When using large language model (LLM) APIs, you must check user inputs and model outputs for content safety. This topic describes how to activate the pay-as-you-go service for Guardrails and details the billing rules for each moderation type.
After you activate pay-as-you-go for Guardrails, the Content Compliance feature is enabled by default. To use the Sensitive Content Detection or prompt injection detection features, you must first enable them in the console, as described later in this topic.
Activate Guardrails pay-as-you-go
Activating the pay-as-you-go service for Guardrails is free. The system bills you based on your actual usage. For specific unit prices, see Moderation types and unit prices.
Choose a suitable access method based on your business scenario:
API access: Call the moderation service directly using APIs. This method is ideal for using Guardrails as a standalone service.
Enable detection features
Log on to the Guardrails console. In the left-side navigation pane, choose .
In the list of detection configurations, find the target service and click Configuration in the Actions column to open the service management page.
In the Protection Dimension section, use the toggle on each card to enable or disable the feature:
Content Compliance: Enabled by default. Detects pornographic, violent, political, and other undesirable content. This feature is billed separately. For pricing details, see Moderation types and unit prices.
Sensitive content detection: Detects potential leaks of personal information or sensitive corporate data. This feature is billed separately. For pricing details, see Moderation types and unit prices.
Prompt injection detection: Detects malicious prompts designed to bypass the safety limits of large models. This feature is billed separately. For pricing details, see Moderation types and unit prices.
Malicious URL (in public preview): Scans content from large models for malicious links. This feature is currently free to use during the public preview.
Model Hallucination (in public preview): Detects false or inaccurate information generated by large models. This feature is currently free to use during the public preview.
Detection agent: Identifies specific, user-defined risks in large model interactions based on flexible custom configurations. For pricing details, see detection agent billing plans.
After a feature is enabled, its toggle appears in the enabled state.
Moderation types and unit prices
Access method | Type | Services | Unit price |
API access/AI Gateway integration | Text Moderation - Per Call - Advanced text_guard_advanced |
| USD 6 per 10,000 calls |
API access/AI Gateway integration | Sensitive Content Moderation - Per Call - Advanced text_sddp_advanced |
| USD 6 per 10,000 calls |
API access/AI Gateway integration | prompt injection moderation |
| USD 6 per 10,000 calls Important This feature will be commercially billed starting January 22, 2026. If you do not require this service, disable it in the Guardrails console to avoid incurring charges. |
With pay-as-you-go, Guardrails bills you based on the type and volume of content you check.
Go to the Guardrails activation page.
Read and agree to the Terms of Service, then click Buy Now.
After activation, log on to the Guardrails console and confirm that the service status is Activated.
How can I confirm that pay-as-you-go has been activated for my Guardrails account?
You can use either of the following methods to verify the activation status:
Log on to the Guardrails console and check whether the service status shows Activated.
Guardrails uses the pay-as-you-go billing method. Activating the service is free of charge. You are only billed when you call the API operations, so you do not need to worry about unexpected charges after activation.
Query resource plan usage and remaining quota: in the Alibaba Cloud User Center, go to the Resource Instance Management page to view the details of your Content Moderation resource plan, its resource plan usage, and the remaining number of calls. You can also open the Expenses and Costs console to view usage and bill details. If no data is returned, verify that the current account has purchased a Content Moderation resource plan, and check the purchase records under that account.
Troubleshoot region and account mismatches: if the regions available when you activate the service in the console differ from the regions available for API calls and the call fails, check whether the account that you use for the API call is the same as the account that activated Guardrails. If the accounts do not match, switch to the correct account that has the service activated and call the operation again, or activate the service again under the account that returns the error.
Overdue payments and top-ups
The billing cycle window for Guardrails is 24 hours.
After each billing cycle, Alibaba Cloud generates a bill based on your usage from the previous cycle and automatically deducts the amount from your account balance. Bills are typically generated 10 to 12 hours after the end of each calendar day.
Billing account and related services
Guardrails fees are deducted directly from the balance of your Alibaba Cloud account. Guardrails and Model Studio share the balance of the same Alibaba Cloud account, so the funds are interchangeable between the two services. No separate Model Studio balance exists.
Activating Guardrails does not automatically activate monitoring services such as Application Real-Time Monitoring Service (ARMS) or OpenTelemetry. You must activate each of those services separately. If you do not activate them, they generate no charges.
If your account has an overdue payment, your service is suspended. The service resumes within five minutes after you pay the outstanding balance.
FAQ
How do I cancel an order, unsubscribe, release resources, or disable the service to stop billing?
Guardrails pay-as-you-go does not support directly disabling the service, unsubscribing, or canceling an order that is already activated. Activation itself is free of charge. To stop billing, stop calling all detection API operations in your business code. After you stop all detection API calls, no new charges are generated.