{"slug":"billing-pricing","title":"Pricing","description":"Transparent, pay-as-you-go pricing for all DanubeData resources. No hidden fees, no long-term contracts.","section":"Account & Billing","url":"https://docs.danubedata.ro/billing-pricing","markdown_url":"https://docs.danubedata.ro/billing-pricing.md","breadcrumbs":[{"title":"Account & Billing","slug":null},{"title":"Pricing","slug":"billing-pricing"}],"headings":[{"level":1,"title":"Pricing","id":"pricing"},{"level":2,"title":"Pricing Model","id":"pricing-model"},{"level":3,"title":"Hourly Billing","id":"hourly-billing"},{"level":3,"title":"What You Pay For","id":"what-you-pay-for"},{"level":3,"title":"What's Free","id":"whats-free"},{"level":2,"title":"VPS (Pods) Pricing","id":"vps-pods-pricing"},{"level":3,"title":"Shared CPU Plans (4:1 overcommit - best value)","id":"shared-cpu-plans-41-overcommit-best-value"},{"level":3,"title":"Dedicated CPU Plans (guaranteed resources)","id":"dedicated-cpu-plans-guaranteed-resources"},{"level":3,"title":"Use Case Examples","id":"use-case-examples"},{"level":2,"title":"Database Pricing","id":"database-pricing"},{"level":3,"title":"MySQL / PostgreSQL / MariaDB","id":"mysql-postgresql-mariadb"},{"level":3,"title":"Database Cost Examples","id":"database-cost-examples"},{"level":2,"title":"Cache Pricing","id":"cache-pricing"},{"level":3,"title":"Redis / Valkey Instances","id":"redis-valkey-instances"},{"level":3,"title":"Dragonfly Instances (40-50% premium for multi-threaded performance)","id":"dragonfly-instances-40-50-premium-for-multi-threaded-performance"},{"level":3,"title":"Cache Cost Examples","id":"cache-cost-examples"},{"level":2,"title":"Storage & Backup Pricing","id":"storage-backup-pricing"},{"level":3,"title":"Snapshot Storage","id":"snapshot-storage"},{"level":3,"title":"Automated Backups","id":"automated-backups"},{"level":3,"title":"Object Storage","id":"object-storage"},{"level":2,"title":"Network Pricing","id":"network-pricing"},{"level":3,"title":"Data Transfer","id":"data-transfer"},{"level":3,"title":"Network Cost Examples","id":"network-cost-examples"},{"level":2,"title":"Firewall Pricing","id":"firewall-pricing"},{"level":2,"title":"Parameter Groups","id":"parameter-groups"},{"level":2,"title":"SSH Keys","id":"ssh-keys"},{"level":2,"title":"Real-World Examples","id":"real-world-examples"},{"level":3,"title":"Startup MVP","id":"startup-mvp"},{"level":3,"title":"Growing SaaS","id":"growing-saas"},{"level":3,"title":"Enterprise Application","id":"enterprise-application"},{"level":2,"title":"Cost Optimization Tips","id":"cost-optimization-tips"},{"level":3,"title":"Right-Sizing","id":"right-sizing"},{"level":3,"title":"Delete Unused Resources","id":"delete-unused-resources"},{"level":3,"title":"Snapshot Management","id":"snapshot-management"},{"level":3,"title":"Network Optimization","id":"network-optimization"},{"level":2,"title":"Payment Options","id":"payment-options"},{"level":3,"title":"Credit Cards","id":"credit-cards"},{"level":3,"title":"Invoiced Billing","id":"invoiced-billing"},{"level":2,"title":"Billing Cycle","id":"billing-cycle"},{"level":3,"title":"How It Works","id":"how-it-works"},{"level":3,"title":"Prorated Charges","id":"prorated-charges"},{"level":2,"title":"Tax & Compliance","id":"tax-compliance"},{"level":3,"title":"VAT (European Union)","id":"vat-european-union"},{"level":3,"title":"Sales Tax (United States)","id":"sales-tax-united-states"},{"level":3,"title":"Tax Exemption","id":"tax-exemption"},{"level":2,"title":"Higher Account Tiers","id":"higher-account-tiers"},{"level":2,"title":"Cost Calculator","id":"cost-calculator"},{"level":2,"title":"Price