports)."

### Can I turn a paid source on or off once a run has started?

No — you unlock paid sources under "Unlock additional sources (paid)" before clicking **Start research**, and a resumed run keeps the same sources it began with. To research with different sources, start a new run.

### Where do I see how many credits a run has used?

A live counter next to your match count updates continuously while the run is active, showing the running total spent so far.

### Does the credit counter include paid source charges too?

Yes — the live counter is your total spend for the run, combining the agent's reasoning steps and any paid source calls into one running number.

### Does clicking Resume on a finished research cost credits?

Yes — each Resume starts a new pass that looks for up to 25 more matches and is billed like any run: the AI's reasoning steps by usage plus any paid sources it calls. There's no fee per match, and one research can collect up to 200 matches across all its passes.

### Can I stop a research before it finishes?

Yes — click Stop in the header at any time. The run ends immediately and keeps every match already found, and credits already used aren't refunded.