BrightData funding rules

BrightData needs at least $10 in it before Huntit will turn scraping on. Three rules govern that account.

The $10 minimum and the first-deposit match

The minimum is $10 — BrightData's own smallest top-up. Make your first deposit and BrightData matches it 1:1 up to $500, once ever.

Because Huntit is a long-term tool, a fuller first deposit earns you the most free credit. It's entirely your call: the money stays yours, and it's only ever spent on scraping.

One trap. The small $5 credit that appears when you add a card is not funding — it deliberately falls short of the $10 minimum, so you still need a real deposit.

Auto-recharge, and why it's forward-only

Turn auto-recharge on for Proxy & Web-Scraper API/IDE in Billing → Payment settings, and keep BrightData's balance and billing-alert emails on.

This account is your collection engine. If it runs dry, tracking stops — and the posts missed while it is dry are gone for good. Huntit only moves forward, never back.

There is no catch-up scrape. A week when the account sat empty is a week missing from what you collected, permanently.

If you want to spend less, the honest lever is pausing tracking, not letting the account starve. What the spending actually looks like is in what your usage costs.

Why setup blocks but Settings only warns

During first-login setup, an under-funded account blocks activation: scraping won't turn on until the balance and credit clear $10. That's the right moment to catch it, while you're already there.

Afterwards it never blocks again. The Settings → Credentials panel only shows a note when funds are under $10:

"Funds are under $10 — if this account isn't on automatic billing, top it up before adding profiles, or discovery and tracking can't run."

That note isn't always a problem. With auto-recharge on, BrightData tops the account up itself, so a low balance between charges is normal — ignore it. With auto-recharge off, take it as a real warning and add funds.