Comparison","id":"price-comparison"},{"level":3,"title":"vs DigitalOcean","id":"vs-digitalocean"},{"level":2,"title":"Frequently Asked Questions","id":"frequently-asked-questions"},{"level":3,"title":"When am I charged?","id":"when-am-i-charged"},{"level":3,"title":"Can I get a refund?","id":"can-i-get-a-refund"},{"level":3,"title":"What if I exceed my budget?","id":"what-if-i-exceed-my-budget"},{"level":3,"title":"Do prices include tax?","id":"do-prices-include-tax"},{"level":3,"title":"Can I pay annually?","id":"can-i-pay-annually"},{"level":3,"title":"Are there setup fees?","id":"are-there-setup-fees"},{"level":3,"title":"How do I reduce costs?","id":"how-do-i-reduce-costs"},{"level":2,"title":"Support","id":"support"},{"level":2,"title":"Next Steps","id":"next-steps"}],"format":"markdown","word_count":1491,"content":"# Pricing\n\nTransparent, pay-as-you-go pricing for all DanubeData resources. No hidden fees, no long-term contracts.\n\n## Pricing Model\n\n### Hourly Billing\n\n- **Pay per hour** from creation until deletion\n- **Prorated billing** - pay only for time the resource exists\n- **No minimums** - create and delete anytime\n- **Monthly invoices** - consolidated billing\n- **No contracts** - cancel anytime\n- **Stopped = still billed** - delete resources to stop charges\n\n### What You Pay For\n\n✅ **Compute** - vCPU and RAM  \n✅ **Storage** - Disk space used  \n✅ **Snapshots** - Backup storage  \n✅ **Network Egress** - Data transfer out  \n✅ **Replicas** - Additional instances  \n\n### What's Free\n\n✅ **Inbound Traffic** - Data transfer in  \n✅ **Private Network** - Internal communication  \n✅ **API Calls** - No usage fees  \n✅ **Dashboard** - Full access included  \n✅ **Support** - Included for every account  \n\n## VPS (Pods) Pricing\n\n### Shared CPU Plans (4:1 overcommit - best value)\n\n| Profile | vCPUs | RAM | Storage | Monthly |\n|---------|-------|-----|---------|---------|\n| **Nano (Shared)** | 2 | 2 GB | 40 GB | €4.49 |\n| **Micro (Shared)** | 3 | 4 GB | 80 GB | €7.49 |\n| **Small (Shared)** | 4 | 8 GB | 160 GB | €12.49 |\n| **Medium (Shared)** | 8 | 16 GB | 320 GB | €24.99 |\n| **Large (Shared)** | 16 | 32 GB | 640 GB | €49.99 |\n\n### Dedicated CPU Plans (guaranteed resources)\n\n| Profile | vCPUs | RAM | Storage | Monthly |\n|---------|-------|-----|---------|---------|\n| **Nano** | 1 | 2 GB | 40 GB | €8.99 |\n| **Micro** | 2 | 4 GB | 80 GB | €14.99 |\n| **Small** | 2 | 8 GB | 160 GB | €24.99 |\n| **Medium** | 4 | 16 GB | 320 GB | €49.99 |\n| **Large** | 8 | 32 GB | 640 GB | €99.99 |\n\n*Hourly billing available - pay only for hours used\n\n### Use Case Examples\n\n**Personal Blog** (Nano Shared):\n```\n1 × Nano (Shared) VPS: €4.49/month\nStorage included: 40 GB\nNetwork (< 20TB): Free\nTotal: ~€4.49/month\n```\n\n**Small Business Site** (Micro Shared):\n```\n1 × Micro (Shared) VPS: €7.49/month\nStorage included: 80 GB\nNetwork (< 20TB): Free\nTotal: ~€7.49/month\n```\n\n**Production App** (Medium Dedicated):\n```\n2 × Medium VPS: €99.98/month\n1 × Snapshot (10 GB): €0.73/month\nNetwork (< 20TB): Free\nTotal: ~€101/month\n```\n\n**High-Traffic Platform** (Large Dedicated):\n```\n5 × Large VPS: €499.95/month\n3 × Snapshot (50 GB): €3.65/month\nNetwork (< 100TB): Free\nTotal: ~€504/month\n```\n\n## Database Pricing\n\n### MySQL / PostgreSQL / MariaDB\n\n| Profile | vCPU | RAM | Storage | Monthly |\n|---------|------|-----|---------|---------|\n| **Small** | 2 | 4 GB | 50 GB | €19.99 |\n| **Medium** | 4 | 8 GB | 100 GB | €39.99 |\n| **Large** | 8 | 16 GB | 200 GB | €79.99 |\n\n### Database Cost Examples\n\n**Development Database** (Small):\n```\n1 × Small DB: €19.99/month\nAutomated backups: Free\n1 × Manual snapshot (5 GB): €0.37/month\nTotal: ~€20.36/month\n```\n\n**Production Database** (Medium):\n```\n1 × Medium DB: €39.99/month\n1 × Read Replica (Small): €19.99/month\nAutomated backups: Free\n2 × Snapshots (20 GB): €1.46/month\nTotal: ~€61/month\n```\n\n**High-Availability Setup** (Large):\n```\n1 × Large Primary: €79.99/month\n2 × Large Replicas: €159.98/month\nAutomated backups: Free\n4 × Snapshots (40 GB): €2.92/month\nTotal: ~€243/month\n```\n\n## Cache Pricing\n\n### Redis / Valkey Instances\n\n| Profile | vCPU | RAM | Monthly |\n|---------|------|-----|---------|\n| **Micro** | 1 | 1 GB | €4.99 |\n| **Small** | 2 | 2 GB | €9.99 |\n| **Medium** | 4 | 4 GB | €19.99 |\n| **Large** | 8 | 8 GB | €39.99 |\n\n### Dragonfly Instances (40-50% premium for multi-threaded performance)\n\n| Profile | vCPU | RAM | Monthly |\n|---------|------|-----|---------|\n| **Micro** | 1 | 1 GB | €6.99 |\n| **Small** | 2 | 2 GB | €14.99 |\n| **Medium** | 4 | 4 GB | €29.99 |\n| **Large** | 8 | 8 GB | €59.99 |\n\n### Cache Cost Examples\n\n**Session Store** (Small Redis):\n```\n1 × Small Redis: €9.99/month\nStorage (included): 2 GB\nTotal: ~€10/month\n```\n\n**Application Cache** (Medium Redis):\n```\n1 × Medium Redis: €19.99/month\n1 × Replica (Medium): €19.99/month\n1 × Snapshot (2 GB): €0.15/month\nTotal: ~€40/month\n```\n\n**High-Performance Cache** (Large Dragonfly):\n```\n1 × Large Dragonfly: €59.99/month\n2 × Large Replicas: €119.98/month\n2 × Snapshots (4 GB): €0.29/month\nTotal: ~€180/month\n```\n\n## Storage & Backup Pricing\n\n### Snapshot Storage\n\n- **Price**: €0.073 per GB per month (7.3 cents/GB)\n- **Billed**: Hourly (prorated)\n- **Size**: Based on actual snapshot size\n\n**Examples**:\n| Snapshot Size | Monthly Cost |\n|---------------|--------------|\n| 5 GB | €0.37 |\n| 10 GB | €0.73 |\n| 25 GB | €1.83 |\n| 50 GB | €3.65 |\n| 100 GB | €7.30 |\n\n### Automated Backups\n\n- **Database Backups**: Free (included)\n- **Retention**: 3 days\n- **Frequency**: Daily\n- **Storage**: Separate from snapshots\n\n### Object Storage\n\n- **Base**: €5.49/month (includes 1 TB storage + 1 TB egress)\n- **Storage Overage**: €5.49/TB\n- **Egress Overage**: €1.00/TB\n- **Ingress**: Always free\n\n## Network Pricing\n\n### Data Transfer\n\n| Traffic Type | Price |\n|--------------|-------|\n| **Inbound** | Free |\n| **Included Egress** | 20 TB per VPS/month |\n| **Egress Overage** | €1.00/TB |\n| **Private Network** | Free |\n| **Between Instances** | Free |\n| **VPS ↔ managed databases/caches (internal network)** | Free |\n\nEgress traffic is pooled across all your resources. Each VPS contributes 20 TB to your team's monthly quota.\n\n**Only traffic that leaves the platform toward the public internet counts.** Traffic between your own resources over the internal network — VPS to managed database, VPS to cache, VPS to VPS on a private network, internal DNS — is free and never consumes your quota. Use the internal hostnames (e.g. `db-orders`, `redis-cache`) shown on the Networking page to keep traffic on the free internal path; connecting to your own services via their public endpoints routes through the public internet and is counted.\n\n> **Object Storage note:** bucket egress is measured at the storage layer and currently counts toward the bucket's 1 TB included egress regardless of where the request comes from, including reads from your own VPS. Keeping S3 traffic exempt on the internal path is on our roadmap.