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    Elastic Desktop Service:Billing overview

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    Elastic Desktop Service:Billing overview

    Last Updated:Jul 14, 2026

    EDS Enterprise Edition has several billable items, each with its own billing method. You can also reduce costs in several ways.

    Important

    The billing examples in this topic are intended to help you understand the billing rules. The unit prices used are for illustration only. For list prices, see the Pricing page. Actual prices may vary based on factors such as specifications, region, image OS type, promotions, and discounts. The final cost is subject to your order.

    Note

    This topic covers billing for EDS Enterprise only. For EDS Personal Edition billing information, see EDS Personal Edition Billing.

    EDS Enterprise and EDS Personal Edition are separate product tiers with distinct billing systems. The following resources cannot be transferred or applied across editions:

    • Monthly plan hours: valid only within the edition where they are purchased and cannot be transferred.

    • Vouchers and promotional discounts: cannot be applied across editions or offset charges in the other edition.

    EDS Enterprise supports two purchase options:

    • Monthly subscription (prepaid): choose between a limited-hours plan (120 or 250 hours/month) or an unlimited-hours plan.

    • Pay-as-you-go (postpaid): billed hourly based on actual usage.

    Billable items at a glance

    Core resources

    Core resources are required to run and use cloud computers. They include:

    Value-added services

    EDS Enterprise also provides the following value-added services:

    • Internet bandwidth: provides network bandwidth for cloud computers to access the Internet, including:

      • Basic bandwidth (free): each cloud computer comes with shared basic bandwidth with a peak of 5 Mbps.

      • Premium internet bandwidth: dedicated bandwidth with a customizable peak.

    • Cloud Enterprise Network (CEN): enables network connectivity between office networks or between an office network and an on-premises IDC.

    • Shared storage (NAS): shared storage for file-sharing scenarios.

    • AD Connector: a connector for integrating with enterprise Active Directory.

    • Log Service: delivers user operation logs to a Simple Log Service (SLS) Logstore.

    • Virtual network bridge: a platform for deploying third-party security plugins.

    • Snapshots (free during public preview): used to back up and restore disks.

    • Screen recording audit (free during public preview): records cloud computer operations as videos for auditing purposes.

    Core resources

    Core resources are required to run and use cloud computers. They include:

    • Compute resources: vCPUs, memory, and GPUs (GPUs are available only for graphics-accelerated instance types).

    • Storage resources: system disks (required) and data disks (optional).

    Billing for core resources varies by purchase option. See Monthly subscription and Purchase cloud computers on demand.

    Purchase option

    Billing formula

    Billing example

    Monthly subscription (limited hours)

    • 120 hours/month plan

    • 250 hours/month plan

    • Compute resources

      • In-plan usage (prepaid)

        Cost = Monthly plan price × Number of months

      • Overage usage (pay-as-you-go)

        Cost = Pay-as-you-go hourly price × Running hours

    • Storage resources (prepaid)

      Cost = Storage price per GiB/month × Capacity × Number of months

    Note

    For limited-usage monthly plans:

    • Only the Graphics Workstation - Enhanced instance type supports the 250 Hours/Month and 360 Hours/Month plans. Other graphics instance types do not support monthly plans with limited usage.

    • Hours represent total Running state time per month. Unused hours do not roll over.

    • If the monthly hours are used up, the cloud desktop continues to run. To prevent this, you can select the When monthly usage is exhausted, automatically stop or hibernate the cloud desktop option.

    • Usage beyond the monthly hours is billed at the hourly pay-as-you-go rate shown on the purchase page. A billing cap applies: when accumulated fees equal the unlimited-plan price, no further charges are incurred for that month. Make sure your account balance is sufficient. For unlimited-plan pricing, see the Pricing page.

    • By default, the cloud desktop starts after purchase. If no user connects within 10 minutes, it stops or hibernates to save hours. Change this behavior with a scheduled task or policy. For more information, see Configure scheduled tasks and Manage policies.

    Purchase details:

    • Instance type: 4 vCPUs / 8 GiB memory

    • Compute plan: 120 hours/month

    • System disk: 80 GiB

    • Data disk: 100 GiB

    • Duration: 2 months

    Compute usage:

    • Month 1:

      • In-plan usage: 110 hours used (plan hours not fully consumed).

    • Month 2:

      • In-plan usage: all 120 hours consumed.

      • Overage usage: after the plan hours were consumed, the cloud computer ran for an additional 25 hours.

