> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.wherobots.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Billing Overview > Understand how billing works in Wherobots Cloud including the usage-based model, billing methods, and what starts and stops a billable event. This page explains how billing works in Wherobots Cloud at a general level. It covers the billing model, how you're billed, and what starts and stops a billable event. For up-to-date information on rates and prices, see [Wherobots Pricing](https://wherobots.com/pricing). ## How you're billed What you pay for Wherobots depends on your [Organization Edition](/get-started/organization-management/organization-editions): ### Professional Edition The **Professional Edition** is self-service and billed as a **monthly minimum that you draw down with usage**. ```mermaid theme={"system"} flowchart LR P(["`**Professional Edition**
Self-service`"]):::edition P --> P1["`Monthly minimum,
prepaid as usage credits`"]:::item P1 --> P2["`Usage draws down your credits,
metered in **Spatial Units**`"]:::item P2 --> P3["`Usage beyond your credits
is billed per Spatial Unit`"]:::item P --> P4["`**Support**: optional add-on tier`"]:::addon classDef edition fill:#b59ee8,stroke:#6133be,color:#2a1a4a; classDef item fill:#f3eefc,stroke:#9d7fe0,color:#2a1a4a; classDef addon fill:#fff7e6,stroke:#d9920a,color:#5c3d00; ``` #### Billing components For the Professional Edition, you pay: 1. A **monthly minimum**, charged at the start of each billing cycle and issued to your Organization as prepaid usage credits. 2. A **usage fee** for the compute you consume, measured in **Spatial Units (SUs)**. Your usage is deducted from your credit balance first; usage beyond your available credits is billed at the per-SU rate for your region. * Compute is metered per runtime: larger runtimes and longer-running sessions consume more SUs. See [Managing Costs](/get-started/organization-management/managing-costs) for strategies to keep usage costs low. * **Support**: A support tier is an optional **add-on** to the Professional Edition. For up-to-date pricing on the Professional Edition's monthly minimum, per-SU rates, and the support add-on, see [Wherobots Pricing](https://wherobots.com/pricing). The monthly minimum is not a separate fee on top of your usage. You prepay it, and your usage draws it down: 1. **The monthly minimum.** At the start of each monthly billing cycle, you're charged a fixed minimum amount. This charge is what gives you access to the Professional Edition, and it recurs monthly for as long as your subscription is active. You can [cancel](/get-started/organization-management/cancel) at any time. 2. **The usage credits.** The amount you're charged is issued to your Organization as prepaid usage credits. Credits are non-refundable, and they expire **90 days after they're issued** — not at the end of the billing cycle — so a credit you don't spend in the month you bought it is still available in the next two. 3. **The usage fee.** As you run runtimes, the Spatial Units you consume are deducted from your credit balance. If you consume more than your available credits, the additional usage is billed at the per-SU rate for your region. To review your credit balance and what your usage has drawn down, see the **Credit** section of your Orb Dashboard. For more details on Orb, see [View Your Bill](/get-started/organization-management/billing). ### Innovation & Enterprise Editions The **Innovation** and **Enterprise Editions** are billed on a **contractual basis** arranged with the Wherobots sales team. ```mermaid theme={"system"} flowchart LR C(["`**Innovation & Enterprise Editions**
Contract`"]):::edition C --> C1["`Negotiated contract pricing`"]:::item C --> C2["`**Support** included`"]:::included classDef edition fill:#b59ee8,stroke:#6133be,color:#2a1a4a; classDef item fill:#f3eefc,stroke:#9d7fe0,color:#2a1a4a; classDef included fill:#eaf7ee,stroke:#2e9e54,color:#14532d; ``` #### Billing components For the Innovation and Enterprise Editions, you pay: * **Negotiated contract pricing** arranged with the Wherobots sales team. * **Support** is **included**. For a deeper explanation of Spatial Units and the factors that influence consumption, see [Managing Costs](/get-started/organization-management/managing-costs) and [Runtimes](/develop/runtimes#what-factors-influence-spatial-unit-consumption). ## Billing methods Depending on how you signed up, your Organization is billed in one of the following ways: | Billing method | Billed by | How it's managed | | - | - | - | | **Direct Billing** (credit card or bank account) | Wherobots | Manage payment methods and view invoices in [Organization Settings > Billing](https://cloud.wherobots.com/organization#billing). | | **AWS Marketplace** | AWS | Manage the subscription through the [AWS Marketplace](https://aws.amazon.com/marketplace); view invoices in Wherobots Cloud. | | **Contract** (Innovation and Enterprise Editions) | Wherobots | Managed by the Wherobots sales team. Subscribers see a **"Contact Sales to Manage Subscription"** link in **Organization Settings > Billing**. | You can move between Direct Billing and AWS Marketplace at any time — see [Change Your Billing Method](/get-started/organization-management/change-billing-method). ## What starts a billable event In Wherobots Cloud, billing is tied to runtime activity rather than to individual queries or actions. In Wherobots Cloud, clicking **START** within the **START A NOTEBOOK** section requests a runtime. In Wherobots, billing begins when a runtime is fully provisioned and available. Runtimes can become available in a variety of scenarios including the following: | Service | Billing Starts When... | | - | - | | [**Notebook**](/develop/notebook-management/notebook-instance-management/) | The status indicator in Wherobots Cloud changes from a spinning icon to a green dot 🟢. | | [**Job Run**](/develop/workload-history) | The Run's status changes from `PENDING` to `RUNNING`. | | [**SQL Session**](/develop/spatial-sql-api/) | The SQL session's status changes from `PENDING` to `RUNNING`. | In Wherobots Cloud, runtime instances can remain active for 8 hours in Professional, Innovation, and Enterprise Edition Organizations by default. If your Organization has been granted a modified default Runtime Time-to-live (TTL), that TTL will be reflected in the **Expires In** column. For more information on compute usage and usage-based billing, see [What factors influence Spatial Unit consumption?](/develop/runtimes/#what-factors-influence-spatial-unit-consumption) ## When billing stops Billing for a runtime stops when the runtime is **destroyed**. A runtime is also torn down automatically when it reaches its [Runtime TTL](/develop/runtimes). An [idle timeout](/get-started/organization-management/managing-costs#use-idle-timeout-as-a-safety-net-not-a-strategy) reduces resource consumption but does **not** stop billing. To stop usage charges, destroy the runtime when you're done. Destroying a runtime stops usage charges only. On the Professional Edition, the monthly minimum continues to recur until you [cancel your subscription](/get-started/organization-management/cancel). ## Invoices and billing cycle Paid Organizations are billed on a recurring cycle. Invoices are emailed to the **Billing Contact Email** configured in your Organization's billing settings, and Admins can review account information, unpaid invoices, and invoice history in Wherobots Cloud. For step-by-step instructions, see [View Your Bill](/get-started/organization-management/billing). ## Next steps Strategies to keep usage costs low while testing and developing. Access invoices and update your billing contact. Compare the features available in each edition. See current tiers, rates, and plan details. This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.