Lindorm supports two billing methods: subscription and pay-as-you-go. Choose based on how long you plan to use the instance and how predictable your workload is. Lindorm also offers discount plans for subscription instances.
Billing methods at a glance
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | |
|---|---|---|
| How you're charged | Pay upfront when you purchase an instance | Charged per hour based on instance type; fees are deducted from your Alibaba Cloud account balance |
| Best for | Long-term, stable workloads | Short-term or unpredictable workloads, such as testing and development |
| Unit price | Lower; longer durations get deeper discounts | Higher, but you only pay for hours the instance runs |
| Switching | Can switch to pay-as-you-go | Can switch to subscription once usage stabilizes |
Choose a billing method
Use subscription if:
Your workload is steady and you plan to run the instance long-term.
You want predictable costs and a lower unit price.
Use pay-as-you-go if:
You're running short-term workloads, such as testing.
Your resource needs are unpredictable and you want the flexibility to release instances on demand.
Once your pay-as-you-go usage stabilizes, switch to subscription to reduce costs.
Switch billing methods
You can switch between billing methods:
Subscription to pay-as-you-go: See Switch the billing method from subscription to pay-as-you-go.
Pay-as-you-go to subscription: See Change the billing method from pay-as-you-go to subscription.
Discount plans
Discount calculation rule: Discounted price = List price × Discount.
Discount eligibility: This discount applies only to subscriptions of one year or longer. The longer the subscription duration, the greater the discount. You can select a subscription duration based on your business needs.
Promotion details: This is a long-term promotion. You will be notified of any changes. The final transaction price on the checkout page prevails.
| Product type | Subscription duration | Discount | Discount scenarios | Quantity | Active period |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lindorm, Lindorm (New), Lindorm Tunnel Service (LTS) | 1 year | 15% off | New purchase, Renewal, Upgrade/Downgrade, Scale-out | Unlimited | Never expires. You will be notified of any changes. The final transaction price on the checkout page prevails. |
| Lindorm, Lindorm (New), Lindorm Tunnel Service (LTS) | 2 years | 30% off | New purchase, Renewal, Upgrade/Downgrade, Scale-out | Unlimited | Never expires. You will be notified of any changes. The final transaction price on the checkout page prevails. |
| Lindorm, Lindorm (New), Lindorm Tunnel Service (LTS) | 3 to 6 years | 50% off | New purchase, Renewal, Upgrade/Downgrade, Scale-out | Unlimited | Never expires. You will be notified of any changes. The final transaction price on the checkout page prevails. |