Understand VOD Basic Services Pricing & Billing - ApsaraVideo VOD

Billable items

Note

The pricing in this document is for reference only. For the latest pricing, see the ApsaraVideo VOD pricing page.

Item	Description
Media storage	You are charged for storing media files uploaded to ApsaraVideo VOD.
Media transcoding	You are charged for each regular transcoding and Narrowband HD™ Transcoding job. Fees depend on the output file's specifications and duration and vary by region. You are not charged for failed jobs.
Outbound traffic	If you do not configure an Accelerated Domain Name to use a Content Delivery Network (CDN), you are charged for outbound traffic when users download or play media directly from ApsaraVideo VOD storage.
Acceleration	You are charged for accelerating video playback with a Content Delivery Network (CDN).

For example, if you upload a media file to ApsaraVideo VOD, transcode it, and then configure an Accelerated Domain Name for playback, your total cost will include fees for media storage, media transcoding, and acceleration.

Media asset storage billing

Data storage

ApsaraVideo VOD charges storage fees based on the storage class, storage size, and duration of your media assets. Unit prices vary by storage region.

Note

Tiered Storage is available only in the Chinese mainland (China (Shanghai), China (Beijing), and China (Shenzhen)) and Singapore regions. This feature lets you change the storage class of your media assets to Infrequent Access Storage (IA), Archive Storage, or Cold Archive Storage.

Billable item	Billing rule	Billing cycle and pricing	Billing method
Standard Storage	You are charged based on the storage size and duration of your files.	Billing cycle: Fees are calculated hourly and deducted in real-time from your account balance. A bill for the current billing cycle is typically generated 4 to 6 hours after the cycle ends. The actual time may vary. Pricing: For detailed pricing, see the Media Asset Storage pricing table below.	Pay-As-You-Go: Hourly Standard Storage fee = Storage size (GB) × (Monthly unit price / 30 / 24) Note A month is calculated as 30 days. Resource plans: You can use an ApsaraVideo VOD Storage Plan to offset the fees. For more information, see Resource Plans.
Infrequent Access Storage (IA)	You are charged based on the storage size and duration of your files. Important This storage class has a minimum billable size. Files smaller than 64 KB are charged as 64 KB. This storage class has a minimum storage duration of 30 days (720 hours). If a file is overwritten or deleted within 30 days, you are charged for the full 30-day period.		Pay-As-You-Go: Hourly Infrequent Access Storage fee = Storage size (GB) × (Monthly unit price / 30 / 24) Note A month is calculated as 30 days. Resource plans: Not supported.
Archive Storage	You are charged based on the storage size and duration of your files. Important This storage class has a minimum billable size. Files smaller than 64 KB are charged as 64 KB. This storage class has a minimum storage duration of 60 days (1,440 hours). If a file is overwritten or deleted within 60 days, you are charged for the full 60-day period.		Pay-As-You-Go: Hourly Archive Storage fee = Storage size (GB) × (Monthly unit price / 30 / 24) Note A month is calculated as 30 days. Resource plans: Not supported.
Cold Archive Storage	You are charged based on the storage size and duration of your files. Important This storage class has a minimum billable size. Files smaller than 64 KB are charged as 64 KB. This storage class has a minimum storage duration of 180 days (4,320 hours). If a file is overwritten or deleted within 180 days, you are charged for the full 180-day period.		Pay-As-You-Go: Hourly Cold Archive Storage fee = Storage size (GB) × (Monthly unit price / 30 / 24) Note A month is calculated as 30 days. Resource plans: Not supported.