    Cost calculation:

    # Prepaid cost

Compute cost
= Monthly plan price × Number of months
= 15.80 × 2
= 31.60 (USD)

Storage cost
= Storage price per GiB/month × Capacity × Number of months
= 0.051 × (80 + 100) × 2
= 18.36 (USD)

Total prepaid cost
= Compute cost + Storage cost
= 31.60 + 18.36
= 49.96 (USD)

# Pay-as-you-go cost

Compute cost (overage)
= Pay-as-you-go hourly price × Running hours
= 0.148 × 25
= 3.7 (USD)

    Monthly subscription (unlimited hours)

    • Compute resources (prepaid)

      Cost = Monthly plan price × Number of months

    • Storage resources (prepaid)

      Cost = Storage price per GiB/month × Capacity × Number of months

    Purchase details:

    • Instance type: 4 vCPUs / 8 GiB memory

    • Compute plan: unlimited hours

    • System disk: 80 GiB

    • Data disk: 100 GiB

    • Duration: 2 months

    Cost calculation:

    Compute cost
= Monthly plan price × Number of months
= 53.30 × 2
= 106.60 (USD)

Storage cost
= Storage price per GiB/month × Capacity × Number of months
= 0.051 × (80 + 100) × 2
= 18.36 (USD)

Total cost
= Compute cost + Storage cost
= 106.60 + 18.36
= 124.96 (USD)

    Pay-as-you-go

    • Compute resources (pay-as-you-go)

      Cost = Compute hourly price × Running hours

    • Storage resources (pay-as-you-go)

      Cost = Storage price per GiB/hour × Capacity × Retention hours

    Purchase details:

    • Instance type: 4 vCPUs / 8 GiB memory

    • System disk: 80 GiB

    • Data disk: 100 GiB

    Usage:

    • The cloud computer ran for 10 hours.

    • The cloud computer was retained for 12 hours (from successful creation to successful release).

    Cost calculation:

    Compute cost
= Compute hourly price × Running hours
= 0.148 × 10
= 1.48 (USD)

Storage cost
= Storage price per GiB/hour × Capacity × Retention hours
= 0.00007 × (80 + 100) × 12
= 0.1512 (USD)

Total cost
= Compute cost + Storage cost
= 1.6312 (USD)
    Note

    The following rules apply to Monthly subscription (limited hours) cloud computers.

    What happens when monthly plan hours are exhausted

    • Overage billing: When the monthly plan hours (for example, 120 hours/month) are fully consumed before the end of the month, the cloud computer does not automatically stop. Subsequent usage is automatically switched to pay-as-you-go billing, charged at the pay-as-you-go hourly rate.

    • Auto-shutdown option: To prevent overage charges, you can configure a scheduled task to automatically shut down or hibernate the cloud computer when the monthly plan hours are consumed.

    • Plan hours validity: Monthly plan hours are valid for the current calendar month only. Unused hours expire at the end of the month and do not carry over to the next month.

    • Default energy-saving behavior: After purchase, the cloud computer is started by default. If no connection is established within 10 minutes, the cloud computer automatically shuts down or hibernates to conserve available plan hours.

    Note

    Storage resources (system disks and data disks) are billed on an hourly basis as long as they are retained, regardless of whether the cloud computer is running, stopped, or has expired.

    Storage billing after cloud computer expiry

    • For monthly subscription cloud computers that expire, a 15-day grace period begins. Storage billing continues during this period.

    • If you renew within the 15-day grace period, the cloud computer resumes normal operation and storage billing continues as usual.

    • If you do not renew within 15 days of expiry, the instance is released and storage billing stops.

    • For pay-as-you-go cloud computers, storage billing stops when the instance is released.

    Cost-saving tip: If you do not plan to use a cloud computer for an extended period, create a snapshot backup and then release the instance to avoid ongoing storage charges.

    Value-added services

    Internet bandwidth

    Cloud computers cannot access the Internet through your local device's network. Each cloud computer includes free basic bandwidth for Internet access.

    Important

    The peak bandwidth is not a guaranteed service metric. It serves only as a reference value and upper limit. When resource contention occurs, the peak bandwidth may be throttled.

    If you need a higher peak bandwidth, you can activate paid premium bandwidth plan. For more information, see Manage public bandwidth.

    premium bandwidth plan supports the following billing modes:

    • Monthly subscription: a prepaid billing mode. We recommend this mode for workloads that require stable bandwidth with a predictable usage pattern.

    • Pay-as-you-go: a postpaid billing mode.

      • Pay-by-data-transfer: you are charged based on the cumulative inbound bandwidth traffic to the cloud computer. Outbound traffic is not billed. We recommend this mode for workloads with low daily traffic but occasional spikes.

        Note

        • Inbound traffic refers to the downstream bandwidth traffic from the Internet to the cloud computer, such as downloading files or streaming videos within the cloud computer.

        • Outbound traffic refers to the upstream bandwidth traffic from the cloud computer to the Internet, such as uploading files to third-party services from the cloud computer.

