How are cloud computers billed? - Elastic Desktop Service

This topic describes the billable items and billing rules of Elastic Desktop Service (EDS) Enterprise. This topic also provides tips on how to reduce costs.

Important

This topic uses examples to help you understand the billing rules. The prices listed in these examples are for reference only. For more information about the catalog prices, see Pricing. Prices vary based on factors such as the specification, region, image OS, promotions, and discounts. The final price information is that given in the order.

Billable items

Basic resources

Basic resources are essential for running and using cloud computers. Basic resources include the following types of resources:

Computing resources: such as vCPUs, memory, and GPUs. GPUs are available and required only for Graphics cloud computer types.
Storage resources: such as system disks and data disks. Each cloud computer requires a system disk.

The billing of basic resources varies depending on the billing method. For more information about the billing methods, see Monthly subscription and Pay-as-you-go.

Billing method	Formula	Example
Monthly subscription (with limited hours) 120 hours/month 250 hours/month	Computing resources Usage covered by the subscription plan (subscription) `Fee = Monthly price × Number of months` Usage not covered by the subscription plan (pay-as-you-go) `Fee = Hourly price × Number of hours` Storage resources (subscription) `Fee = Monthly price per GiB x Capacity in GiB x Number of months`	Note If you select the 120 Hours/Month or 250 Hours/Month plan, take note of the following items: These plans do not support cloud computers of the Graphics Workstation type. The hours of a plan represent the amount of time a cloud computer is in service each month. Any unused running hours at the end of the month do not carry over to the next month. If the monthly running hours of a cloud computer are used up before the end of the month, the cloud computer continues to run and generates extra fees. If you want the cloud computer to stop running upon hour exhaustion, select When the monthly running hours of a cloud computer are exhausted in advance, the system automatically stops or hibernates the cloud computer.... If you use a cloud computer beyond the allotted time, you will be charged based on the hourly price of your chosen plan. The price listed on the purchase page will be the final amount charged. Cloud computers have a fee limit. If the fees generated within a month reach the amount of the Unlimited plan, no more fees are generated. Essentially, the price of the Unlimited plan is the maximum monthly fee for all other plans. Make sure that your account balance is sufficient. After cloud computers are purchased, they automatically start. If end users do not connect to them within 10 minutes, the cloud computers stop or hibernate to avoid consuming running hours. You can adjust the scheduled task policies of cloud computers. For more information, see Configure scheduled tasks and Configure a scheduled stop policy for a cloud computer. Purchase details: Computing specification: 4 vCPUs, 8 GiB memory Computing plan: 120 hours/month System disk: 80 GiB Data disk: 100 GiB Subscription duration: 2 months Computing resource usage: 1st month: Usage covered by the subscription plan: 110 hours (does not exhaust the quota) 2nd month: Usage covered by the subscription plan: 120 hours Usage not covered by the subscription plan: 25 hours after the 120-hour quota is exhausted Fee calculation: `# Subscription fees Computing resource fee = Monthly price × Number of months = 15.80 × 2 = USD 31.60 Storage resource fee = Monthly price per GiB x Capacity in GiB x Number of months = 0.051 × (80 + 100) × 2 = USD 18.36 Total fees = Computing resource fee + Storage resource fee = 31.60 + 18.36 = USD 49.96 Fee calculation: Computing resource fee (for out-of-plan usage) = Hourly price × Number of hours = 0.148 × 25 = USD 3.7`
Subscription (without hour limit)	Computing resources (subscription) `Fee = Monthly price × Number of months` Storage resources (subscription) `Fee = Monthly price per GiB x Capacity in GiB x Number of months`	Purchase details: Computing specification: 4 vCPUs, 8 GiB memory Computing plan without hour limit System disk: 80 GiB Data disk: 100 GiB Subscription duration: 2 months Fee calculation: `Computing resource fee = Monthly price × Number of months = 53.30 × 2 = USD 106.60 Storage resource fee = Monthly price per GiB x Capacity in GiB x Number of months = 0.051 × (80 + 100) × 2 = USD 18.36 Total fees = Computing resource fee + Storage resource fee = 106.60 + 18.36 = USD 124.96`
Pay-as-you-go	Computing resources (pay-as-you-go) `Fee = Hourly price × Number of hours` Storage resources (pay-as-you-go) `Fee = Hourly price per GiB × Capacity in GiB × Number of hours`	Purchase details: Computing specification: 4 vCPUs, 8 GiB memory System disk: 80 GiB Data disk: 100 GiB Usage: The cloud computer runs for 10 hours. The cloud computer is retained for 12 hours (from the time when the cloud computer is created to the time when it is released). Fee calculation: `Computing resource fee = Hourly price × Number of hours = 0.148 × 10 = USD 1.48 Storage resource fee = Hourly price per GiB × Capacity in GiB × Number of hours = 0.00007 × (80 + 100) × 12 = USD 0.1512 Total fees = Computing resource fee + Storage resource fee = USD 1.6312`