Media asset storage pricing

Storage type (USD/GB/month)	Storage space (GB)	Chinese mainland	China (Hong Kong)	Singapore	Germany (Frankfurt)	US (Silicon Valley)	Japan (Tokyo)	Indonesia (Jakarta)
Standard Locally-Redundant Storage (Standard LRS)	≤ 50 GB	Free	0.02	Free	Free	Free	Free	Free
Standard Locally-Redundant Storage (Standard LRS)	> 50 GB	0.0173	0.02	0.02	0.02	0.02	0.0209	0.02
Standard Zone-Redundant Storage (Standard ZRS) Note Not eligible for Storage Plans.	> 0 GB	0.0185	0.022	0.022	0.022	0.022	0.022	0.022
Infrequent Access (IA)		0.0126	0.0147	0.01575	0.0105	0.0105	0.0168	0.01575
Archive Storage		0.005355	0.004725	0.004725	0.004305	0.004305	0.004725	0.004725
Cold Archive Storage		0.00231	0.0021	0.0021	0.00189	0.00189	0.0021	0.0021

Data retrieval

Objects in Standard Storage can be accessed at any time without a Data Retrieval Fee. Objects in Infrequent Access (IA) Storage are accessible in real time, but accessing them incurs a Data Retrieval Fee. Objects in Archive Storage and Cold Archive Storage must be restored before they can be accessed, and this restoration also incurs a Data Retrieval Fee.

Billable item	Billing rule	Cycle and price	Billing method
Data retrieval of IA objects	Fees are incurred when you access objects stored in the Infrequent Access (IA) class. Charges are based on the size of the retrieved data.	Billing cycle: Billing is calculated hourly, and fees are deducted in real time. A bill for the current cycle is typically generated 4 to 6 hours after the cycle ends. Actual generation time may vary. Pricing: For pricing details, see the following data retrieval pricing table.	Pay-as-you-go: IA data retrieval fee = Size of retrieved data (GB) × Unit price for IA data retrieval Resource plan: Not supported.
Data retrieval of Archive objects	Fees are incurred when you restore an object from the Archive storage class. Charges are based on the size of the restored object. Note No additional retrieval fees apply for accessing a restored object.		Pay-as-you-go: Archive data retrieval fee = Size of restored objects (GB) × Unit price for Archive data retrieval Resource plan: Not supported.
Data retrieval of Cold Archive objects	Restoring an object from the Cold Archive class incurs fees. Charges are based on the retrieval mode and the size of the restored object. No additional retrieval fees apply for accessing a restored object. Cold Archive provides the following retrieval modes: Standard Retrieval Expedited Retrieval Bulk Retrieval		Pay-as-you-go: Cold Archive data retrieval fee = Size of restored objects (GB) × Unit price for the selected retrieval mode Resource plan: Not supported.

Data retrieval pricing

Retrieval type (USD/GB)	Chinese mainland	China (Hong Kong)	Singapore	Germany (Frankfurt)	US (Silicon Valley)	Japan (Tokyo)	Indonesia (Jakarta)
Infrequent Access (IA) Retrieval	0.00525	0.0105	0.007875	0.007875	0.007875	0.007875	0.007875
Archive Retrieval	0.0105	0.0105	0.0105	0.0105	0.0105	0.0105	0.0105
Cold Archive - Standard Retrieval	0.0105	0.0105	0.0105	0.0105	0.0105	0.0105	0.0105
Cold Archive - Expedited Retrieval	0.0315	0.0315	0.0315	0.0315	0.0315	0.0315	0.0315
Cold Archive - Bulk Retrieval	0.00525	0.00525	0.00525	0.00525	0.00525	0.00525	0.00525

Billing example

Consider this scenario: In November 2022, a customer stores 100 GB of Objects in a Bucket in the Singapore Region. All Objects are in the Infrequent Access (IA) storage class, and 10,000 of the Objects are 30 KB each. On November 20, the customer downloads a 1 GB Object, updates its content, and re-uploads it to ApsaraVideo VOD, overwriting the original. The updated Object is still 1 GB. The customer has not configured an Accelerated Domain Name for ApsaraVideo VOD. The billing details are as follows:

