> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.ankra.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Billing & Usage

> Understand your usage, estimates, invoices, and subscription plans in Ankra.

<Note>
  Ankra billing is based on **worker vCPU usage**. Each plan includes a free vCPU allowance — you only pay for usage above that threshold, billed monthly.
</Note>

***

## Plans

Ankra offers three standard plans. Organisations on a custom agreement see a dedicated plan view.

|                         |    Free   |     Startup    |   Enterprise   |
| ----------------------- | :-------: | :------------: | :------------: |
| **Price**               |     €0    |  €0.01/vCPU/hr |  €0.03/vCPU/hr |
| **Annual price**        |     —     | €0.008/vCPU/hr | €0.024/vCPU/hr |
| **Free vCPU allowance** |     30    |       30       |       30       |
| **Clusters**            | Unlimited |    Unlimited   |    Unlimited   |
| **Team members**        | Unlimited |    Unlimited   |    Unlimited   |
| **AI Assistant**        |    Yes    |       Yes      |       Yes      |
| **SSO**                 |     —     |        —       |       Yes      |
| **Audit feed**          |     —     |        —       |       Yes      |
| **Support**             | Community | Priority email |    Dedicated   |

<Tip>
  Annual commitment saves 20% on per-vCPU pricing. You can switch between monthly and annual on the Plan page.
</Tip>

***

## Billing Overview

Navigate to **Billing** from the organisation sidebar to see an at-a-glance summary:

* **Current Plan** — your active plan, billing cycle, commitment period, and Stripe connection status.
* **Stat cards** — total vCPU, worker vCPU, billable vCPU (above free allowance), estimated monthly cost, and cost so far.
* **Cluster vCPU Summary** — per-cluster breakdown of worker and total vCPU.

### Estimated Monthly Cost

The overview and analytics pages show two cost figures:

| Metric                | Meaning                                                                                                                                                             |
| --------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Est. Monthly Cost** | What you'll likely pay this billing cycle — actual cost so far plus a projection of the remaining days based on your current usage.                                 |
| **Full month avg.**   | What every month would cost if your average usage stayed the same. Calculated from the average hourly cost during active hours, extrapolated across the full month. |

The "so far" subtitle shows how much has accrued and what percentage of the month has elapsed.

***

## Usage Analytics

Go to **Billing → Usage Analytics** for detailed usage data:

* **Time range picker** — view the last 24 hours, 7 days, 30 days, or a custom range.
* **Metric cards** — current, peak, and average worker vCPU; active cluster count; estimated monthly cost with full-month average.
* **vCPU chart** — area chart of worker vCPU over time with a dashed line for the free allowance.
* **Cost breakdown chart** — hourly cost bar chart showing estimated billable cost per hour (only appears when usage exceeds the free tier).
* **Cluster breakdown table** — per-cluster worker vCPU, total vCPU, and percentage share.

<Info>
  If all your usage is within the free vCPU allowance, the cost breakdown shows a "Within free tier" message instead of a chart.
</Info>

***

## Invoices

Go to **Billing → Invoices** to view your billing history:

* **Search and filter** — find invoices by text or filter by status (all, paid, open, draft).
* **Summary cards** — total invoices, combined amount and vCPU-hours for the current page, outstanding balance, and average invoice.
* **Invoice table** — billing period, amount, billable vCPU-hours, status, PDF download, and a Pay Now link for open invoices.
* **Stripe portal** — click "Manage in Stripe" to access Stripe's hosted billing portal for payment methods and invoice history.

***

## Changing Your Plan

Navigate to **Billing → Plan & Subscription** to upgrade, downgrade, or adjust your billing cycle.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Choose a billing cycle">
    Toggle between **No commitment** (monthly) and **Annual commitment** (20% discount).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select a plan">
    Click the button on the plan you want. If the plan requires payment, you'll be redirected to Stripe Checkout.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Complete payment">
    Enter your payment details in Stripe. After checkout you're redirected back to Ankra and your subscription syncs automatically.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Warning>
  If your organisation doesn't have Stripe connected and you select a paid plan, you'll be prompted to set up billing first.
</Warning>

***

## How Billing Is Calculated

Ankra tracks vCPU usage through periodic snapshots of your clusters:

1. **Snapshots** are taken hourly per cluster, recording worker vCPU and total vCPU.
2. **Billable vCPU** = worker vCPU minus the free allowance (per hour bucket, aggregated across clusters).
3. **Cost per hour** = billable vCPU × effective rate (plan rate adjusted for any annual discount).
4. **Monthly cost** = sum of hourly costs for the billing period.

Only **worker node vCPU** counts toward billing. Control plane nodes are not billed.

***

## FAQ

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="What counts as a worker vCPU?">
    Worker vCPU is the total vCPU count across all worker nodes in your clusters. Control plane / master nodes are excluded from billing.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="When does billing start?">
    Billing starts when your clusters report worker vCPU usage above the free allowance. If you stay within the free tier, there is no charge.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I switch plans mid-month?">
    Yes. Plan changes take effect immediately. Your invoice for the month will reflect the prorated usage under each plan.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How do annual commitments work?">
    Annual billing locks in a 20% discount on the per-vCPU rate. You commit for 12 months and are billed monthly at the discounted rate. Your commitment end date is shown on the billing overview.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What happens if I exceed the free allowance?">
    Usage above the free vCPU allowance is billed at your plan's per-vCPU/hr rate. The estimated monthly cost on the overview page updates in near real-time.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

***

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Usage Analytics" icon="chart-line" href="/platform/billing">
    Dive deeper into vCPU trends and cost breakdowns.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Organisations" icon="building" href="/concepts/organisations">
    Manage teams and resources across organisations.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>