Value-added features

Internet bandwidth

Cloud computers cannot access the Internet over the networks of local devices. By default, each cloud computer has basic bandwidth, which is free of charge. End users can access the Internet from cloud computers.

Important

The peak bandwidth only indicates the upper bandwidth limit and is for reference only. The peak bandwidth may vary based on usage scenarios. In scenarios in which demand exceeds resource supplies, the bandwidth may be lower than the specified value.

If you require a higher peak bandwidth, you can purchase a premium bandwidth plan. For more information, see Manage Internet access.

Premium bandwidth plans support the following billing methods:

Subscription: This method requires you to pay a subscription fee before you can use the bandwidth. This method is recommended if you require a stable bandwidth and use the bandwidth frequently.
Pay-as-you-go: This method allows you to pay for the actual bandwidth usage after you use the bandwidth. You can choose one of the following metering methods:
- Pay-by-data-transfer: You are charged based on the cumulative value of the inbound traffic of a cloud computer. You are not charged for outbound traffic. This method is recommended if your daily bandwidth usage is low but you experience fluctuations during peak hours.
  Note
  - Inbound traffic is Internet traffic that is sent to cloud computers, such as when you download files from the Internet on a cloud computer or watch videos by using the cloud browser.
  - Outbound traffic is Internet traffic from cloud computers, such as when you upload files to a third-party service from a cloud computer.
- Pay-by-bandwidth: The peak bandwidth determines the hourly price, regardless of the actual traffic consumed. This method is recommended if you require a stable bandwidth but do not access the Internet at a regular frequency.

Premium bandwidth plans charge fees based on billing methods.

Billing method	Formula	Example
Subscription	`Fee = Price of the subscription plan`	Purchase details: Subscription duration: 1 month Bandwidth: 10 Mbit/s Fee calculation: `Fee = Price of the subscription plan 　　 = USD 29.50`
Pay-by-data-transfer	`Fee = Unit price × Cumulative inbound traffic` Note Data transfer lower than 1 GB is billed based on the actual amount.	Purchase details: Bandwidth: 10 Mbit/s Usage: Cumulative inbound traffic: 10 GB Fee calculation: `Fee = Unit price × Cumulative inbound traffic 　　 = 0.09 × 10 　　 = USD 0.9`
Pay-by-bandwidth	`Fee = Unit price × Duration` Note The duration is counted in seconds. The fee is settled every hour on the hour (UTC +8). A new cycle begins when the fee for the previous cycle is settled.	Purchase details: Bandwidth: 10 Mbit/s Usage: 10 hours Fee calculation: `Fee = Unit price × Duration 　　 = 0.08 × 10 　　 = USD 0.8`

Usage notes

Subscription premium bandwidth plans support unsubscription. For more information, see Manage Internet access.
Premium bandwidth plans do not support billing method changes.
If a subscription premium bandwidth plan expires and is not renewed, you can purchase a new premium bandwidth plan and specify the billing method.

