> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.corti.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Create an account in the Corti Console

> Sign up, start your free trial, and set up your first project

The Corti Console is your self-service portal for signing up, managing projects, and generating the credentials your application uses to authenticate. This page gets you from sign-up to a ready-to-build project. From there, you'll create your first API client.

<Card title="Sign up for a free account" href="https://console.corti.app/signup">
  Create your account and start with a \$50 trial credit.
</Card>

## Set up your account

<Steps>
  <Step title="Create your account" titleSize="h3">
    Go to the [sign-up page](https://console.corti.app/signup) and register with your work email. Verify your email address, then sign in.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create a project" titleSize="h3">
    A project is your workspace: it holds your clients, usage, and team members. Create your first project to unlock a **\$50 trial credit** so you can start building right away.

    <Tip>
      Use a separate project for each environment or team you want to bill and monitor independently.
    </Tip>
  </Step>
</Steps>

## What you can do in the Console

Your project is the home base for your integration. From here you can:

* **Create API clients**: generate the credentials your application uses to authenticate.
* **Test in the Studio playground**: experiment with endpoints and copy ready-made code samples in the browser.
* **Monitor token utilization**: track how much of your credit balance each project consumes.
* **Collaborate with your team**: invite teammates to share a project's clients and usage.
* **Manage billing**: view your credit balance and purchase additional token credits.

## Next step

With a project in place, create the client credentials your application needs to make its first authenticated call.

<Card title="Create an API client" href="/authentication/creating_clients" icon="arrow-right" horizontal>
  Generate your client credentials, then make your first call to the Corti API.
</Card>

<Note>
  Managing users, tenants, or credentials programmatically? See the [Administration API](/about/admin-api).

  For support or questions, please [contact us](mailto:help@corti.ai).
</Note>