Usage & Limits

Your Nobi subscription includes a monthly message limit. This guide explains how message counting works, how to monitor your usage, what happens when you approach your limit, and your options for handling overages. The guide below assumes you are on a standard Nobi plan. Enterprise plans may have different settings and these details may not apply to them.

Understanding Message Limits

What Is a Message?

A message is counted each time a customer interacts with Nobi and receives a response. Specifically:

Counted as messages:

Customer sends a question, Nobi responds → 1 message

Customer clicks a suggestion pill, Nobi responds → 1 message

Customer submits a Custom Action form, Nobi confirms → 1 message

Not counted:

Nobi loading on the page (no interaction)

Customer opening the chat window without sending anything

System errors or failed responses

Dashboard usage by your team

Plan Limits

Plan	Monthly Messages	Price
Trial	100,000	Free (30 days)
Starter	3,000	$300/month
Growth	10,000	$900/month
Enterprise	Custom	Custom pricing

When Limits Reset

Message counts reset on the 1st of each month at 12:00 AM UTC.

Example: If you're on the Starter plan (3,000 messages) and you've used 2,800 messages by January 31st, your count resets to 0 on February 1st.

Unused messages do not roll over to the next month.

Viewing Your Usage

On the Billing Page

Go to Settings → Billing to see:

Usage summary:

Messages used this period

Messages remaining

Visual progress bar

Current billing period dates

When your usage resets

Example display:


Messages Used: 2,450 / 3,000
Remaining: 550 messages
Period resets: February 1, 2025

Usage Progress Bar

The progress bar changes color as you approach your limit:

Green - Healthy usage (under 75%)

Yellow - Approaching limit (75-90%)

Orange - Near limit (90-100%)

Red - At or over limit (100%+)

Real-Time vs. Reported Usage

Billing page: Shows real-time count, updated as messages are sent

Analytics: Shows usage synced hourly from our data warehouse

There may be slight differences between the two due to sync timing. For billing purposes, the real-time count on the Billing page is authoritative.

Usage Warnings

Nobi sends email notifications when you approach your message limit. These warnings help you decide whether to upgrade your plan or adjust your overage settings. You can choose to deactivate warning emails on the Billing page.

Warning Thresholds

You'll receive emails at:

Threshold	Message
75%	"You've used 75% of your monthly messages"
90%	"You've used 90% of your monthly messages"
100%	"You've reached your monthly message limit"

Warning Email Contents

Each warning email includes:

Current usage count

Your plan's message limit

Days remaining in billing period

Link to your Billing page

Options (upgrade plan or configure overages)

Managing Warning Emails

You can enable or disable usage warning emails:

Go to Settings → Billing

Find the Notification Preferences section

Toggle Usage warning emails on or off

Changes save automatically

Note: Critical billing emails (payment failures, subscription changes) cannot be disabled.

Dashboard Banners

In addition to emails, warning banners appear in your dashboard:

75% used: Informational banner with link to billing

90% used: Warning banner suggesting action

100% used: Alert banner indicating limit reached

Banners appear on all dashboard pages until addressed.

Overage Options

When you reach your message limit, you have two options for how Nobi should behave.

Option 1: Stop (Default)

What happens:

Nobi stops appearing on your website

Customers don't see the chat widget

No additional charges occur

Service resumes when your billing period resets (1st of the month)

Best for:

Strict budget control

Predictable monthly costs

Lower-traffic periods where waiting is acceptable

Customer experience:

Nobi simply doesn't appear

No error messages shown

Other site functionality unaffected

Option 2: Charge Overages

What happens:

Nobi continues working beyond your limit

Each additional message is billed at your overage rate

Overage charges appear on your next invoice

No service interruption

Overage rates:

Charged per message beyond your limit

Rate depends on your plan (contact support for current rates)

Billed at the end of your billing period

Best for:

High-traffic periods where uptime is critical

Businesses where every customer interaction matters

Unpredictable traffic patterns

Example:

Plan: Starter (3,000 messages)

Usage: 3,500 messages

Overage: 500 messages × overage rate

Invoice: $300 (base) + overage charges

Changing Your Overage Setting

Go to Settings → Billing

Find the Overage Settings section

Select your preference:

Stop when limit reached (default)

Continue and charge for overages

Changes save automatically

You can change this setting anytime. The new setting applies immediately.

