> Documentation index: https://docs.kiste.run/llms.txt, a list of every page in this documentation.

# Plans and billing

> Kiste is free during early access. How plans, prepaid credit, credit packs, auto-refill, an empty balance and parking will work.

> **Info:** Free during early access
>
> Kiste is free while it is in early access, and billing is not switched on for
> any account. Prices aren't set yet; they will be on the
> [pricing page](https://kiste.run/pricing) before anyone pays. This page
> describes how billing will work, so there are no surprises.

## The model: prepaid, per second

- **You pay for running time.** A running Kiste is metered by the second at
  the rate of its size. A stopped or parked Kiste costs no compute.
- **Prepaid only.** Usage is paid from a credit balance in your account. There
  are no bills after the fact for usage, and you can't run up a debt.
- **Disk** is metered but not charged at launch.

## Your balance

Credit comes from two places:

| Credit | Comes from | Expires |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Plan credit | A paid plan's monthly fee, granted in full as credit when the invoice is paid | At the end of that month's period |
| Purchased credit | Credit packs, auto-refill payments and the trial credit | Never |

Plan credit is used first. The console's [Billing](https://console.kiste.run/app/billing) page shows the balance,
the usage of the current and previous period by Kiste, the last wallet
entries and your invoices.

## Credit packs and auto-refill

- **Credit packs** are one-time purchases through Stripe Checkout.
- **Auto-refill** (opt-in, needs a saved card) buys the pack you choose
  whenever your balance falls below the threshold you set. It charges at most a
  limited number of times a day, and after a declined payment it waits until you
  update the card. Each charge raises an alert.

Payments, cards and invoices are handled by Stripe; Kiste never sees your card
number. An [API key](https://docs.kiste.run/account/api-keys.md) can't start payments or change billing
settings.

## When the balance runs out

1. New running time is refused at once: you can't start or create Kisten
   ([B-codes](https://docs.kiste.run/errors/b.md)), and a `billing_wallet_empty` alert is raised.
2. Kisten that are running keep running for a **24-hour grace period**.
3. After it, running Kisten are **parked**: stopped with their session saved,
   never deleted. A `billing_machines_parked` alert is raised.
4. Adding credit ends the state. `kiste start` resumes a parked Kiste exactly
   where it was.

If a plan's payment fails, creating and starting Kisten is refused until it is
paid; nothing is stopped or deleted.

## Trial

New accounts start with trial credit and no card. On the trial, an account can
have one Kiste of the default size, and an idle Kiste (no SSH connection,
terminal or desktop viewer, and under a tenth of a CPU busy) is parked after 30
minutes so the credit isn't spent while nobody works.

## Related topics

- [Overview](https://docs.kiste.run/account.md)
- [Sign-in and sessions](https://docs.kiste.run/account/sessions.md)
- [API keys](https://docs.kiste.run/account/api-keys.md)
- [Webhooks and alerts](https://docs.kiste.run/account/webhooks-alerts.md)
- [Export your data](https://docs.kiste.run/account/data-export.md)
- [Delete your account](https://docs.kiste.run/account/delete-account.md)
- Previous: [Webhooks and alerts](https://docs.kiste.run/account/webhooks-alerts.md)
- Next: [Export your data](https://docs.kiste.run/account/data-export.md)