That is an AGOL thing... there are tools that do the same thing in Pro (depending on what you are doing) that you can do if you have the appropriate license.
For example the Profile graph tool....
Profile graph—Charts | ArcGIS Desktop
doesn't use any credits... but you need the 3D analyst extension.
So some of these tools are made available on a credit-use basis compared to throwing a whole wad of $$$ upfront for an extension that you might rarely use.
Kind of like … do you buy a car to drive a couple of times in a year, or do you take taxis?