> For the complete user guide index, see [llms.txt](https://portraitresearch.com/documentation/llms.txt).

# Mosaic usage and estimates

[Canonical page](https://portraitresearch.com/documentation/mosaic/usage/)

## Applicability

- **Task:** Distinguish the Mosaic allowance from estimated and measured research costs
- **Access:** Mosaic-enabled Portrait account; Easel access; applicable credits and data entitlements
- **Audience:** Analysts with Mosaic access
- **Surfaces:** web
- **Workflow status:** current
- **Availability:** Account-gated
- **Content type:** reference
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-09-08

Mosaic research uses its own credit balance. Check **Settings → Usage → Mosaic usage** before asking Easel to start research or ranking. The displayed allowance and period may differ from **Normal usage**.

Mosaic itself requires an enabled web account. The usage panel can be visible without that access. [Usage and limits](https://portraitresearch.com/documentation/more/usage/) explains personal versus shared organization balances, credit periods, and recovery when work is refused.

## What consumes Mosaic credits

| Activity | How it is counted |
|---|---|
| **Quant** pass | No metered credits for the quantitative execution itself |
| **Research**, including a trial | Uses Mosaic credits |
| **Ranking** | Uses Mosaic credits |
| Easel conversation created from Mosaic | Uses the same Mosaic balance, shown separately as **Mosaic Easel** in the source breakdown |

Quant's zero cost does not make the surrounding Easel conversation free. Continuing a conversation created from Mosaic keeps its original credit balance. A trial is a smaller Research execution that uses Mosaic credits; it does not provide a separate free allowance.

## Balance, estimate, and measured usage

| Figure | How to use it |
|---|---|
| **Mosaic usage** in Settings | Check the allowance, used credits, and available credits for the displayed period. This can cover several Mosaic screens and Mosaic Easel conversations. |
| **Selected pass estimate** | An estimate for the selected execution while its measured usage is not yet final. |
| **Selected pass** credits | The measured usage for that execution once it has been calculated. |
| **Full pass estimate** | An extrapolation from the completed trial to the companies passing the current Quant filters. Check whether ranking is included. |

The saved screen's total usage combines its settled Research and Ranking executions over time. It is not your remaining allowance, and it does not include the separate Mosaic Easel conversation usage. It can also cover a different date range from Settings.

An estimate is not a guaranteed price, a budget you have approved, or a reservation for a future full run. New research and ranking are checked against the available allowance when they start. Usage already accepted can still be finalized afterwards.

## Read the full-pass estimate

Complete a trial using the current Research instructions, with Quant results based on the current filters. The estimate uses the latest completed trial for those instructions, even when you are viewing an older trial. The estimate then uses the trial's measured cost per company and the current Quant passing-company count.

For screening work, rank the trial as well if you want ranking reflected in the estimate. Without a linked ranking result, the estimate can contain **research only**. A visible total does not prove that all planned stages are included. Ask Easel to explain the research and ranking components before committing to a larger job.

Task work has no ranking component. If you intend to research an explicitly selected company set, check that its size matches the universe used for the estimate; the estimate uses the Quant passing count rather than any arbitrary future selection.

| Why an estimate may be incomplete | Next step |
|---|---|
| No completed trial for the current Research instructions | Run and inspect a current trial. |
| Quant filters changed | Run Quant again to refresh the company count. |
| Usage is still being finalized | Wait and check again; completion of the research is not always simultaneous with final usage. |
| The trial has not been ranked | Treat the figure as research-only, or rank the trial and wait for its usage to be finalized. |

## Limits, cancellations, and retries

Mosaic's allowance is separate from Normal credits and Normal pay-as-you-go. When insufficient Mosaic allowance prevents a new execution, check its own renewal or trial end date and contact your account team if more credits are needed. On a shared organization plan, other members' work also reduces the available balance.

**Cancel pass** requests that an execution stop; confirm its final status. Cancellation, **Reset research**, and archiving do not erase usage already incurred. A reset or rerun can cause additional research usage. Archiving alone does not cancel a running pass.

Before retrying, inspect the existing pass and the files it retained. [Research companies with Mosaic](https://portraitresearch.com/documentation/mosaic/research-companies/) explains what is preserved, what a reset removes, and how to verify the result.