Understanding Mana
Mana is VariantLab's credit system. Every AI operation costs Mana, and you can purchase more as needed.
How Mana Works
- 1 Mana = $0.08 of AI processing cost plus platform fee
- Operations cost different amounts based on complexity
- Your balance is shown in the top-right corner of the app
- Credits never expire
Mana Costs by Operation
| Operation | Typical Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Image Generation (Flash) | ~1.5 Mana | Gemini 2.5 Flash model |
| Image Generation (Pro 1K) | ~2.7 Mana | Gemini 3 Pro, 1024px |
| Image Generation (Pro 2K) | ~2.7 Mana | Gemini 3 Pro, 2048px |
| Image Generation (Pro 4K) | ~4.0 Mana | Gemini 3 Pro, 4096px |
| Trait Detection | ~1 Mana | Per 3 traits detected |
| Single Mask Detection | 1 Mana | One trait at a time |
| Variation Generation | ~1.5-4 Mana | Depends on model/size |
| Combinations | 1 Mana | Per 100 combinations |
| Export | 1 Mana | Per 100 files |
Cost Estimation
Before any operation, VariantLab shows the estimated Mana cost on the action button. The actual cost may vary slightly based on prompt length and image complexity.
Purchasing Mana
Visit Settings > Billing to purchase Mana packages:
| Package | Mana | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | 250 | $20 | Best for trying out |
| Creator | 500 | $40 | Most popular |
| Pro | 1,000 | $80 | For active creators |
| Studio | 2,000 | $160 | Best value |
All purchases are one-time (no subscription required).
Tracking Usage
View your Mana history in Settings > Usage:
- Current Balance - Available credits
- Lifetime Spent - Total credits used
- Lifetime Purchased - Total credits bought
- Transaction History - Detailed log of all operations
Each transaction shows:
- Operation type (generation, detection, etc.)
- Mana spent or added
- Balance after transaction
- Timestamp
Tips for Saving Mana
- Use Flash model for iteration - Switch to Pro only for final images
- Batch your detection - "Detect All" is more efficient than one trait at a time
- Favorite wisely - Only generate combinations for your best variations
- Set combination limits - You don't always need every possible combination
What Happens When You Run Out?
- Operations that cost Mana will show an "Insufficient Mana" dialog
- You'll see how much you need vs. how much you have
- Click "Buy Mana" to go directly to the billing page
- No work is lost - just top up and continue
Free Operations
These actions don't cost Mana:
- Creating/deleting projects
- Uploading your own images
- Manual mask editing (brush/eraser)
- Creating empty mask slots
- Reordering layers
- Changing settings
- Viewing/previewing images