How the limit is calculated
Your monthly allowance is calculated from two things:
How many channels you’re subscribed to on each plan.
Whether your account is on a standard or premium plan — premium accounts have a higher per-channel allowance.
Each subscribed channel contributes a set number of messages to your overall allowance:
Plan tier | Messages per subscribed channel, per month |
Standard | 10,000 |
Premium | 50,000 |
The allowance applies at the account level, not per channel. Messages from all your channels are counted toward one shared monthly total.
Worked examples
Standard account with 2 subscribed channels: 2 × 10,000 = 20,000 messages per month.
Standard account with 5 subscribed channels: 5 × 10,000 = 50,000 messages per month.
Premium account with 3 subscribed channels: 3 × 50,000 = 150,000 messages per month.
Messages include every inbound and outbound message that flows through a connected channel — replies from customers, replies from your agents, proactive messages you send, and broadcast messages.
Where to see your current usage
Go to Messaging Usage in your Octopods account settings to see a live view of:
Your total messages this month.
Your base limit for this period.
A percentage bar showing how close you are to the limit.
A per-channel breakdown so you can see which channels are driving volume.
The status indicator at the top of the page uses three colors:
Within limit (green) — You’re below 80% of your allowance.
Approaching limit (yellow) — You’re between 80% and 100%.
Over limit (red) — You’ve exceeded your allowance.
See Viewing Your Messaging Usage for a walk-through of the full page.
What happens if you approach the limit
Messaging does not stop when you approach or exceed your allowance. Instead:
As your usage climbs past 80%, the Messaging Usage page switches to the “Approaching limit” yellow state, so you can plan ahead.
If you go over 100%, the page switches to the “Over limit” red state and shows a Projected Add-on Charge notice with the estimated end-of-month overage charge.
You’ll also receive email notifications at key milestones so you’re never surprised by an invoice.
See Understanding Usage Notifications for the full list of emails you may receive.
How overage is covered
Messages sent beyond your included allowance are automatically covered by messaging add-on units. Each add-on unit covers 25,000 additional messages for $100, and Octopods calculates how many units you need at the end of the billing period.
See Messaging Add-ons (Overage Charges) for the complete explanation of how add-ons, thresholds, and invoicing work.
Increasing your allowance
If your team is consistently hitting the limit, the best way to raise your allowance is to add more channels to your subscription — each new subscribed channel adds to the monthly pool. See Upgrading or Adding Channels.
Tip: If you’re close to the limit early in the month, check the per-channel breakdown on the Messaging Usage page. One unusually active channel is often the cause, and addressing it (for example, by tightening automation rules) can bring your usage back down without adding a subscription.
What’s next