Billing for audio/video communication
ARTC charges audio/video communication fees based on the stream type and subscription duration per user.
Audio billing starts when any user or bot (AI agent, recording bot, etc.) joins an ARTC channel, even as the sole participant.
To prevent unexpected charges, ensure all participants exit the channel after the session and stop all server-side tasks such as cloud recording.
Formula
Total audio/video communication cost equals the sum of each user's usage in a channel.
Cost per user = Unit price for audio × Billable audio duration + Unit price for video × Billable video duration.
Pricing
Audio/video communication uses pay-as-you-go billing, metered per minute. Partial minutes are rounded up. Daily bills are generated after midnight and automatically deducted from your account.
|
Stream type |
Specification |
Resolution |
Price (USD per minute) |
|
Audio |
Audio |
Audio-only |
0.00086 |
|
Video |
Up to 480P |
≤ 720 × 480 |
0.00171 |
|
Up to 720P |
> 720 × 480 and ≤ 1280 × 720 |
0.00343 |
|
|
Above 720P |
> 1280 × 720 |
0.01286 |
Stream type and specification are determined by the publishing user.
Billable duration
Billable audio duration
Billable audio duration = Total time a user is in the channel - Total time the user is receiving any video stream
-
Time spent in a channel without receiving a video stream counts as billable audio duration.
-
Subscribing to multiple audio streams simultaneously (for example, in a multi-person conference) counts as a single audio stream for billing.
Billable video duration
Billable video duration is the cumulative time of each video stream a user receives, aggregated per subscribed stream and priced by resolution tier.
-
Duration per stream: Measured from when a user starts receiving a remote stream until they stop.
-
Tiered pricing: Each stream is categorized into a pricing tier by resolution, with a different per-minute rate.
-
Multi-stream summation: When a user receives multiple streams simultaneously, each stream's duration is added to its resolution tier independently.
-
Simultaneous audio and video: When a user subscribes to both audio and video, only video is billed for that period — no double-charging.
Billing examples
Single-user example
The following diagram shows a 60-minute session timeline:
Audio cost = (Duration without subscription + Audio subscription duration) × Unit price for audio = (10 minutes + 20 minutes) × USD 0.00086 per minute = USD 0.0258.
Video cost = Video subscription duration (480P) × Unit price for 480P video + Video subscription duration (720P) × Unit price for 720P = 20 minutes × USD 0.00171 per minute + 10 minutes × USD 0.00343 per minute = USD 0.0685.
Audio-only communication
Users A, B, and C join a channel for audio communication lasting 1,790 seconds. Each user's billable audio duration is 30 minutes.
Total cost = Unit price for audio × Billable audio duration × Number of users = USD 0.00086 per minute × 30 minutes × 3 = USD 0.0774.
Audio and video communication
Users A, B, and C join a channel for 590 seconds (billable: 10 minutes). User A publishes a 640×360 video stream, User B publishes a 1280×720 video stream, and User C publishes audio only. Their subscriptions:
|
Subscriber |
Stream of User A |
Stream of User B |
Stream of User C |
Description |
|
A |
- |
- |
Yes |
User A receives no video streams and is billed for audio only. |
|
B |
Yes |
- |
Yes |
User B receives User A's video stream. The simultaneous audio subscription to User C is not charged. |
|
C |
Yes |
Yes |
- |
User C receives video streams from both User A and User B. |
User A's cost = USD 0.00086 per minute × 10 minutes = USD 0.0086.
User B's cost = USD 0.00171 per minute × 10 minutes = USD 0.0171.
User C's cost = USD 0.00171 per minute × 10 minutes + USD 0.00343 per minute × 10 minutes = USD 0.0514.
Total cost = Costs of Users A, B, and C = USD 0.0771.