On 30 March 2026 Poe cut its free daily allowance from 3,000 points to 300, as reported by e-zone and findmyai.hk. Local coverage summed it up as a nudge to upgrade: on stronger models, a handful of questions uses the day's points.
If you were happy on the free plan and it no longer covers your day, the question is simple: what is the cheapest paid option that does? This post looks at one answer, Essevin's HK$28 Taster plan, with the numbers and the limits.
The short answer
HK$28 a month gets 250,000 credits, about 776 standard GPT-6.1 Sol messages or about 141 standard Claude Opus 5.5 messages a month, plus up to 20 images. That is roughly 25 GPT messages a day, every day. It does not include video.
What the Taster plan includes
| Item | Taster (HK$28 a month or HK$288 a year) |
|---|---|
| Monthly credits | 250,000 (10,000 credits = HK$1) |
| Models | Claude Opus 5.5, Sonnet 5.5, Haiku 5.5; GPT-6.1 Sol, GPT-6 Astra, GPT-6 Luna; GPT Image |
| Images | Up to 20 a month, low quality unless you choose another (about 879 credits each) |
| Video | Not included (Everyday and above) |
| Per-message cap | 10,000 credits (HK$1) |
| Unused credits | Reset every month; no rollover |
| Cancel | Any time in the console; usable to the end of the paid month |
What 250,000 credits look like in a month
Essevin's estimates use a standard message of 3,000 input and 800 output tokens:
All GPT-6.1 Sol: about 776 messages, around 25 a day.
All Claude Opus 5.5: about 141 messages, around 4 or 5 a day.
All Codex coding requests: about 145.
A realistic mix: GPT-6.1 Sol for everyday questions and drafts, a few Claude Opus 5.5 messages a week for hard problems, and some images.
Long conversations cost more per message, because each message re-sends the chat history. Starting a new chat when the topic changes makes the allowance go much further; our guide to why credits run out in long chats shows how much.
Free 300 points a day vs HK$28 a month
| Poe free (as reported) | Essevin Taster | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | HK$28 a month |
| Allowance | 300 points a day, reset daily | 250,000 credits a month, one pool |
| Strong models | A few questions a day, by local reports | About 141 Claude Opus 5.5 or 776 GPT-6.1 Sol messages a month |
| Images | Uses the same points | Up to 20 a month |
| Payment | None | Card, in HK$ |
A monthly pool also behaves differently from a daily one: a busy Monday can use more, a quiet weekend uses less. The flip side is that if you use it all in the first week, nothing refills until next month, unless you add a credit pack.
When HK$28 is not enough
You mostly use Claude Opus 5.5 all day. Taster gives a few Opus messages a day. Everyday (HK$128, about 564 Opus messages a month) or Advanced (HK$288) fits better, or check whether a Claude-focused plan elsewhere is cheaper for you.
You need video. Video starts on Everyday.
You paste long documents. The 10,000-credit per-message cap limits how long a single request on an expensive model can be. Higher plans raise the cap.
You only need a few questions a week. Then a free plan may still be enough, and that is fine.
FAQ
Is HK$28 the final price?
Yes. Prices are in Hong Kong dollars and Essevin adds no tax or fee at checkout; your card issuer may charge its own foreign transaction fee.
What if I run out mid-month?
Taster can add a HK$20 credit pack (150,000 credits), up to two a month, or upgrade and pay only the difference.
Can I cancel after one month?
Yes. Cancel the renewal in the console at any time; the plan stays usable until the end of the month you paid for.
Is there a free trial?
No. Taster is the low-cost way to try Essevin for a month.
See every plan on the pricing page, or create an account and pick Taster.