Billable item	Description
Data Storage Fee	100.32 GB × $0.01575/GB/month + 1 GB × ($0.01575/GB/month / 30 days) × 10 days = $1.58529 Note The Infrequent Access (IA) storage class has a minimum billable size of 64 KB per Object. Objects smaller than 64 KB are billed as 64 KB. Therefore, the 10,000 30 KB Objects (totaling approx. 0.29 GB) are billed as 64 KB each (totaling approx. 0.61 GB). The total billable storage is therefore 100.32 GB. The overwritten 1 GB Object did not meet the 30-day minimum storage duration for the Infrequent Access (IA) class. As a result, it is billed for the full 30 days. The newly uploaded 1 GB Object is billed for the 10 days it was stored in that month.
Outbound Traffic Fee	1 GB × $0.08/GB = $0.08 Note Since the customer has not configured an Accelerated Domain Name for ApsaraVideo VOD, downloading the Object incurs an Outbound Traffic Fee. For more information, see Outbound Traffic Billing.
Data Retrieval Fee	1 GB × $0.007875/GB = $0.007875
Total Fee	1.58529 + 0.08 + 0.007875 = $1.673165

Media transcoding billing

Media transcoding includes video transcoding, audio transcoding, container format conversion, Narrowband HD 1.0 transcoding,.

Audio and video transcoding

Note

Narrowband HD^TM 1.0 and Narrowband HD^TM 2.0 are supported in all regions. For a list of service regions supported by ApsaraVideo VOD, see Service Region.
Transcoding fees are based on the output resolution, storage region, and media duration, not on the number of transcoding jobs.
The unit price for media transcoding is per minute. However, usage is metered by the second and Billed Hourly.
Frame Animation generation is billed as video transcoding and uses the same pricing.

Billable item	Description	Billing method
Audio and video transcoding	Billing rule: The total charge is the sum of transcoding fees for all output specifications. Billing cycle: Usage is metered by the second and is Billed Hourly, with fees deducted in real-time. Bills are typically generated 4 to 6 hours after a billing cycle ends, though the actual generation time may vary. Billing specifications: The long and short dimensions of the output video's resolution determine the output specification. For example, an output is categorized as SD (Standard Definition) if its long dimension does not exceed 1280 pixels and its short dimension does not exceed 720 pixels. If either dimension exceeds these limits, the output is categorized into a higher specification. Pricing: For specific rates, see the Audio and video transcoding pricing table below.	Pay-as-you-go: The total transcoding fee is the sum of the charges for each specification. The fee for a specific specification is calculated as: Output duration (in seconds) × (Per-minute unit price in USD / 60). Resource Plan: ApsaraVideo VOD offers transcoding Resource Plans. For details on pricing and included quota, see Resource Plan.

Pricing and Examples

Media Transcoding pricing: Pay-as-you-go rates are as follows.

Regular transcoding pricing (USD per minute)

Output encoding	Output resolution	Chinese mainland	China (Hong Kong)	US (Silicon Valley)	Germany (Frankfurt)	Singapore	Japan (Tokyo)	Indonesia (Jakarta)	Saudi Arabia (Riyadh) - Partner-operated
Video (H.264)	≤ 4K (3840 × 2160)	0.0433	0.0500	0.0450	0.0450	0.0500	0.0500	0.0500	0.0600
	≤ 2K (2560 × 1440)	0.0217	0.0375	0.0338	0.0338	0.0375	0.0375	0.0375	0.0450
	≤ HD (1920 × 1080)	0.0100	0.0225	0.0225	0.0225	0.0250	0.0250	0.0250	0.0300
	≤ SD (1280 × 720)	0.0050	0.0125	0.0113	0.0113	0.0125	0.0125	0.0125	0.0150
	≤ LD (640 × 480)	0.0034	0.0094	0.0084	0.0084	0.0094	0.0094	0.0094	0.0113
Video (H.265)	≤ 4K (3840 × 2160)	0.2167	0.2500	0.2250	0.2250	0.2500	0.2500	0.2500	0.3000
	≤ 2K (2560 × 1440)	0.1083	0.1875	0.1688	0.1688	0.1875	0.1875	0.1875	0.2250
	≤ HD (1920 × 1080)	0.0504	0.1250	0.1125	0.1125	0.1250	0.1250	0.1250	0.1500
	≤ SD (1280 × 720)	0.0252	0.0625	0.0563	0.0563	0.0625	0.0625	0.0625	0.0750
	≤ LD (640 × 480)	0.0168	0.0469	0.0422	0.0422	0.0469	0.0469	0.0469	0.0563
Audio transcoding	-	0.0009	0.0031	0.0028	0.0028	0.0031	0.0031	0.0031	0.0037
Transmuxing	-	0.0011	0.0021	0.0019	0.0019	0.0021	0.0021	0.0021	0.0025