      • Pay-by-fixed-bandwidth: the hourly bill is determined by the peak bandwidth, regardless of the actual traffic consumed. We recommend this mode for workloads that require stable bandwidth but have an unpredictable usage frequency.

    The billing of premium bandwidth plan varies by billing mode.

    Billing mode

    Billing formula

    Billing example

    Monthly subscription

    Fee = Plan price

    Purchase details:

    • Duration: 1 month

    • Bandwidth: 10 Mbps

    Fee calculation:

    Fee = Plan price
　　 = 29.50 (USD)

    Pay-by-data-transfer

    Fee = Unit price × Cumulative inbound traffic

    Note

    If the traffic consumed is less than 1 GB, you are charged based on the actual amount used.

    Purchase details:

    • Bandwidth: 10 Mbps

    Usage details:

    • Cumulative inbound traffic: 10 GB.

    Fee calculation:

    Fee = Unit price × Cumulative inbound traffic
　　 = 0.09 × 10
　　 = 0.9 (USD)

    Pay-by-fixed-bandwidth

    Fee = Fixed bandwidth unit price × Duration

    Note

    Billed by the second. A bill is generated at the end of each hour (UTC+8), after which a new billing cycle begins.

    Purchase details:

    • Bandwidth: 10 Mbps

    Usage details:

    • Total usage: 10 hours

    Fee calculation:

    Fee = Fixed bandwidth unit price × Duration
　　 = 0.08 × 10
　　 = 0.8 (USD)

    Usage notes

    • Monthly subscription premium Internet bandwidth does not support unsubscription at this time.

    • You cannot switch premium bandwidth plan between billing modes.

    • If your monthly subscription premium bandwidth plan expires and you choose not to renew it, you can purchase premium bandwidth plan again and select a different billing mode at that time.

    • Shutting down or hibernating a cloud computer only stops billing for compute resources. premium bandwidth plan is not automatically deactivated when the cloud computer is shut down or hibernated. If you have activated pay-as-you-go (pay-by-data-transfer) premium bandwidth plan, traffic fees still accrue for any inbound traffic (such as background downloads or automatic updates) even after the cloud computer is shut down.

    • Independent billing: premium bandwidth plan is billed independently of the cloud computer instance. Even if your cloud computer is in a free trial period or is only using the free basic bandwidth, activating a paid premium bandwidth plan (pay-as-you-go by data transfer or by fixed bandwidth) generates charges on its own billing cycle.

    • Release when no longer needed: When your trial period ends or you no longer require premium bandwidth plan, manually delete or unsubscribe from it to avoid unexpected charges.

    How to stop billing

    To stop being billed for premium bandwidth plan while keeping the office network, use one of the following methods:

    • Pay-as-you-go: You can delete premium bandwidth plan. Billing stops after the deletion takes effect. For more information, see Delete premium bandwidth.

    Cloud Enterprise Network (CEN)

    If you need to connect multiple office network to each other, or connect a office network to your on-premises IDC, you can use Cloud Enterprise Network (CEN). For billing details about CEN, see Billing overview.

    Shared storage (NAS)

    If you need to share files across cloud computers, you can mount Apsara File Storage NAS (General-purpose NAS) on the cloud computers.

    General-purpose NAS charges storage fees based on the storage type, storage size (peak per hour), and duration. For billing details about General-purpose NAS, see Billing for General-purpose NAS.

    AD Connector

    If you create an AD office network, you are charged for the AD Connector.

    Item

    Description

    Billing method

    Pay-as-you-go

    Billing formula

    Fee = Unit price × Billing duration

    The billing duration starts when the AD office network is created and ends when the AD office network is deleted.

    Billing example

    Purchase details:

    • Specification: General-purpose

    Usage details:

    • Used for exactly 30 days (720 hours)

    Fee calculation:

    Fee = Unit price × Billing duration
    = 0.126 × 720
    = 90.72 (USD)

    Bill item

    ad_connector_type

    How to stop billing

    Delete the AD office network to stop billing. For more information, see Create and manage an AD-based office network.

    Log Service

    If you deliver user operation logs to a Logstore in Simple Log Service (SLS), you are charged accordingly. For billing details about Log Service, see Pay-by-feature billable items.

    Item

    Description

    Billing method

    Pricing

    Simple Log Service pricing

    Billing formula

    Fee = Shard fee + Storage cost + Indexing cost + Read/write cost + Traffic cost

    For billing rules of each item, see Pay-by-feature billable items.

