PolarDB supports three billing methods for storage: pay-as-you-go + storage plans, pay-as-you-go, and subscription. Each billing method includes a set of billing rules. We recommend that you use the pay-as-you-go + storage plans billing method.
Expert service
If you have questions about storage billing, join DingTalk group 31840035401 to obtain technical support. You can consult with experts in the group to obtain answers to your questions. A PolarDB for MySQL assistant is also available in the group to provide 24/7 online support.
Billing methods for storage
PolarDB provides two storage types: PolarStore Level 4 (PSL4) and PolarStore Level 5 (PSL5). You are charged for the storage capacity consumed by your cluster. For more information, see Comparison between PSL4 and PSL5 and Storage capacity. The following table describes the differences between the three billing methods.
Billing method | Description | Benefit | Scenario |
Pay-as-you-go + storage plans | The consumed storage is counted against the available amount in the storage plans first. After your storage plans are exhausted, you are charged for the excess storage capacity on a pay-as-you-go basis. | Flexible and cost-effective |
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Pay-as-you-go | You are charged based on the storage capacity consumed by the actual amount of data in your clusters, and fees are deducted on an hourly basis. | Flexible | Your Alibaba Cloud account has small volumes of data stored in the clusters of specific regions, and the amount of data generated by your business is prone to frequent fluctuations. |
Subscription | A specific amount of storage capacity is purchased for your cluster when you create the cluster. After the purchased storage capacity is exhausted, your cluster can still be used as expected. The excess storage capacity is billed on a pay-as-you-go basis. If you purchase a storage plan, excess storage usage is counted against the available account in the storage plan first. After the storage plan is exhausted, you are charged on a pay-as-you-go basis. | Cost-effective | The total consumed storage space of the clusters in specific regions within your Alibaba Cloud account is less than 10 TB, and the amount of data generated by your business seldom fluctuates. |
You cannot switch the storage billing method between pay-as-you-go and subscription after you select a billing method.