Backup storage in Data Management Service is billed either on a pay-as-you-go basis or through a subscription-based storage plan. By default, Data Disaster Recovery storage pools and ApsaraDB storage pools use pay-as-you-go billing. Switch to a storage plan if you want lower per-GB costs for predictable, large-volume backups.
Pay-as-you-go storage pricing
When you perform backup operations in the DMS console, ApsaraDB RDS console, PolarDB console, or ApsaraDB for MongoDB console, the generated backup files are stored in the destination region and incur storage fees. The pricing tables below are for reference only — refer to your actual bill for final pricing.
Purchase Data Disaster Recovery storage plans to offset large backup storage usage at a lower unit cost than pay-as-you-go billing. Prices shown for storage plans are also for reference; contact us or check your bill for actual pricing.
Backup schedules of Data Disaster Recovery
Data Disaster Recovery offers two storage pool types: Data Disaster Recovery storage pools and self-managed Object Storage Service (OSS) storage pools. When you configure a backup schedule with the storage type set to Built-in storage, you are charged for the backup storage consumed. Storage capacity scales automatically as data grows.
Billing formula: Storage fees per day = Storage size (GB) × Unit price per GB-day
Bills for the previous day are generated and fees are deducted at 00:00:00 every day.
| Region | Unit price (USD per GB-month) |
|---|---|
| China (Hangzhou), China (Shanghai), China (Qingdao), China (Beijing), China (Zhangjiakou), China (Hohhot), China (Chengdu), China (Shenzhen), and Zhengzhou (CUCC Joint Venture) | 0.0173 |
| US (Virginia) | 0.0185 |
| Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur) and Thailand (Bangkok) | 0.019 |
| China (Hong Kong), Singapore, US (Silicon Valley), Indonesia (Jakarta), and Germany (Frankfurt) | 0.02 |
| SAU (Riyadh - Partner Region) | 0.02412 |
| Japan (Tokyo) | 0.0209 |
Cross-region backup for an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance that uses cloud disks
When you perform a cross-region backup for an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance that uses cloud disks in the ApsaraDB RDS console, backup files are stored in the destination region. You are charged based on the destination region's unit price.
| Destination region | Unit price (USD per GB-day) |
|---|---|
| China (Beijing), China (Hohhot), China (Ulanqab), China (Hangzhou), China (Shanghai), China (Shenzhen), China (Heyuan), China (Chengdu), China (Qingdao), China (Guangzhou), and China (Zhangjiakou) | 0.0009375 |
| China (Hong Kong), US (Silicon Valley), US (Virginia), Singapore, Japan (Tokyo), Germany (Frankfurt), Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur), Indonesia (Jakarta), Philippines (Manila), UK (London), South Korea (Seoul), and Thailand (Bangkok) | 0.001125 |
Cross-region backup for a PolarDB for MySQL cluster
When you perform cross-region backup for a PolarDB for MySQL cluster in the PolarDB console, you are charged for cross-region backup storage on a daily basis.
| Destination region | Unit price (USD per GB-hour) |
|---|---|
| Chinese mainland | 0.0000325 |
| Outside the Chinese mainland | 0.0000455 |
Cross-region backup storage is billed daily. The hourly unit price shown above is converted from the daily unit price. For details, see Billing rules for backup storage. View the fees for cross-region backup in your Data Disaster Recovery bills.
Billing formula: Storage fees per hour = Total size of level-2 backups × Unit price per hour
Example: For a PolarDB for MySQL cluster backed up across regions within the Chinese mainland, if the total size of level-2 backups is 100 GB:100 GB × USD 0.0000325 per GB-hour = USD 0.00325 per hour
100 GB × USD 0.0000325 per GB-hour = USD 0.00325 per hour
Backup sets of a deleted ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance
After you delete an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance that uses local SSDs in the ApsaraDB RDS console, backup sets are retained free of charge for seven days. After seven days, storage fees apply based on both storage usage and the extra retention period.
For details, see Use the backup for deleted instances feature and Retain backup files for a long period of time.
| Type | Region | Unit price (USD per GB-day) |
|---|---|---|
| Public cloud | China (Hangzhou), China (Beijing), China (Shanghai), China (Shenzhen), China (Qingdao), China (Zhangjiakou), China (Hohhot), China (Chengdu), China (Heyuan), China (Ulanqab), and China (Guangzhou) | 0.00058 |
| Public cloud | China (Hong Kong), Singapore, US (Silicon Valley), Germany (Frankfurt), Indonesia (Jakarta), Philippines (Manila), and Thailand (Bangkok) | 0.00067 |
| Public cloud | Japan (Tokyo) and South Korea (Seoul) | 0.0007 |
| Public cloud | US (Virginia) | 0.00062 |
| Public cloud | Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur) | 0.00064 |
| Public cloud | UK (London) | 0.00065 |
| Public cloud | UAE (Dubai) | 0.00072 |
Backup for an ApsaraDB for MongoDB instance
When you configure automatic backup or manually back up data for an ApsaraDB for MongoDB instance in the ApsaraDB for MongoDB console, backup files are stored in the instance's region. Storage fees apply only to backup usage that exceeds the free quota.
Purchase storage plans to offset backup storage usage.
Billing formula: Backup fees per hour = (Total backup size − Free quota) × Unit price per hour
Bills are generated on a daily basis. Backup storage within the free quota incurs no charges — your bill only shows the excess.
Free quotas by instance type:
| Storage type | Free quota |
|---|---|
| Cloud disk-based instances | 200% of the storage purchased for the instance |
| Local disk-based instances | 50% of the storage purchased for the instance |
View the backup storage usage and free quota in the Specification Information section of the Basic Information page for your instance.