    Billing example

    Billing examples

    Virtual network bridge

    Item

    Description

    Billing method

    • Monthly subscription

    Unit price by edition

    • Pro: 60 (USD)

    • Ultra: 105.11 (USD)

    Billing formula

    Fee = Number of months × Edition unit price

    Available subscription periods: 1 month, 6 months, 1 year, or 2 years

    Billing example

    Purchase details:

    • Subscription period: 1 month

    • Edition: Pro

    • Quantity: 1

    Fee calculation:

    Fee = Number of months × Edition unit price
    = 1 × 60
    = 60 (USD)

    How to stop billing

    • Unsubscription is not supported after purchase.

    • If the subscription expires and is not renewed, the service and billing stop simultaneously.

    Public preview (free)

    The following features are free during public preview. Pricing will be announced before the preview ends.

    Feature

    Documentation

    Snapshots

    Use snapshots (public preview)

    Screen recording audit

    Auditing rules

    Cost optimization

    You can use the following methods to reduce the cost of using cloud computers.

    • During purchase

      Monthly subscription with limited hours: When purchasing a cloud computer on a monthly basis, you can choose a computing plan of 120 hours/month or 250 hours/month at a discounted price. This is ideal for scenarios that require long-term cloud computer usage with limited monthly usage hours. For more information, see Billing rules.

    • During usage

      • For pay-as-you-go cloud computers, compute resources are billed only while the cloud computer is running. Shut down cloud computers when not in use. To avoid forgetting, configure a disconnect timer policy to automatically shut down cloud computers after disconnection. For more information, see Configure scheduled tasks, Manage policies.

      • For monthly subscription (limited hours) cloud computers, monthly available hours are not consumed while the cloud computer is shut down or hibernated. Shut down or hibernate cloud computers when not in use to save available hours.

    FAQ

    How do I check the actual usage hours and billing details for my cloud computer?

    1. View usage in the EDS console: Log on to the EDS Enterprise console. In the left-side navigation pane, choose Monitoring & Alerting > Session Monitoring or Usage Statistics. You can filter data by time range, instance ID, or user to verify the actual running hours and cross-check them against your bill.

    2. Check billing details in Alibaba Cloud Billing Management: In the Alibaba Cloud console, go to Billing Management > Bill Details. You can view individual billing line items (such as compute resources, storage resources, and Internet bandwidth) along with their respective unit prices and usage amounts.

    3. Note on data latency: Usage statistics data may have a short delay. The final bill in Billing Management is the authoritative record for all billing purposes.

    Why is my cloud computer still showing in the console after I unsubscribed? How do I completely stop billing?

    1. Display delay: After a successful unsubscription, the instance list in the console may take several minutes to refresh. Clear your browser cache and refresh the page to confirm the updated status.

    2. Billing stops immediately upon completion: Once the unsubscription or deletion is confirmed as successful, billing for the cloud computer instance stops immediately. No additional steps are required to stop the compute resource charges.

    3. Check associated value-added services: Unsubscribing from the cloud computer instance does not automatically stop associated value-added services. The following resources are billed independently and must be released separately to stop their charges:

      • premium bandwidth plan

      • AD Connector

      If these resources are not released, they continue to generate fees after the cloud computer is unsubscribed.

    4. Data is permanently deleted: After unsubscription, all data stored in the cloud computer is immediately and permanently deleted and cannot be recovered. Back up any important data before proceeding with the unsubscription.

    Can I switch from EDS Personal Edition to EDS Enterprise? What happens to my remaining credits or plan hours?

    1. Direct switching is not supported: EDS Personal Edition and EDS Enterprise are separate products. In-place upgrades or direct conversions between the two editions are not supported.

    2. Migration approach: To migrate to EDS Enterprise, follow these steps:

      • Back up all data stored in your personal edition cloud computer.

      • Unsubscribe from EDS Personal Edition using the self-service unsubscription process.

      • Purchase a new EDS Enterprise instance.

    3. What happens to remaining credits and plan hours:

      • Remaining monthly plan hours and gifted allowances are not transferable across editions.

      • After unsubscription, any gifted allowances that have already been consumed may reduce the refund amount. In some cases (for example, if the full gifted allowance has been consumed), the refund amount may be 0.

    Why does the renewal price differ from my original purchase price? Why are promotional prices no longer available?

    1. Reasons for a higher renewal price:

      • Configuration upgrades: If you upgraded the instance type (for example, increased vCPU or memory) after the initial purchase, the renewal price reflects the upgraded configuration rather than the original one.

      • First-purchase promotions: Promotional discounts offered at the time of initial purchase (such as introductory discounts or limited-time offers) apply only to the first purchase. These promotions are not applied automatically at renewal.

    2. Why promotional prices disappear: Promotions are time-limited or usage-count-limited. Once a promotion expires or reaches its usage limit, the discounted price is no longer displayed on the purchase page and cannot be reinstated for subsequent orders. Historical promotional prices cannot be applied retroactively.