If you are already building on Atoms, credits are not a nice to have. Credits are time. They are iterations. They are your ability to test one more idea without hesitating.
That is why Share and Earn Credits exists. It is simple on purpose. Share your invite link. Your friend takes the first real step on the platform. You both earn credits when the actions that matter actually happen.
This article explains the program, with the rules that decide whether you qualify, plus examples that prevent the most common confusion.
What is Share and Earn Credits
Share and Earn Credits is the referral program inside Atoms.
You share your invite link with someone who has never had an Atoms account before. If they sign up and actually use the product, they can receive credits. If they go further and publish their first app, you can receive credits too.
The program is designed to reward real activation, not empty signups. It is also designed to be predictable, which means there are limits and timing rules you should understand before you start sharing.
The headline benefit
Atoms states you can earn up to 100 credits per month.
In practice, that monthly cap is tied to a monthly referral limit: rewards can qualify for up to 10 new users per month.
If you are thinking about sharing at scale, keep that in mind. The first ten matter.
How it works, step by step
There are two separate reward paths. One for your friend and one for you.
Your friend’s reward
Your friend can receive 10 credits after they do both of the following:
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Sign up for Atoms using your invite link
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Send at least one message on the platform within the same calendar month of registration
Once they send that first message during the registration month, the 10 credits are granted instantly according to the terms.
This matters: it is not enough to register. They must send at least one message, and timing matters.
Your reward
You can receive 10 credits when your qualified friend successfully publishes their first app within the same calendar month of their registration.
This is the key idea of the program. Your reward is not tied to a signup. It is tied to a published result.
The rules that decide whether you qualify
If you remember nothing else, remember these three rules.
Rule one: new users only
This offer is for new users only. If someone has previously signed up for an Atoms account, they are not eligible as a referred user for rewards.
If you share your link with a person who already tried Atoms months ago, it may still help them register again, but rewards are not supposed to apply.
Rule two: monthly referral limit, first ten
Each calendar month, reward qualification applies for up to 10 new users who sign up through your link.
After 10 users have signed up through your link in the same month, your referral limit is reached for rewards. Friends can still use your link after that, but neither you nor they will be eligible for rewards tied to that link in that month.
This is not a vague guideline. It is written as a hard rule.
Rule three: same month expiration, use it or lose it
Reward qualification is tied strictly to the calendar month of registration.
That means your invited user must complete the required action, sending a message, before the end of the month they signed up in.
It also means your reward depends on your qualified friend publishing their first app within that same month.
If the month changes and those actions are not completed, qualification expires and becomes void.
This is the rule that causes most complaints. It is also the rule that keeps the program fair and predictable.
What counts as a qualified friend
In the terms, a qualified friend is one of your first 10 signups in a calendar month who then completes the required action inside that month.
The path looks like this:
They sign up, they send at least one message within the registration month, and they fall within the first 10 new users for that month.
That is the person who can trigger your reward if they also publish their first app within that same month.
What you should tell a friend before they sign up
If you want the referral to work, do not send your invite link with vague instructions like “try it sometime.”
Send it with a clear two sentence checklist that matches the terms.
Here is a clean version you can copy and paste:
Your signup should happen this month. After you create the account, send at least one message in Atoms this month so you get 10 credits. If you publish your first app this month, I get 10 credits too.
That message is honest and it prevents confusion.
Real examples that explain the timing
Examples help because the rules are calendar based, and people routinely misread them.
Example one: your friend signs up and messages in the same month
Your friend signs up on March 12. They send their first message on March 12.
Result: they receive 10 credits.
If they publish their first app on March 28, you receive 10 credits.
Example two: your friend signs up late and waits to message
Your friend signs up on March 30. They do not send any message until April 2.
Result: they do not qualify for the 10 credits, because the required message action did not happen within March, the registration month.
Also, your reward cannot trigger because the friend did not qualify.
Example three: your friend qualifies, but publishes next month
Your friend signs up on March 5. They send a message on March 5 and receive 10 credits.
They publish their first app on April 1.
Result: your reward does not qualify, because your reward requires the publish action within March, the registration month.
The terms are strict on purpose. They do not care that the difference is one day.
Example four: you already hit ten signups this month
You shared your link widely and 10 new users signed up through it this month.
An eleventh new user signs up through your link on the 20th.
Result: the eleventh user can still sign up, but neither side is eligible for rewards connected to your link for that signup in that month.
If you care about rewards, stop pushing that month once you reach ten.
Fair play rules, what not to do
Atoms also spells out program integrity rules. They are not hidden.
Each new user can only be referred once. Using multiple referral links for the same person, or creating duplicate accounts to trigger extra referrals, is not allowed.
There is also a general requirement to share responsibly. Do not spam your link where it does not belong. The program is meant to be shared with people you know or in places where referrals are appropriate.
Atoms reserves the right to withhold rewards or deactivate your link if there is suspected fraudulent activity or sketchy behavior, including self referrals and throwaway accounts.
In other words: do not try to game it. It is not worth it, and you are likely to lose eligibility entirely.
How to maximize your chance of earning credits without being annoying
This program rewards depth, not reach.
If you want to earn credits consistently, focus on inviting people who are likely to actually publish something, not people who will click and vanish.
A few practical approaches that work:
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Invite builders with a specific project in mind
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Invite friends who are already shipping side projects
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Invite small teams who need a quick prototype to validate demand
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Invite people who are motivated by the publish moment, not by browsing
The best referral is not “come try a tool.” The best referral is “I know exactly what you are building. Use Atoms to ship it this month.”
Why this program is structured this way
This is the part most people skip. It matters for founders.
Credits are a cost for Atoms, but they are also an investment in users who will actually build. So the program attaches rewards to behaviors that predict real retention:
Sending the first message is a signal of activation. Publishing the first app is a signal of follow through.
If the program paid out on raw signups, it would attract spam and would punish real users with stricter gates later. Paying out on meaningful actions keeps the incentive clean.
Where to learn more inside the product ecosystem
If you are new to Atoms, referrals are not the first thing you should optimize. Shipping is.
If you want a better feel for the parts of Atoms that help people reach publish faster, these three internal reads are the most relevant:
deep research agent
Race Mode
Atoms backend
They map to the same idea: shorten the path from idea to something live.
Common questions
How many credits does my friend get
Your friend can receive 10 credits after they sign up and send at least one message within the same calendar month of registration.
How many credits do I get
You can receive 10 credits when your qualified friend publishes their first app within the same calendar month of their registration.
What does “first ten per month” mean
It means rewards can qualify for up to 10 new users per month who sign up through your referral link. After that, signups can still happen through your link, but rewards are not eligible for either side for those additional signups in that month.
What does “use it or lose it” mean
It means the qualification window is the calendar month of registration. If the required actions are not completed before the month ends, the reward qualification expires and becomes void.
Can an existing user qualify if they use my link
No. The terms say the offer is for new users only, meaning users who have not previously signed up for an Atoms account.
Can I share my link publicly
The terms encourage sharing responsibly and explicitly warn against spam. The safest approach is sharing with people you know or in places where referrals are appropriate.
Can Atoms change the program
Yes. The terms state the program can be changed, paused, or terminated at any time, and changes will be updated on the terms page.
Closing
Share and Earn Credits is simple, but it is not forgiving. The program rewards action within the registration month and it caps rewards to the first ten signups each month.
If you want the credits, do not optimize for clicks. Optimize for publishes.
And if you are the person receiving a link, do not wait. Sign up, send a message, then ship your first app in the same month. That is the whole point.
