> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.clawup.org/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Billing
> Plans, pricing model, and credit management
ClawUp billing is designed for transparent, usage-based pricing with full traceability.
## Pricing
All users share the same pricing. New users get a **1-day free trial** with a platform-managed API key and one free-trial Agent. After the trial, top up your balance to continue. You can also earn balance by [inviting friends](/src/referral).
## Pricing Model
ClawUp uses **hourly usage-based billing** for both compute and storage:
### Compute (Running Agents)
* **Rate**: 2.78 cents/hour (\~\$20 for 30 days continuous)
* Billed only while your Agent is **Running**
* Stop your Agent → compute billing stops immediately
* Restart → compute billing resumes
* **Monthly cap**: \$20/Agent (compute + storage combined)
### Storage (All Non-Deleted Agents)
* **Rate**: 0.003 cents per GB per hour (\~\$0.022/GB/month)
* Billed for **all Agents that have data on disk** — both Running and Stopped
* Based on actual backup size (workspace, config, conversation data)
* Delete your Agent → storage billing stops, data is removed
* **Monthly cap**: shared with compute (\$20 total cap per Agent)
### Tokens (LLM API Usage)
Three modes for AI model access:
* **Bring your own key (BYOK)**: use your own provider API key (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, etc.). You create and manage the key; ClawUp adds no token fee.
* **ClawUp-managed models** (managed API keys): **ClawUp provisions and manages the provider API keys for you** — you never create, paste, or rotate a key. You just buy **Token Credits** from your USD balance and use any supported model from one balance.
* **Connect a subscription**: use your existing **Claude** or **ChatGPT** plan instead of a key or Token Credits. ClawUp adds no token fee (bills only compute + storage), but the **provider** meters an agent's programmatic usage on a separate track from interactive chat — see [Connect a Subscription → Billing and limits](./connect-subscription#billing-and-limits). OpenClaw runtime only.
#### Token Credits (Managed Mode)
In **managed** mode, **ClawUp holds and manages the upstream provider API keys** — you don't supply or see one. You buy Token Credits and use any supported model from a single balance, with no per-provider key to create or rotate.
**Pricing.** ClawUp-managed models are priced roughly **5% below the official provider list rates** — so managed costs *less* than going direct to the provider. Usage is metered **per token** at the rates below. Top up Token Credits in presets (\$10 / \$20 / \$50) or any custom amount (\$1–\$500); credits draw down as your agents run, never expire, and are non-refundable.
**Rates** — USD per **1M tokens** (input / output). These track the live catalog and can change, so the in-app **Supported Models** list (Create Agent → "Use ClawUp-managed models", or Overview → Buy Token Credits) is always authoritative:
| Model | Input | Output |
| --------------------- | ------ | ------- |
| GPT-5 nano | \$0.03 | \$0.24 |
| GPT-4o mini | \$0.09 | \$0.36 |
| Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite | \$0.07 | \$0.28 |
| Gemini 2.5 Flash | \$0.21 | \$1.75 |
| GPT-5.4 mini | \$0.45 | \$2.70 |
| GPT-5 | \$0.75 | \$6.00 |
| Claude Haiku 4.5 | \$0.90 | \$4.50 |
| Gemini 2.5 Pro | \$0.88 | \$7.00 |
| Gemini 3.1 Pro | \$1.40 | \$8.40 |
| GPT-5.4 | \$1.50 | \$9.00 |
| Claude Sonnet 4.6 | \$2.70 | \$13.50 |
| GPT-5.5 | \$3.00 | \$18.00 |
| Claude Opus 4.6 | \$4.50 | \$22.50 |
| Claude Opus 4.8 | \$5.00 | \$25.00 |
Every supported provider — Anthropic, OpenAI, **Google** — is available from the same balance, all at the discounted managed rate.
Token Credits can be purchased:
* During agent creation (select "Use ClawUp-managed models")
* From the Overview dashboard ("Buy Token Credits" button)
* From the Billing panel (top-up anytime)
The "Buy Token Credits" modal requires a non-zero USD balance first — if your balance is \$0, it prompts you to top up (via one of the Recharge Methods above) before showing the credit-amount presets:
#### Connect a subscription
Already pay for **Claude** or **ChatGPT**? Connect that plan instead of an API key or Token Credits. Pick **🔗 Connect a subscription** under Model Usage (OpenClaw runtime only), then:
* **Claude** — paste the `sk-ant-oat01-…` token from `claude setup-token` (the value printed in the **terminal**, not the `…#…` code shown in the browser).
* **ChatGPT** — paste the contents of `~/.codex/auth.json` (created when you sign in with the OpenAI **Codex** CLI).