\n\n### Network Cost Examples\n\n**Typical Usage** (< 20 TB/month per VPS):\n```\nOutbound traffic: Free (within quota)\nTotal: €0\n```\n\n**High Traffic** (50 TB/month with 2 VPS):\n```\nIncluded quota: 2 VPS × 20 TB = 40 TB\nOverage: 10 TB × €1.00 = €10.00\nTotal: €10.00/month\n```\n\n## Firewall Pricing\n\n**Free** - No additional cost\n- Unlimited firewalls\n- Unlimited rules\n- Attach to unlimited instances\n\n## Parameter Groups\n\n**Free** - No additional cost\n- Unlimited parameter groups\n- Custom configurations\n- Version-specific settings\n\n## SSH Keys\n\n**Free** - No additional cost\n- Up to 25 keys per project\n- Unlimited instances per key\n\n## Real-World Examples\n\n### Startup MVP\n\n```\nRequirements:\n- Small web application\n- PostgreSQL database\n- Redis for sessions\n- Development + Production\n\nResources:\n1 × Small (Shared) VPS (prod):   €12.49\n1 × Nano (Shared) VPS (staging): €4.49\n1 × Small PostgreSQL:            €19.99\n1 × Micro Redis:                 €4.99\nNetwork (< 40 TB):               Free\n\nMonthly Total: ~€42/month\n```\n\n### Growing SaaS\n\n```\nRequirements:\n- Multiple app servers\n- Database with replica\n- Cache cluster\n- Staging environment\n\nResources:\n3 × Medium (Shared) VPS (prod):  €74.97\n1 × Micro (Shared) VPS (staging): €7.49\n1 × Medium PostgreSQL:            €39.99\n1 × Small Replica:                €19.99\n1 × Medium Redis:                 €19.99\n1 × Small Redis (staging):        €9.99\nNetwork (< 80 TB):                Free\n\nMonthly Total: ~€172/month\n```\n\n### Enterprise Application\n\n```\nRequirements:\n- Load-balanced app tier\n- HA database cluster\n- High-performance cache\n- Full redundancy\n\nResources:\n6 × Large VPS (Dedicated):   €599.94\n2 × Large PostgreSQL:        €159.98\n3 × Large Redis:             €119.97\nNetwork (< 180 TB):          Free\nFirewalls:                   Free\n\nMonthly Total: ~€880/month\n```\n\n## Cost Optimization Tips\n\n### Right-Sizing\n\n1. **Start Small**: Begin with smaller profiles\n2. **Monitor Usage**: Check CPU, memory metrics\n3. **Scale Up**: Upgrade when consistently over 70%\n4. **Scale Down**: Downgrade if under 30%\n\n### Delete Unused Resources\n\nInstances are billed at the full rate whether running or stopped. To save costs, **delete** non-production resources when not needed and re-create them later:\n\n**Development Environment**:\n```\nDelete after work, re-create next day\n8 hours/day × 5 days = 160 hours/month\nMedium (Shared) VPS: €0.034 × 160 = €5.48/month\n(vs. €24.99 existing 24/7)\nSavings: ~78%\n```\n\n### Snapshot Management\n\n1. **Delete Old Snapshots**: Keep only necessary\n2. **Clean Before Snapshot**: Remove temp files\n3. **Automated Retention**: 7-14 days max\n4. **Production Only**: Avoid dev snapshots\n\n### Network Optimization\n\n1. **Use CDN**: For static content\n2. **Compress Data**: Reduce transfer size\n3. **Cache Aggressively**: Reduce bandwidth\n4. **Private Network**: Free for internal traffic\n\n## Payment Options\n\n### Credit Cards\n\n- Visa, Mastercard, American Express\n- Secure processing via Stripe\n- Automatic monthly billing\n\n### Invoiced Billing\n\nIf paying by card doesn't work for your organization, contact support to discuss the billing options available for your account.