colrahQ: APIs and credits
Hi, sorry, I read through your replies here about credits and Google APIs but am still confused. Is the 5000 credits per month all available to use on Google searches? Is that using SmatLeads Google APIs? Or do we have to bring our own? Also saw mention that there is a daily limit as well as a monthly limit, is that correct? Could you please just explain again what are the daily and monthly limits if doing Google searches only using SmatLeads API versus using our own Google API? Also is the 5000 credits for 5000 searches or 5000 results? And these credits are not used up on reports? Thanks
Stanley_SmatLeads
Nov 29, 2025A: Hi Colrah,
Thanks for the thoughtful questions — happy to clarify everything.
1. About the 5,000 Monthly Credits
Your 5,000 credits apply to all lead sources inside SmatLeads (Google, LinkedIn, Bing).
They’re not tied to Google alone.
2. Credits vs. Leads
Credits are not 1:1 with leads.
Each fully enriched lead (business + details) costs 5 credits.
So 5,000 credits ≠ 5,000 leads — it’s approximately 1,000 enriched leads.
3. Using SmatLeads’ Google API vs. Your Own
You have two options:
Use SmatLeads’ built-in Google API
No setup needed, just search and go.
Bring your own Google API key
This is optional but recommended if you want higher daily limits or more aggressive searching.
Setting up your own API key is quick and we provide guidance.
4. Daily & Monthly Limits
To keep the system stable for everyone, we recently introduced daily caps when users rely solely on our API.
Using SmatLeads’ API:
You get the full 5,000 monthly credits
Plus a fair-use daily limit (so one user can’t overload the system).
This daily limit is only on usage speed, not on your total monthly allowance.
Using your own API:
No SmatLeads daily limit
You’re only limited by whatever quota Google gives your API key.
5. Credits & Reports
Reports do not consume credits.
Credits are used only when searching and pulling lead data.
If you need further assistance, you can reach our support at [email protected]