The billing of Alibaba Cloud Smart Studio includes: Pay-as-you-go Fee and Minimum Commitment Fee.
Fees are calculated based on the chosen billing model and displayed in the "Billing" section of the Smart Studio console. Actual charges are based on the data shown in the Billing section.
1. Pay-as-you-go Fee
Pay-as-you-go Fee offers two options: Token Sharing Fee and Fixed Amount Fee.
Option A. Token Sharing Fee
The Token Sharing Fee is the primary charge on the platform, calculated based on your model API token consumption:
Token Sharing Fee Amount = Model API Tokens × Model Standard Price × Sharing Rate
Model API Tokens: The total number of API tokens consumed.
Model Standard Price: According to the model standard price on the Pricing page. This price is typically consistent with the list price on the model provider's official website. For models on Alibaba Model Studio, it usually aligns with the list price in the Singapore region.
Sharing Rate:
The Token Sharing Fee applies to the following monetization models, each with different rates:
Applications | Type | Rate | Description |
Model Serving Platform (BYO-GPU) - GPU Tokenization | Model Serving | 15% | Open source models |
25% | Fine-tuned or unique models | ||
API Router Platform (BYO-Key) - Router Monetization | Alibaba models | 5% | First-party model providers including Alibaba Cloud Model Studio |
Non-Alibaba models | 8% | Third-party model providers |
The sharing rates listed above are for reference only. Contact sales for discounts.
Note: Model Serving Platform (BYO-GPU) -GPU Tokenization provides model serving and training capabilities on your own GPUs for self-use or commercial purposes. API Router Platform (BYO-Key) -Router Monetization is enabled through the API calls of model providers using your own API keys.
Option B. Fixed Amount Fee
The Fixed Amount Fee is an alternative billing option for Model Serving Platform
customers who prefer predictability. It is not available for API Router.
Key characteristics:
Fee is determined by the GPU specification and billed at a per-hour rate.
Not based on token consumption — no sharing rate applies.
Billing commences upon model deployment, not upon platform activation.
Note: Customer is billed based on actual GPU usage time after model deployment.
For detailed pricing on specific GPU specifications, please according to Pricing.
Pricing of Different Applications:
2. Minimum Commitment
The Minimum Commitment Fee applies to both the Token Sharing Fee and Fixed Amount Fee. It takes effect once the service is activated and the software deployment is completed. If the signed contract specifies a specific service start and end date, the contract terms shall prevail. The Minimum Commitment Fee is billed daily to the customer's Alibaba Cloud account.
Fees are measured per calendar day (GMT+8) per user account, with daily increments calculated against the previous day. If the actual Pay-as-you-go Fee exceeds the guaranteed commitment, no additional payment is required.
If the actual daily Pay-as-you-go Fee is lower than the minimum guaranteed commitment, customer must pay the shortfall to Alibaba Cloud on the next billing date after the measurement cycle ends.
Smart Studio offers two activation methods, each with a different Minimum Commitment Fee:
2.1 Self-Service Edition (Online Activation)
Online activation supports Model Serving Platform (BYO-GPU) and API Router Platform (BYO-Key).
The Minimum Commitment is USD 10 per day (GMT+8).
Note: The online self-service process requires an active internet connection. If disconnected for more than three days, the service will be automatically suspended and stopped.
2.2 Dedicated Commercial Edition
The Dedicated Commercial Edition requires offline contract signing and offline services.
The Minimum Commitment Fee is defined in the customer's contract with Alibaba Cloud. Contact sales for pricing details. (Contact Us)
Important:
Customer is responsible for GPU/CPU network connectivity. In the event of a network disconnection, billing continues at the minimum Token Sharing Fee. After the network is restored, bills will be retransmitted. Please be aware that during the disconnection period, this may result in additional costs and limited operation and maintenance support.
Customer shall ensure its Alibaba Cloud account remains in good standing with no overdue payments or account issues. Otherwise will result in service interruption.
The pricing and fees charged through Smart Studio do not include any taxes or third-party platform fees such as payment gateway charges (e.g., Stripe).
For BYOK and API resale features, Customer remains responsible for paying all underlying model inference fees directly to the respective model service providers.
Note: Other fees on Customer's daily billing statement, such as Public Cloud Model Resale Charges and Other Public Cloud Services Fee, are billed separately and are not counted towards the Token Sharing Fee or the minimum commitment.