Stop billing for a premium bandwidth plan

If you want to stop billing for a premium bandwidth plan but retain the office network, refer to the following methods:

Subscription: You can unsubscribe from the premium bandwidth plan. Billing stops as soon as you unsubscribe. For more information, see Manage Internet access.
Pay-by-bandwidth: You can delete the premium bandwidth plan. Billing stops as soon as you delete the plan. For more information, see Manage Internet access.
Pay-by-data-transfer: You can suspend or delete the premium bandwidth plan. Billing stops as soon as you suspend or delete the plan. For more information, see Manage Internet access.Manage Internet access

CEN

If you require connectivity between office networks or between an office network and a data center, you can use Cloud Enterprise Network (CEN). For more information about the billing of CEN, see Billing rules.

NAS

If you need to share files between cloud computers, you can mount a File Storage NAS (NAS) file system (General-purpose) to the cloud computers.

You are charged a storage fee based on the storage type, data volume (peak value per hour), and retention period. For more information about the billing of General-purpose NAS file systems, see Billing of General-purpose NAS file systems.

AD Connector

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

Item	Description
Billing method	The pay-as-you-go billing method.
Billing formulas	`Price = Unit price × Billing cycle` The billing cycle starts when the office network is created and ends when the office network is destroyed.
Billing examples	Purchase details: Specification: general-purpose Usage: 30 days (720 hours) Fee calculation: `Fee = Unit price × Billing cycle 　　 = 0.126 × 720 　　 = USD 90.72`
Billable items in a bill	`ad_connector_type`
How to stop billing	Delete the AD office network. For more information, see Create and manage an enterprise AD office network.

Simple Log Service

Shipping operation logs to Simple Log Service Logstores incurs fees. For more information about the billing of Simple Log Service, see Billable items of pay-by-feature.

Item	Description
Billing method	Pay-as-you-go Resource plan
Pricing	Simple Log Service price information
Billing formulas	`Fees = Fee for shards + Fee for storage + Fee for indexes + Fee for reads and writes + Fee for traffic` For more information about the billing rules for specific billing items, see Billable items of pay-by-feature.
Billing examples	Billing example

Applications

Alibaba Cloud Workspace application marketplace provides free applications and paid applications. Paid applications are published by independent software vendors (ISVs). You are charged for using paid applications.

Note

The fees for paid applications are charged by ISVs. Therefore, you cannot view the bills on the Bill Details page.

Item	Description
Billing method	Pay-per-use Subscription
Billing formula	You are charged based on the number of purchases or subscription duration.
Billing examples	ISVs determine application prices and billing methods. You can view the actual prices and billing methods on the buy pages of paid applications.
How to stop billing	On the buy page of an application, click Consult and submit your question to obtain more information from the ISV.

Features in public preview

The following features are in public preview and are free of charge. Fees are charged for these features when the public preview ends. Stay tuned to our announcements for billing details.

Feature	References
Snapshot	Use snapshots (public preview)
Screen recording audit	Audit policies

How to save costs

You can refer to the following items to reduce the usage fees for cloud computers.

During purchase
Subscription cloud computers charge fees based on the computing plan you select when you create the cloud computers. You can select the 120-hour computing plan or the 250-hour computing plan. These plans offer better prices compared to pay-as-you-go usage for the same number of hours. For long-term use of cloud computers with a fixed monthly usage duration, we recommend that you select the subscription plan that best suits your usage needs. For more information, see Billing rules.
During use
Pay-as-you-go cloud computers charge fees when they are running. We recommend that you shut down the cloud computers when no one is using them. In case you forget to shut them down, you can configure a scheduled shutdown policy to instruct the system to shut the computers down upon disconnection. For more information, see Configure scheduled tasks and Configure a scheduled stop policy for a cloud computer.