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

# Overview

> AutoMQ Cloud provides enterprise-grade Kafka-compatible BYOC deployments with flexible usage-based and prepaid billing models to meet diverse workload requirements.

This article introduces the billing components and payment methods for the AutoMQ Cloud product.

<Info>
  In this article, the terms AutoMQ product service provider, AutoMQ service provider, and AutoMQ specifically refer to AutoMQ HK Limited.
</Info>

## Billing Items

Using AutoMQ Cloud in a BYOC environment incurs the following two types of fees:

| **Fee Type**            | **Coverage**                                                                                                                                                              | **Payment Relationship**                  |
| ----------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------- |
| **Subscription Fees**   | AutoMQ provides AutoMQ BYOC product and technical services                                                                                                                | Users pay AutoMQ                          |
| **Cloud Resource Fees** | Fundamental cloud resources consumed by the environment, including but not limited to:<ul><li>Virtual Hosts</li><li>Block Storage</li><li>Network Traffic, etc.</li></ul> | Users pay public cloud providers directly |

## Billing Models

AutoMQ Cloud supports two billing models for subscription fees in BYOC environments: **Usage-Based Billing** and **Prepaid Billing**. You can choose the model that best fits your workload characteristics and cost management preferences.

### Usage-Based Billing

Usage-based billing charges you based on your actual resource consumption, with no upfront commitment required. This model applies automatic tiered pricing — the more you use, the lower the per-unit cost.

<Info>
  Usage-based billing is currently available only for AWS environments.
</Info>

Under this model, the following billing items apply:

| **Billing Item** | **Unit** | **Description**                                                                        |
| ---------------- | -------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Data Ingress     | Per GiB  | The volume of data written to the cluster, measured after compression.                 |
| Data Egress      | Per GiB  | The volume of data read from the cluster, measured after compression.                  |
| Data Retention   | Per GiB  | The volume of data retained in the cluster.                                            |
| Cluster Uptime   | Per hour | The running duration of the cluster, billed by cluster tier (Dev, Pro, or Enterprise). |

For detailed information, refer to [Usage-Based Billing▸](/automq-cloud/subscriptions-and-billings/byoc-env-billings/usage-based-billing).

### Prepaid Billing (AKU-Based)

The prepaid billing model requires you to purchase a subscription plan in advance on a **monthly or yearly** basis. Subscription fees are based on the AKU (AutoMQ Kafka Unit) specification, which measures the computing resources allocated for message processing within a Kafka cluster. No additional subscription fees are incurred during the subscription period.

This model is available for all supported cloud environments, including AWS, Azure, and Alibaba Cloud.

For detailed information about AKU specifications and calculation rules, refer to [Prepaid Billing▸](/automq-cloud/subscriptions-and-billings/byoc-env-billings/billing-instructions-for-byoc).

## Payment Methods

### Usage-Based Billing

Usage-based billing is settled through AWS Marketplace on a monthly basis. After subscribing to the AutoMQ product on AWS Marketplace, usage is metered automatically and invoices are generated monthly. For configuration instructions, refer to [Usage-Based Billing▸](/automq-cloud/subscriptions-and-billings/byoc-env-billings/usage-based-billing).

### Prepaid Billing

Depending on your requirements, prepaid subscription plans can be purchased through the following channels:

* Purchase subscription plans via the cloud marketplace.

* Purchase subscription plans through offline business contracts.

In prepaid mode, you need to purchase a subscription first. Then, use the relevant ProductSecret to activate the environment. After these steps, you can start using AutoMQ Cloud.