Pricing for excess backup storage:
| Storage type | Region | Unit price (USD per GB-day) |
|---|---|---|
| Cloud disk-based instances | Regions in the Chinese mainland | 0.0009375 |
| Cloud disk-based instances | China (Hong Kong) and regions outside the Chinese mainland | 0.001125 |
| Local disk-based instances | Regions in the Chinese mainland | 0.00375 |
| Local disk-based instances | China (Hong Kong) and regions outside the Chinese mainland | 0.0045 |
Subscription-based storage plans
Purchase a Data Disaster Recovery storage plan to offset large backup storage consumption at a lower cost than pay-as-you-go billing. Storage plans are available in sizes such as 100 GB, 500 GB, 1 TB, and up to 500 TB, with subscription periods of one month, six months, or one year. This section covers pricing for backup schedule instances and copy data management (CDM) sandbox instances.
For more information, see Use storage plans.
Prices shown below are for reference only. See the buy page for actual prices.
Prices of storage plans for backup schedule instances
Total storage | Unit price (USD per month) |
100 GB | 1.56 |
500 GB | 7.80 |
1 TB | 15.97 |
2 TB | 31.95 |
5 TB | 79.87 |
10 TB | 159.74 |
20 TB | 319.49 |
50 TB | 798.72 |
100 TB | 1,597.44 |
200 TB | 3,194.88 |
300 TB | 4,792.32 |
500 TB | 7,987.20 |
| Total storage | Unit price (USD per month) |
|---|---|
| 100 GB | 1.56 |
| 500 GB | 7.80 |
| 1 TB | 15.97 |
| 2 TB | 31.95 |
| 5 TB | 79.87 |
| 10 TB | 159.74 |
| 20 TB | 319.49 |
| 50 TB | 798.72 |
| 100 TB | 1,597.44 |
| 200 TB | 3,194.88 |
| 300 TB | 4,792.32 |
| 500 TB | 7,987.20 |
Prices of storage plans for CDM sandbox instances
For pricing details, see Sandbox fees.
Offset objects
Data Disaster Recovery offers two types of storage plans. If your storage usage exceeds the plan quota, the excess is billed at the pay-as-you-go rate.
| Plan type | Offset object |
|---|---|
| Storage plans for CDM sandbox instances | Sandbox storage fees for the account |
| Storage plans for backup schedule instances | Backup storage for backup schedule instances within the same Alibaba Cloud account. For details, see Built-in storage and OSS. |
Offset rules
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| Offset method | Each day, Data Disaster Recovery calculates the offsettable storage based on the actual backup size and the applicable offset factor. Any storage exceeding the daily plan quota is billed at the pay-as-you-go rate. For example, a 100 GB storage plan provides a 100 GB daily quota to offset storage consumption throughout the plan period. |
| Offset priority | Bills are deducted in the order they are issued — the earliest bills are deducted first. |
Example: using storage plans to offset storage usage
A backup schedule instance in China (Hong Kong) is estimated to consume 120 GB of Data Disaster Recovery storage. You purchase a 100 GB storage plan. Here is how the offset works:
The effective capacity of the 100 GB storage plan in China (Hong Kong) is approximately 88.4956 GB, calculated as 100 GB ÷ 1.13 (the offset factor for that region). This amount is deducted from the 120 GB total.
The remaining 31.5044 GB (120 GB − 88.4956 GB) is billed at the pay-as-you-go rate.
The China (Hong Kong) offset factor is 1.13. These figures are approximate — refer to your bills for final amounts.
Offset factors of storage plans
The offset factor determines how much Data Disaster Recovery storage a storage plan can offset in a given region. A higher offset factor means the plan covers less actual storage in that region.
Backup schedule instances
| Region | Offset factor |
|---|---|
| China (Hangzhou), China (Shanghai), China (Qingdao), China (Beijing), China (Zhangjiakou), China (Hohhot), China (Chengdu), and China (Shenzhen) | 1 |
| US (Virginia) | 1.05 |
| Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur) | 1.08 |
| China (Hong Kong), Singapore, US (Silicon Valley), Indonesia (Jakarta), and Germany (Frankfurt) | 1.13 |
| Japan (Tokyo) | 1.18 |
CDM sandbox instances
The offset factor for CDM sandbox instance storage plans is 1 across all regions.
The offset factor of storage plans for CDM sandbox instances is 1.
FAQ
Why is my bill lower than my total backup storage?
Backup storage for ApsaraDB for MongoDB instances includes a free quota — 200% of purchased storage for cloud disk-based instances and 50% for local disk-based instances. Your bill only reflects storage that exceeds this free quota. For example, if your instance has 100 GB of purchased storage and the free quota is 200 GB, the first 200 GB of backup storage incurs no charge.
How do I reduce backup storage costs?
Purchase a Data Disaster Recovery storage plan. Storage plans are more cost-efficient than pay-as-you-go billing for large or predictable backup volumes. If storage consumption exceeds your plan quota, the excess is billed at the pay-as-you-go rate. For details, see Use storage plans.
Why does my storage plan cover less storage than its stated size?
Storage plans apply an offset factor that varies by region. In regions where pay-as-you-go prices are higher, the offset factor is greater than 1, which means the plan covers fewer GB of actual Data Disaster Recovery storage. For example, a 100 GB plan in China (Hong Kong) — where the offset factor is 1.13 — covers approximately 88.5 GB of actual storage (100 ÷ 1.13).
When is backup storage billed for a deleted ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance?
After you delete an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance that uses local SSDs, its backup sets are retained free of charge for seven days. Starting from the eighth day, storage fees apply based on storage usage and the additional retention period.