- What uses AI credits and what doesn't
- How Airo credits renew and expire
- Upgrading, downgrading and the free plan
- Publishing and connecting your own domain
- How to build and launch an Airo site
- Getting more from each credit
- Backups and what Airo won't keep
- My verdict on GoDaddy Airo
- Frequently asked questions
GoDaddy Airo AI Builder builds an app or website from a description you type, then lets you change it by chatting with its AI agent or by editing it yourself. As of October 2026 only the chat with the Airo agent uses AI credits, and everything else, from Preview and Publish to manual edits and connecting a domain, is free.
Here's the catch. Your credits renew on their own monthly date, not on your billing date, and any extra credit packs you buy expire 1 year after purchase. Credits only work for Airo in the GoDaddy account that bought them. And if you drop to the free plan, your projects are unpublished and deactivated, so a live site goes offline.
What uses AI credits and what doesn't
GoDaddy gives you free AI credits every month. Credits are spent when you use the Airo agents, which in practice means typing into the Airo chat. When you run out, a message shows the time your free monthly limit resets and offers an upgrade.
| Action in Airo | Uses AI credits? |
|---|---|
| Chat with the Airo agent | Yes |
| Preview your app or site | No |
| Publish | No |
| Code, to change your code or files | No |
| Edit, for non-AI changes | No |
| Media, to edit, upload and manage visuals | No |
| History, to restore a previous version | No |
| Connect a domain | No |
| View remaining credits and reset time | No |
That table is the most useful thing to know before you start. If you only need to change some text, swap an image or adjust a colour, GoDaddy's own advice is to use Edit instead of a prompt. It's free, and Airo can't make changes you didn't ask for when you're editing directly.
How Airo credits renew and expire
There are two kinds of credit and they behave differently. The credits included with your plan renew each month on the date shown next to Renews on under CURRENT PLAN in Manage my plan. GoDaddy's example: if your plan renews on 28 May, your credits renew on the 28th of every month, whatever day you're billed.
Credit packs you buy on top expire 1 year after the purchase date and can't be restored after that. Airo spends credits in order of expiry, starting with the ones expiring soonest. You can check what's left under Total AI Credit Usage on the Manage My Plan page.
Upgrading, downgrading and the free plan
Upgrading raises two limits at once: the AI credits you get each month and the number of projects you can publish. The extra credits and publishing slots are available as soon as the purchase completes.
Downgrading is gentler than it sounds, up to a point. You keep your current plan, credits, published projects and features until the end of the billing period. Drop all the way to free and your projects are unpublished and deactivated. The content isn't deleted: the projects come back when you next use Airo, and the sites are republished when you upgrade to a paid plan again.
Publishing and connecting your own domain
Airo saves your work automatically, but nothing is visible online until you select Publish. You can preview on a different device first, open a share link in a new tab, and unpublish later from the same Publish menu.
A custom domain needs two things: a paid Airo plan and a published app or site. Connecting it means a DNS change, and GoDaddy says that can take up to 48 hours to show up everywhere. If your DNS is managed by GoDaddy, Cloudflare or 123-Reg, Airo can connect it automatically once you select Authorize. With any other provider, Airo shows you the DNS records and you add them at that provider yourself.
How to build and launch an Airo site
- Sign in to GoDaddy, open Airo AI Builder, describe your idea in the text box and select Start building.
- Change things by chatting with Airo, or use Edit, Code, Add and Media for direct changes. Settings holds Database and Secrets, where API keys and tokens live.
- Preview on desktop and mobile, then select Publish, and Publish again to confirm.
- Connect a domain you already own at GoDaddy, buy a new one, or connect an external domain.
- Go to Manage my plan when you need to Upgrade, Buy AI Credits or Switch to Free.
Getting more from each credit
GoDaddy's prompt guide is blunt: the more context you put into one prompt, the fewer follow-ups and credits you need. It says a vague prompt like "Fix my site" uses more credits than describing the exact fault, such as the checkout button not processing payments after you added a discount code field. Give it one clear task per prompt, name your industry, list the pages you want, and type your real business name and services instead of letting it guess.
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Backups and what Airo won't keep
History restores any saved version, and you can preview each one before you restore it. Backups go further and restore files, databases or both from an earlier date, but a backup restore overwrites your current site. A deleted app is a different story: Airo keeps app records for up to 30 days, recovery goes through GoDaddy support and isn't guaranteed. Airo also doesn't store images or logos between sessions unless you upload them, so keep your own copies.
To compare notes with a similar topic, open the guide on how GoDaddy auctions works for buyers.
My verdict on GoDaddy Airo
I'd use Airo if you want a working site or simple app fast and you're happy to learn which jobs need the chat and which don't. Do the small fixes with Edit and keep the credits for real building work. I'd skip the free plan for anything customers rely on, because a custom domain needs a paid plan and dropping to free takes your site offline. If you're still comparing builders, my guide to free AI website builders for beginners and my Wix and GoDaddy comparison will help.
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Frequently asked questions
Does publishing an Airo site use AI credits?
No. Preview, Publish, Code, Edit, Media, History, connecting a domain and checking your remaining credits don't use AI credits. Only actions that use the Airo agents, such as the chat, do.
When do GoDaddy Airo credits renew?
Plan credits renew monthly on the date shown next to Renews on under CURRENT PLAN in Manage my plan, which can differ from your billing date.
Do purchased Airo credit packs expire?
Yes. Purchased credits expire 1 year from the date of purchase and can't be restored after they expire.
Can I use a custom domain on the free Airo plan?
No. To connect a custom domain you need a paid Airo AI Builder plan and a published app or site.
What happens to my site if I downgrade to the free plan?
Your projects are unpublished and deactivated but the content is preserved. They're reactivated when you next use Airo, and republished when you upgrade to a paid plan again.