Narrowband HD^TM 1.0 transcoding pricing

Codec	Output resolution	Chinese mainland	China (Hong Kong)	US (Silicon Valley)	Germany (Frankfurt)	Singapore	Japan (Tokyo)	Indonesia (Jakarta)	SAU (Riyadh - partner-operated region)
H.264	≤ 4K (3840 × 2160)	0.1300	0.1500	0.1350	0.1350	0.1500	0.1500	0.1500	0.1800
	≤ 2K (2560 × 1440)	0.0650	0.1125	0.1014	0.1014	0.1125	0.1125	0.1125	0.1350
	≤ HD (1920 × 1080)	0.0300	0.0750	0.0675	0.0675	0.0750	0.0750	0.0750	0.0900
	≤ SD (1280 × 720)	0.0150	0.0375	0.0338	0.0338	0.0375	0.0375	0.0375	0.0450
	≤ LD (640 × 480)	0.0100	0.0282	0.0253	0.0253	0.0282	0.0282	0.0282	0.0338
H.265 video	≤ 4K (3840 × 2160)	0.6500	0.7500	0.6750	0.6750	0.7500	0.7500	0.7500	0.9000
	≤ 2K (2560 × 1440)	0.3250	0.5625	0.5063	0.5063	0.5625	0.5625	0.5625	0.6750
	≤ HD (1920 × 1080)	0.1510	0.3750	0.3375	0.3375	0.3750	0.3750	0.3750	0.4500
	≤ SD (1280 × 720)	0.0757	0.1875	0.1688	0.1688	0.1875	0.1875	0.1875	0.2250
	≤ LD (640 × 480)	0.0504	0.1407	0.1266	0.1266	0.1407	0.1407	0.1407	0.1688

Narrowband HD^™ 2.0 transcoding pricing

Output encoding	Output resolution	Chinese Mainland	Singapore	SAU (Riyadh - Partner Region)
Video (H.264)	≤ 4K (3840 × 2160)	0.6495	0.7500	0.8735
	≤ 2K (2560 × 1440)	0.3255	0.5625	0.6551
	≤ HD (1920 × 1080)	0.1515	0.3750	0.4367
	≤ SD (1280 × 720)	0.0750	0.1875	0.2184
	≤ LD (640 × 480)	0.0510	0.1410	0.1638
Video (H.265)	≤ 4K (3840 × 2160)	0.9752	1.1250	1.3103
	≤ 2K (2560 × 1440)	0.4874	0.8438	0.9827
	≤ HD (1920 × 1080)	0.2268	0.5625	0.6551
	≤ SD (1280 × 720)	0.1134	0.2813	0.3279
	≤ LD (640 × 480)	0.0756	0.2111	0.2457

Billing example: Suppose you transcode a 200-minute H.264 video in mainland China. You generate two outputs: a Low Definition (LD) (640 × 480) video using Regular Transcoding and a Standard Definition (SD) (1280 × 720) video using Narrowband HD™ 1.0 Transcoding. The total transcoding fee is: (200 minutes × USD 0.0034/minute) + (200 minutes × USD 0.015/minute) = USD 3.68.

Storage outbound traffic billing

Note

This fee applies if a CDN domain name is not configured in ApsaraVideo VOD. If a CDN domain name is configured, charges for CDN data transfer apply instead. You can use an ApsaraVideo VOD traffic resource plan to offset storage outbound traffic charges.