\n\n## Billing Cycle\n\n### How It Works\n\n1. **Resources Created**: Billing starts immediately\n2. **Hourly Tracking**: Usage recorded every 5 minutes\n3. **Invoice Generated**: 1st of each month\n4. **Payment Charged**: Immediately upon invoice generation\n5. **Invoice Available**: Download from dashboard\n\n### Prorated Charges\n\n**Example**: Create Medium (Shared) VPS on October 15th\n\n```\nDays remaining: 16 days\nHours: 16 × 24 = 384 hours\nCost: €0.034 × 384 = €13.11\n(vs. €24.99 for full month)\n```\n\n## Tax & Compliance\n\n### VAT (European Union)\n\n- VAT added for EU customers\n- Rate based on country\n- Business VAT ID can be provided\n\n### Sales Tax (United States)\n\n- Sales tax based on state\n- Calculated automatically\n- Shown on invoice\n\n### Tax Exemption\n\nContact billing for:\n- Tax-exempt organizations\n- Government entities\n- Educational institutions\n\n## Higher Account Tiers\n\nLarger accounts can be moved to a higher tier with increased resource limits and API rate limits — see [Account Limits](https://docs.danubedata.ro/account-limits). Higher tiers raise how much you can provision; they don't change the per-resource rates listed above. For invoice-based billing, contact support through the dashboard.\n\n## Cost Calculator\n\nEstimate your monthly costs:\n\n**VPS/Pods**:\n```\nNumber × Profile Monthly Rate\nExample: 3 × Medium (Shared) = 3 × €24.99 = €74.97\n```\n\n**Databases**:\n```\n(Primary + Replicas) × Profile Rate\nExample: (1 + 1) × Small = 2 × €19.99 = €39.98\n```\n\n**Cache**:\n```\n(Primary + Replicas) × Profile Rate\nExample: 1 × Medium Redis = €19.99\n```\n\n**Snapshots**:\n```\nGB × €0.073 per month\nExample: 10 GB × €0.073 = €0.73\n```\n\n**Network (VPS egress overage)**:\n```\nOverage TB × €1.00\nExample: 5 TB overage × €1.00 = €5.00\n```\n\n## Price Comparison\n\n### vs DigitalOcean\n\n| Resource | DanubeData | DigitalOcean | Difference |\n|----------|------------|--------------|------------|\n| 2 vCPU, 2 GB | €4.49 | €18.00 | 75% less |\n| 4 vCPU, 8 GB | €12.49 | €48.00 | 74% less |\n| 8 vCPU, 16 GB | €24.99 | €96.00 | 74% less |\n\n*Prices as of January 2025, subject to change\n\n## Frequently Asked Questions\n\n### When am I charged?\n\nBilling starts when a resource finishes provisioning and stops when it's deleted. Stopped instances continue to be billed at the full rate — to stop charges, delete the resource.\n\n### Can I get a refund?\n\nWe generally don't offer refunds, but contact support for special circumstances.\n\n### What if I exceed my budget?\n\nSet a monthly budget under **Billing** > **Budget** to get progressive email alerts as you approach it, and monitor usage anytime in the dashboard.\n\n### Do prices include tax?\n\nNo, applicable taxes are added at checkout based on your location.\n\n### Can I pay annually?\n\nNot at this time — billing is monthly and pay-as-you-go.\n\n### Are there setup fees?\n\nNo setup fees, no hidden charges. Pay only for resources used.\n\n### How do I reduce costs?\n\nRight-size instances, delete old snapshots, delete unused resources, use private networking. Note that stopping an instance does not reduce billing — you must delete it to stop charges.\n\n## Support\n\nSupport is included for every account at no extra cost:\n\n- Help through the dashboard support tickets and at support@danubedata.ro\n- Documentation and guides\n\n## Next Steps\n\n- [View Current Usage](https://console.danubedata.ro/billing)\n- [Payments](https://docs.danubedata.ro/billing-payments)\n- [Billing Overview](https://docs.danubedata.ro/billing-overview)\n\nQuestions about pricing? Contact support through the dashboard.\n\n","prev":{"title":"Payments","slug":"billing-payments","url":"https://docs.danubedata.ro/billing-payments","markdown_url":"https://docs.danubedata.ro/billing-payments.md","json_url":"https://docs.danubedata.ro/billing-payments.json"},"next":{"title":"Invoices","slug":"billing-invoices","url":"https://docs.danubedata.ro/billing-invoices","markdown_url":"https://docs.danubedata.ro/billing-invoices.md","json_url":"https://docs.danubedata.ro/billing-invoices.json"},"index_url":"https://docs.danubedata.ro/index.json"}