Benchling Credit Terms
These Benchling Credit Terms apply to Sales Orders effective on or after June 2, 2026.
Benchling may update these terms from time to time. Benchling will provide written notice of any material updates to these terms at least thirty (30) days prior to the date the updated version of these terms is effective. Notices for material updates to these terms will be given in accordance with the notice provision in your service agreement with Benchling. Following such notice, your continued use of Benchling’s Credit-Based Services on or after the date the updated version of these terms are effective and binding, as indicated at the top of these terms, constitutes your acceptance of the updated version of these terms. The updated version of these terms supersedes all prior versions. If you do not agree to the updated version of these terms, you must stop using Benchling’s Credit-Based Services immediately.
Definitions
“Application Services” means the proprietary cloud services and related offerings hosted on servers under the control or direction of Benchling, as modified from time to time.
“Authorized User” means a specific individual person for whom Customer has purchased a subscription to the Benchling Services and who is authorized by Customer to access and use the Benchling Services for the benefit of Customer, including, but not limited to, employees, contractors, and agents of Customer and its Affiliates. Each Authorized User must be associated with a unique license purchased via an Order Form. Access by individuals in excess of the quantity of licenses purchased, or the sharing of a single license between multiple individuals, is strictly prohibited and such individuals do not qualify as Authorized.
“Benchling Credits” means a non-monetary, functional unit that allows access to Credit-Based Services, as well as a measure used to track and calculate Customer’s use of and conversions for Credit-Based Services.
“Benchling Installed Software” means Benchling’s proprietary software components or tools made available for installation on Customer’s computer systems or devices, including but not limited to for the purpose of integrating the Application Services with Third-Party Services.
“Benchling Services” means the Application Services, Benchling Installed Software, the Documentation, and Professional Services. The Benchling Services do not include Third-Party Services or the Benchling Sites.
“Benchling Sites” means Benchling’s websites, including but not limited to benchling.com, benchling.ai, and pipebio.com, Benchling’s educational platform (“Benchling Learning Labs”), Benchling’s community platform (the “Benchling Community”), and the trial version of Benchling AI.
“Converted Credits” means Benchling Credits that have been consumed by Customer (whether by a Tenant administrator or by an Authorized User) by submitting a request to convert Benchling Credits into access to a specified Credit-Based Service that uses the conversion-based consumption model described in Section 3.1.2. Converted Credits are consumed and deducted from Customer’s available Benchling Credit balance at the time the conversion request is submitted, are no longer Benchling Credits, and may not be returned to Customer’s Benchling Credit balance.
“Credit-Based Services” means those features or functionalities within the Application Services that require Benchling Credits to access.
“Documentation” means the then current version of the readme and help files, knowledge base and other documentation for the Application Services and the Benchling Installed Software made available at help.benchling.com and docs.benchling.com.
“Included Credits” means the allotment of Benchling Credits provided to Customer at no additional cost based on Customer’s number of Authorized Users.
“License Term” means the defined License Term in the sales order under which Customer purchases Benchling Credits.
“Purchased Credits” means additional Benchling Credits purchased by Customer as set forth in a Sales Order.
“Rate Card” means the Benchling Credit rate information published at www.benchling.com/benchling-credits, which describes Benchling Credits consumption for various Credit-Based Services, including the number of Benchling Credits required or the methodology by which Benchling Credit consumption is determined.
“Service Run” means a single discrete execution of a Credit-Based Service initiated by an Authorized User or an API call, for those Credit-Based Services that consume Benchling Credits on a per-execution basis (as opposed to the conversion-based model).
“Tenant(s)” means Customer’s instance(s) of the Application Services.
“Third-Party Services” means any product, add-on, services or platform not provided by Benchling that Customer uses with the Benchling Services.
Nature of Benchling Credits. By purchasing or receiving Benchling Credits, Customer obtains a limited, non-transferable, non-exclusive license to access specific Credit-Based Services.
No Monetary Value. Benchling Credits have no cash value, are not redeemable for cash, and are neither a currency nor a stored value account.
No Offset. Benchling Credits cannot be used to offset or credit amounts owed for the purchase of other Benchling products or subscriptions.
Non-Transferable. Benchling Credits are non-transferable to third parties.
Usage and Triggers
Consumption Mechanism. Benchling Credits are consumed in accordance with the consumption model applicable to the relevant Credit-Based Service, as set forth in the Rate Card. Benchling currently offers the following consumption models, and may add additional models from time to time:
Per-Service-Run Consumption. For Credit-Based Services that use per-Service-Run consumption, Benchling Credits are consumed each time an Authorized User or automated process initiates a Service Run and the Service Run “completes” as described in Section 3.2. The number of Benchling Credits consumed for a Service Run is determined under the methodology in the Rate Card in effect at the time of the Service Run, which may be: (a) a fixed number per Service Run; or (b) a number calculated by Benchling based on characteristics of the Service Run (such as the type of action performed, the resources used, the inputs and outputs, or other measurements).