ClawUp charges only for compute + storage (no token fee) — **but** the provider bills an agent's usage against its own programmatic/extra-usage allotment, not your interactive chat limits. See the full walkthrough and the billing caveat in **[Connect a Subscription](./connect-subscription)**.
### Balance Requirements
| Action | Minimum Balance |
| -------------------------- | ----------------------- |
| Create an Agent | \$20 |
| Start a stopped Agent | \$20 |
| Create a Team (SubAgent) | \$20 (1 Agent) |
| Create a Team (MultiAgent) | \$20 × N members |
| Free trial | \$0 (no balance needed) |
## Billing Lifecycle
### Daily Billing Tick
The billing system runs every 24 hours and performs:
```
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Phase 0a: Free-Tier Expiry │
│ For each Free plan Agent past 1-day trial: │
│ Balance ≥ \$20 → Upgrade to Basic (keep running) │
│ Balance < \$20 → Stop Agent │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Phase 0b: Grace Period Cleanup │
│ For each Stopped Agent with \$0 balance: │
│ Stopped > 14 days → Delete runtime + data │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Phase 1: Calculate Charges │
│ Running Agents → compute + storage │
│ compute: hours × 2.78 cents/hr │
│ storage: hours × GB × 0.003 cents/hr │
│ Stopped Agents → storage only │
│ storage: hours × GB × 0.003 cents/hr │
│ All charges capped at \$20/month per Agent │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Phase 2: Apply Charges │
│ Deduct from user balance │
│ Update monthly meter state │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
```
### Balance Warning Emails
The system estimates your daily burn rate (compute + storage across all Agents) and sends emails based on remaining days:
| Remaining Days | Action |
| -------------- | ----------------------------------------- |
| **> 7 days** | Healthy — no action |
| **3–7 days** | Low-balance reminder email (once per day) |
| **1–3 days** | Critical warning email (once per day) |
| **≤ 0 days** | Auto-stop all running Agents |
Daily burn includes:
* **Running Agents**: `compute_hourly_rate × 24h` + `storage_gb_hourly_rate × GB × 24h` per Agent
* **Stopped Agents with data**: `storage_gb_hourly_rate × GB × 24h` per Agent
### Auto-Stop on Zero Balance
When your balance reaches zero:
1. All running Agents are **stopped automatically**
2. If the runtime provisioner is unreachable, bots are **force-marked Stopped** in the database to prevent runaway billing
3. Storage billing begins based on backup size
### Grace Period (14 Days)
After auto-stop with zero balance:
| Day | Status |
| -------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Day 0 | Auto-stop: Agents stopped, storage billing active |
| Day 1–14 | Grace period: data preserved, top up to recover |
| Day 14+ | **Storage deleted permanently** — runtime removed, Agent marked Deleted |
During the grace period:
* Your workspace, backups, and configuration are preserved
* You can top up and restart at any time
* Storage fees continue to accrue (deducted when you top up)
### Auto-Recovery on Top-Up
When you recharge (via any method):
1. Balance increases immediately
2. Free plan Agents with expired trials are **automatically upgraded to Basic**
3. You can restart stopped Agents manually
4. No data is lost during the 14-day grace period
## Free Trial
New users get a 1-day free trial:
* Platform provisions a managed API key
* No balance required, no compute or storage charges during trial
* One Agent per user, platform-selected model
When the trial expires:
* **Balance ≥ \$20** → Agent keeps running, starts hourly billing
* **Balance \< \$20** → Agent is stopped. Top up and restart anytime.
## Team Billing
| Team Mode | Billed Agents | Example (4 roles) |
| -------------- | ------------------ | ----------------- |
| **SubAgent** | 1 (leader only) | \$20/month |
| **MultiAgent** | N (one per member) | \$80/month |
SubAgent mode is recommended — all team roles run inside one Agent as virtual sub-agents.
## Recharge Methods
The **Billing** page (left sidebar) shows your current balance and three ways to top up:
| Method | Description |
| ----------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Credit / Debit Card** | Stripe checkout |
| **Recharge Card** | Redeem a pre-paid card code + password — this is also how Telegram-distributed coupons are claimed |
| **Crypto Pay** | On-chain USDC/USDT (multi-chain, via the x402 protocol) |
All recharge methods trigger automatic Free → Basic upgrade if applicable.
## Billing Events
| Event | Description |
| -------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `usage_charge` | Aggregated usage charge for a billing tick (compute + storage breakdown stored in the note) |
| `subscription_due_soon` | Low-balance reminder email sent |
| `balance_exhausted` | Balance reached zero, auto-stop triggered |
| `bot_auto_stopped_overdue` | Agent force-stopped due to insufficient balance |
## Related Guides
* For team pricing, see [Teams](./teams)