Billable item	Description	Billing method
Storage outbound traffic	Billing rule: You are charged for the cumulative traffic from downloading source files directly from ApsaraVideo VOD storage over the internet, without using CDN Acceleration. The price varies by storage region. Billing cycle: You are billed on an hourly basis, and fees are deducted in real time. Bills are typically generated after the cycle ends. The actual bill generation time may vary. Pricing: For specific rates, see the Storage outbound traffic pricing table below.	Pay-as-you-go: Storage outbound traffic fee = Storage outbound traffic (GB) × Unit price per GB Resource plans: Not supported.

Pricing and examples

Storage outbound traffic pricing: The pay-as-you-go prices are as follows.

Billable item (unit: USD/GB)	Chinese mainland	China (Hong Kong)	Singapore	Germany	U.S.	Japan	Indonesia
Storage outbound traffic	0.077	0.118	0.08	0.07	0.07	0.12	0.08

Billing example: Suppose you download three video files of 1.2 GB, 0.7 GB, and 0.5 GB directly from their source URLs in a Chinese mainland region. The Storage outbound traffic fee is calculated as follows: (1.2 GB + 0.7 GB + 0.5 GB) × 0.077 USD/GB = USD 0.185.

Acceleration Service billing

Note

These fees apply only after you configure a CDN-accelerated domain name. Otherwise, Storage Outbound Traffic Fees apply.

Billing method	Description	Payment method
Pay-by-traffic Note To prevent unexpected costs from abnormal or malicious traffic, the Pay-by-traffic billing method includes a default bandwidth cap of 10 Gbps. If you need a bandwidth-based billing method, submit a ticket or contact your sales representative.	Scenarios: This method is ideal for businesses with fluctuating traffic patterns, occasional bandwidth spikes, and an average daily bandwidth utilization rate below 30%. Billing Rules: This method uses tiered pricing based on data transfer volume. Usage in the Chinese mainland and other regions is aggregated and billed separately each calendar month. Data transfer is measured in base-1024 units (for example, 1 GB = 1024 MB). Billing Cycle: You are billed hourly, and fees are deducted in real time. Your bill for the current billing cycle is typically generated 4 to 6 hours after the cycle ends. The actual bill generation time may vary. Price: For specific rates, see the Pay-by-traffic pricing table below.	Pay-As-You-Go: The traffic fee for a single tier is calculated as follows: Traffic within the tier (GB) × Unit price for the tier in the corresponding region. Resource Plan: You can use an ApsaraVideo VOD traffic Resource Package to offset charges. For pricing and package details, see Resource Packages.

Pricing and examples

Pay-by-traffic pricing

Traffic tiers (USD/GB)	Chinese mainland-CN	North America-NA	Europe-EU	Asia Pacific 1-AP1	Asia Pacific 2-AP2	Asia Pacific 3-AP3	Middle East and Africa-MEAA	South America-SA
0 GB to 50 TB (inclusive)	0.04	0.07	0.07	0.081	0.108	0.096	0.2	0.2
50 TB to 100 TB (inclusive)	0.03	0.06	0.06	0.062	0.094	0.083	0.18	0.18
100 TB to 1 PB (inclusive)	0.03	0.03	0.03	0.053	0.079	0.07	0.15	0.14
Greater than 1 PB	0.02	0.025	0.025	0.048	0.072	0.064	0.14	0.13

Pay-by-traffic example: Suppose your cumulative data transfer in the Chinese Mainland is 102,410 GB. The traffic fee is calculated as follows: (51,200 GB × 0.04 USD/GB) + [(102,400 GB - 51,200 GB) × 0.03 USD/GB] + [(102,410 GB - 102,400 GB) × 0.03 USD/GB] = 3,584.3 USD.

Billable items

Media asset storage billing

Data storage

Data retrieval

Billing example

Media transcoding billing

Audio and video transcoding

Regular transcoding pricing (USD per minute)

Narrowband HDTM 1.0 transcoding pricing

Narrowband HD™ 2.0 transcoding pricing

Storage outbound traffic billing

Acceleration Service billing

Narrowband HD^TM 1.0 transcoding pricing

Narrowband HD^™ 2.0 transcoding pricing