Conversion-Based Consumption. For Credit-Based Services that use conversion-based consumption, Benchling Credits are consumed and deducted from Customer’s available Benchling Credit balance at the time Customer (whether by a Tenant administrator or an Authorized User) submits a request to convert Benchling Credits into access to that Credit-Based Service. The applicable conversion rate (the “Conversion Rate”) will be displayed to the converting Authorized User in the Application Services at the time of submission and will govern the conversion. Benchling may modify the Conversion Rate from time to time, with any such modification applying only to conversions submitted after the modification is reflected in the displayed Conversion Rate. Upon submission, the converted Benchling Credits become Converted Credits, are no longer Benchling Credits, and Benchling’s obligations under these terms with respect to those credits are fully satisfied. Customer’s use of the Credit-Based Service following conversion is governed by the description of that Credit-Based Service in the Rate Card or applicable service-specific terms, and not by these terms. Where a Credit-Based Service is operated or provided by a third party: (i) the consumption mechanics and other Benchling terms applicable to that service may be set forth in the Rate Card or in a service-specific addendum; and (ii) the third party’s terms applicable to Customer’s use of that service may be incorporated into Customer's agreement with Benchling as flow-down or pass-through terms. The applicable terms in each case govern Customer’s converted access following conversion, and Benchling is not responsible for the third party’s terms or performance.
Completion and Technical Failures.
Completion: A Service Run is considered “completed” once the system is finished processing the request, regardless of whether the output or action meets Customer’s subjective expectations or specific research goals, unless a technical error has occurred as described in Section 3.2.2. For Credit-Based Services that permit an Authorized User to interrupt a Service Run in progress, Benchling Credits may be consumed in respect of the work performed by the Credit-Based Service up to the point at which the interruption was registered. For the avoidance of doubt, the consumption rules in Section 3.2.2 (Technical Errors) do not apply to interrupted Service Runs.
Technical Errors: Benchling Credits are consumed upon completion unless a verified technical failure of the Application Services prevents a response, output, or action from being delivered. In the event of such a technical failure, the system will not deduct the associated Benchling Credits quantity. For the avoidance of doubt, this Section 3.2.2 applies only to Service Runs of Credit-Based Services that use per-Service-Run consumption (Section 3.1.1). Because Benchling Credits are consumed at the time of conversion under the conversion-based consumption model (Section 3.1.2) and Benchling’s obligations under these terms with respect to such credits are fully satisfied at that time, this Section 3.2.2 does not apply to Converted Credits or to any subsequent Service Run executed against the resulting access.
Determining Usage. Benchling’s internal logging and tracking systems shall be the definitive record for determining the number of Benchling Credits consumed (including by conversion) by Customer. Usage determinations are deemed final and conclusive unless Customer provides written notice of a dispute within thirty (30) days of the applicable consumption event.
Rate Card Updates. Benchling may change or modify the Rate Card, and the methodology, technology, or other components used to calculate or operate any Credit-Based Service, at any time at its own discretion. New Credit-Based Services rates added to the Rate Card are effective immediately upon posting. Material rate increases will become effective thirty (30) days after Benchling either posts the revised Rate Card or provides notice to Customer via email or an in-app notification, as applicable. Other changes (including non-material rate increases and any decreases) are effective upon posting or implementation. Continued use of the Credit-Based Service, or any new conversion of Benchling Credits to access a Credit-Based Service that uses conversion-based consumption, after the effective date of a change constitutes Customer’s binding acceptance of the change. For purposes of this Section 3.4, a “rate increase” includes any change (whether to the Rate Card, the calculation or measurement methodology, the underlying technology used to operate the Credit-Based Service, or otherwise) that would result in increased credit consumption for an equivalent Service Run, whether or not such change is reflected in the text of the Rate Card. Whether a rate increase is “material” will be determined by Benchling, taking into account factors such as the magnitude of the increase, the impact on Customer’s typical usage, and the nature of the change.
Allocation, Rollover, and Expiration
Monthly Reset. Benchling Credit balances (both Included and Purchased, unless otherwise stated in a Sales Order) reset on the first day of each calendar month. For the avoidance of doubt, Converted Credits are no longer Benchling Credits at the time of conversion and are not subject to this Section 4.
No Rollover. Unused Benchling Credits do not “roll over” to the following month and are forfeited at the end of each calendar month.
No Refunds. There are no refunds for unused or consumed Benchling Credits (including Converted Credits), nor will any Benchling Credits be credited back to your account at the end of a month or upon the expiration or termination of the License Term.
Exhaustion of Benchling Credits and Overages
Access Cutoff. Access to Credit-Based Services in each Tenant is contingent upon a positive Benchling Credit balance, except that, for Credit-Based Services that use conversion-based consumption, access is governed by the terms of the relevant Credit-Based Service following conversion and is not subject to suspension under this Section 5 by reason of an exhausted Benchling Credit balance; for Credit-Based Services operated or provided by a third party, the third party’s terms also govern Customer’s continued access, as described in Section 3.1.2. If Customer exhausts their monthly allocation of Benchling Credits in a Tenant:
Access to Credit-Based Services in that Tenant (other than Credit-Based Services for which Benchling Credits have already been converted) will be automatically suspended for the remainder of the calendar month.
Access will be restored on the first day of the following month upon monthly reset, or upon the purchase of additional Purchased Credits.
Monitoring. Customer is solely responsible for monitoring its Benchling Credit usage (including by conversion) and balance in each Tenant via the Benchling administrative dashboard to avoid service interruption.