When a server bills, and when it stops

Billing starts when the server is ready

We start the clock at the moment the server is ready to use, then bill each started hour from your balance. Waiting for the server to be created costs nothing, and a server we couldn’t create costs nothing.

The monthly price is a cap

Hourly servers add up hour by hour, and stop adding once they reach the monthly price for that calendar month. Use the pricing calculator to see a plan’s cost for any number of hours.

Stopped servers still bill

Stopping a server is like turning off a computer you still rent: the IP address and the disk stay yours, so it keeps billing. To stop billing, delete the server. Deleting bills the hour already started and destroys the server’s data, so back up first.

When your balance runs out

• We email you when about 72 and 24 hours of credit are left at your current rate.
• At zero, servers billed from the balance are powered off, not deleted, and kept for 7 days. We email you then and on day 3 and 6 .
• Their disks and IP addresses stay reserved, so they keep adding up and the balance goes below zero; your next deposit settles that first.
• Add funds within the 7 days and power them back on from the console. After that, they are deleted with their data.

Keep and Forever Keep

A Keep is paid a year ahead; it renews from your balance at the end of the year, and if the balance is short the server keeps running and bills by the hour instead. A Forever Keep is paid once. Add-ons such as a Windows licence still bill by the hour from your balance on both.

Common surprises

• “I stopped it but it still costs money.” Stopped servers bill; delete the ones you don’t need.
• “It was powered off.” Your balance reached zero. Add funds and press Start on the server’s page.
• “My balance is below zero.” Suspended servers kept adding up while powered off; the next deposit settles that first.