Free and paid character slots

ComicInk gives every issue 5 free character slots. Characters added beyond that cost 10 credits each.

How it works

When you add a character to an issue:

• 1st through 5th character: free. No credit cost to add or regenerate the avatar.
• 6th character and beyond: costs 10 credits. The character is flagged as a "paid slot" and counts toward this issue's character roster.
• Regenerating the avatar of a paid-slot character: still free (avatar regenerations are always free).
• Regenerating pages that include a paid-slot character: costs the normal page rate (25 credits) — same as any page.

Why a limit?

Each character adds a visual reference that gets passed to the AI when generating a page that includes them. More characters mean more reference images for the AI to balance, which slows generation and increases compute cost. The 5-character free quota covers most stories; the 10-credit price for the 6th+ keeps the platform sustainable for long-roster issues.

Sharing characters across issues in the same series

Characters defined in a series are available to all its issues. The free-slot count applies per issue, not per series — so if your protagonist appears in issues 1, 2, and 3, they count as one of the 5 free slots in each issue (15 free uses across the three issues).

What if I run out of free slots and don't want to pay?

Two options:

1. Reuse existing characters — most stories can run on a tight cast. Combine "the bartender", "the bouncer", and "the bystander" into a single named character.
2. Split the issue — if your story has 8 distinct characters, consider whether it should be a multi-issue arc. Issue 1 introduces 5; issue 2 introduces the rest.

Where to see the count

In the issue editor's character panel, characters added beyond the 5-free limit are marked with a "paid slot" badge and the credit cost. The dashboard credit counter updates live as you add characters.

Removing a paid-slot character

You can remove a character from an issue any time. If you've already paid 10 credits to add them, those credits aren't refunded — the cost is for adding the character to the issue's roster, not a deposit.

Updated on: 26/04/2026