What Happens When You Hit Your Limit

With "Stop" Setting

Immediately:

Nobi stops appearing on your website

The chat widget is hidden from customers

API requests return a "limit exceeded" response

In your dashboard:

Usage shows 100% (or over)

Banner alerts you that the limit was reached

Billing page shows status and reset date

For customers:

They simply don't see Nobi

No error messages or broken UI

Your site works normally otherwise

Resolution:

Wait for the 1st of the month (automatic reset)

Or upgrade to a higher plan (immediate increase)

Or switch to "charge overages" (immediate resumption)

With "Charge Overages" Setting

Immediately:

Nothing changes for customers

Nobi continues working normally

Additional messages are tracked for billing

In your dashboard:

Usage shows over 100%

You can see overage count

Estimated overage charges displayed

On your next invoice:

Base plan charge

Plus: overage count × overage rate

Detailed breakdown included

Managing High Usage

If You're Regularly Exceeding Limits

Consider:

Upgrading your plan - If you consistently exceed Starter limits, Growth may be more cost-effective than paying overages

Reviewing usage patterns - Check analytics to understand when and why usage spikes

Optimizing interactions - Ensure Nobi is configured efficiently (relevant knowledge base, good product data)

Trial Period Usage

Trial Limits

During your 30-day free trial:

100,000 messages included

Full functionality available

No payment required for setup, credit card required before placing Nobi on your site but no charges until your free trial is over

Monitoring Trial Usage

Your Billing page shows:

Messages used during trial

Messages remaining

Days left in trial

Trial end date

If You Exceed Trial Limits

If you use 100,000 messages before your trial ends:

Nobi stops appearing on your website

You'll need to select a plan and add payment to continue

This effectively ends your trial early

Trial to Paid Transition

When your trial ends (or you subscribe early):

Message count resets to 0

Your new plan's limit applies

Billing begins (prorated if mid-month)

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my usage seem higher than expected?

Possible reasons:

More customer traffic than anticipated

Suggestion pills triggering conversations

Multiple messages per customer session

Bot traffic (rare but possible)

How to investigate:

Check analytics for traffic patterns

Review conversation logs

Contact support for detailed usage breakdown

Can I see usage by day or week?

Currently, the Billing page shows monthly usage totals. Detailed breakdowns are available on the reporting pages.

Do failed messages count?

No. Only successful message exchanges where the customer received a response are counted.

What if there's a usage discrepancy?

If you believe your usage count is incorrect:

Note your expected vs. actual count

Contact [email protected]

We'll investigate and correct any errors

Can I set a custom usage alert threshold?

Currently, alerts are sent at 75%, 90%, and 100%. Custom thresholds are not available but may be added in the future.

What happens if I upgrade mid-month?

Your new message limit applies immediately. Messages already used in the current period don't reset—you just get access to the higher limit.

Example:

You've used 2,500 of 3,000 Starter messages

You upgrade to Growth (10,000 messages)

You now have 7,500 messages remaining for the month

Usage & Limits Understanding Message Limits What Is a Message?Plan Limits When Limits Reset Viewing Your Usage On the Billing Page Usage Progress Bar Real-Time vs. Reported Usage Usage Warnings Warning Thresholds Warning Email Contents Managing Warning Emails Dashboard Banners Overage Options Option 1: Stop (Default)Option 2: Charge Overages Changing Your Overage Setting What Happens When You Hit Your Limit With "Stop" Setting With "Charge Overages" Setting Managing High Usage If You're Regularly Exceeding Limits Trial Period Usage Trial Limits Monitoring Trial Usage If You Exceed Trial Limits Trial to Paid Transition Frequently Asked Questions Why does my usage seem higher than expected?Can I see usage by day or week?Do failed messages count?What if there's a usage discrepancy?Can I set a custom usage alert threshold?What happens if I upgrade mid-month?