WUYING Workspace supports the following billing methods: pay-as-you-go and subscription. You can select one of the preceding billing methods based on your business requirements. This topic describes the differences between the subscription and pay-as-you-go billing methods.
Usage notes
The billing cycles of subscription resources are in the unit of calendar years, months, or weeks.
Take note of the following items:
Before you use subscription resources, you must create a subscription cloud computer.
The subscription durations of cloud computers that are displayed in the WUYING Workspace console shall prevail.
When the subscription duration of a cloud computer is about to elapse, you must renew the cloud computer before the cloud computer expires if you want to continue using the subscription resources. For more information, see Renew subscription cloud computers.
Comparison of the billing methods
The following table describes the differences between the subscription and pay-as-you-go billing methods in terms of overview, billing cycle, and impacts after cloud computers expire. The table also describes how to switch between the subscription and pay-as-you-go billing methods.
Item | Subscription | Pay-as-you-go |
Overview | Subscription is a billing method that allows you to use resources only after you pay for the resources. This billing method helps you reduce costs by allowing you to reserve resources at discounted rates. | Pay-as-you-go is a billing method that allows you to use resources before you pay for them. You can enable and release cloud computer resources based on your business requirements, without the need of purchasing a large amount of resources in advance. Compared with traditional offline procurement, this billing method allows you to reduce resource costs. |
Billing cycle | WUYING Workspace supports the following billing cycles: yearly, monthly, and weekly. The billing cycles vary based on resources. The billing cycles that are displayed on the cloud computer buy page shall prevail. | The billing cycle is the duration of your resource usage and accurate to seconds. The billing cycle of a cloud computer starts when the cloud computer is created and enters the Running state and ends when the cloud computer is released. |
Settlement cycle | The time when a settlement cycle starts and ends must be in UTC+8. The settlement cycle starts when you purchase or renew a resource and ends at 00:00:00 (UTC+8) the next day the billing cycle ends. For example, you purchased a cloud computer at 15:20:00 (UTC+8) on November 20, 2020 and the subscription duration was one month. The cloud computer expired at 00:00:00 (UTC+8) on December 21, 2020. | Bills are generated on the hour based on the resources that you used. Fees must be settled every hour. For example, you purchased a pay-as-you-go cloud computer at 08:45:30 (UTC+8) and released the cloud computer at 10:20:30 (UTC+8). From 08:45:00 (UTC+8) to 10:20:30 (UTC+8), you did not stop the cloud computer. The cloud computer has the following settlement cycles:
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Billing rules | Price of a cloud computer x Billing cycle For example, if the price is USD 100 per cloud computer-month, you purchased a subscription cloud computer at 15:20:00 (UTC+8) on November 20, 2020, and the billing cycle is monthly, the following billing rule applies: Price: USD 100 per cloud computer-month Subscription duration: one month Cloud computer fee = USD 100 x 1 | Price of a cloud computer x Billing cycle For example, if the price is USD 1 per cloud computer-hour, you purchased and started a pay-as-you-go cloud computer at 08:00:00 (UTC+8) and released the cloud computer at 09:00:00 (UTC+8), and the cloud computer was not stopped during this period, the following billing rule applies: Price: USD 1 per cloud computer-hour The settlement cycle starts at 08:00:00 (UTC+8) and ends at 09:00:00 (UTC+8), which is the same as the billing cycle. Cloud computer fee = USD 1 x 1 |
Limits | You cannot release subscription cloud computers within a subscription period. If you want to release subscription cloud computers, submit a ticket. | Within a settlement cycle, the system generates bills based on the usage of cloud computer resources and deducts fees from your Alibaba Cloud account balance. Then, a new settlement cycle starts. If your account balance and coupons combined are insufficient to settle a payment, you will receive an email that reminds you of insufficient balance. We recommend that you complete your payment at the earliest opportunity to prevent impacts on your business due to stopped or released cloud computers. |
Impact after expiration | If you do not renew a cloud computer within 30 days after the cloud computer expires, the cloud computer is automatically released. | None. No bills are generated if you do not use cloud computer resources. |
Scenarios | The subscription billing method is suitable for scenarios in which cloud computers are required for a long period of time. For example, you can purchase subscription cloud computers for regular employees of your enterprise. | The pay-as-you-go billing method is suitable for scenarios in which cloud computers are required for a short period of time. For example, you can purchase pay-as-you-go cloud computers for interns of your enterprise. If you run a training institution, you can also purchase pay-as-you-go cloud computers to serve your business. |