What Essay Clarity costs
5 free credits when you sign up, no card required. After that you buy credits once and spend them on the actions you choose. There is no subscription.
Is there a free version of Essay Clarity?
Yes. Every new student account starts with 5 free credits and sign-up does not ask for a card. That is enough to score a draft, get revision tips on it, and research a school before deciding whether to buy anything.
Ambassador accounts are free and always have been: an ambassador refers students and earns credits as those students use theirs, rather than holding a balance of their own.
What does each action cost?
Credits are spent per action, and only on actions that call an AI model. Scoring an essay costs 1, revision tips 1, researching one school category 1, and a professor dossier 3. Writing, editing and organising your work is free.
| Action | Credits | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Score an essay | 1 | One full rubric pass over a draft: six axis scores, written reasoning for each, and line-level inline feedback. |
| Rank your drafts | 2 | Two or more of your own drafts scored in one pass and calibrated against each other. Costs one credit per draft when you rank more than the base. |
| Targeted revision tips | 1 | Specific suggestions for the axis you are trying to raise, tied to passages in your draft. |
| Research a school | 1 | One of the six research categories for a school on your list, assembled from the live web and the school's own site. |
| Find faculty | 2 | A search for professors in a department you care about, so a "Why Us" essay can name real people. |
| Build a professor dossier | 3 | A research brief on one professor: what they work on and what of it you could actually reference. |
| Find scholarships | 1 | A fresh live-web search for one school's own scholarships, with every link checked and results sorted for your profile. Viewing and saving results is free. |
If an AI action fails partway through, the credit is refunded automatically. You are never charged for a result you did not get.
How much do credits cost?
Credits are sold in packs, priced in US dollars and charged once through Stripe. There is no recurring charge, no auto-renewal and no minimum commitment. Larger packs cost less per credit.
| Pack | Price | Per credit | Roughly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 credits | $5 | $0.25 | 20 essay scores, or a mix of scoring and research |
| 50 credits | $10 | $0.20 | 50 essay scores, or a mix of scoring and research |
| 120 credits | $20 | $0.17 | 120 essay scores, or a mix of scoring and research |
What if you cannot afford it?
Ask an ambassador. Teachers and counselors who refer students to Essay Clarity earn credits as those students use theirs, and can gift those credits directly to students who cannot pay. Ambassadors earn credits, never cash.
The Ambassadors page explains the earn rates and how gifting works. If you are a counselor with students who need access, that is the route.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free version of Essay Clarity?
Yes, in the sense that every new student account starts with 5 free credits and no card is required to sign up. That is enough to score a draft, get revision tips and research a school before you decide whether to buy more.
Does Essay Clarity charge a subscription?
No. It is pay-as-you-go. You buy a pack of credits once, they do not expire on a monthly cycle, and nothing recurring is charged to your card.
What does one credit buy?
Scoring an essay costs 1 credit, revision tips 1, researching one school category 1, and a professor dossier 3. The full table is on this page.
Can I get Essay Clarity free if I cannot afford it?
Yes. Ambassadors earn credits as the students they refer use theirs, and can gift those credits directly to students who cannot afford access. Ambassadors earn credits, not cash.
Do credits expire?
Credits stay on your account. If an AI action fails partway through, the credit is refunded automatically rather than consumed.
Start with 5 free credits
No card, no subscription. Score a draft against the six-axis rubric and see whether the feedback is worth anything before you spend a dollar.
Get started free Read the FAQs