---
title: Billing
description: >-
  Users get 1 free 4-CPU Studio to code in and run workloads on. The remaining
  CPUs and GPUs will be billed as advertised. The first 10 GB of storage in
  the...
canonical: 'https://lightning.ai/docs/platform/overview/faq/billing'
---
# Billing {#billing}

## Credits {#credits}

Users get 1 free 4-CPU Studio to code in and run workloads on. The remaining CPUs and GPUs will be billed as advertised. The first 10 GB of storage in the Drive for free. Credits can be used to scale up compute to large CPUs and GPUs and store production-level datasets within the Lightning platform.

### Value conversion {#value-conversion}

![1 Lightning credit = $1 US dollar.](https://storage.googleapis.com/lightning-avatars/litpages/01hykb0r30c6kkthveqqzbk424/6b63f8a7-c91d-4838-ae5c-b0be4b6b4cf2.png)

A GPU that costs 1.17 credits / hr is the equivalent of $1.17 / hr. Explore our [pricing page](https://lightning.ai/pricing) for more information on CPU and GPU rates.

### How am I billed? {#how-am-i-billed}

There are 2 activities that consume credits, running machines (in Studios or Jobs) and storage (above 10 GB). Credits are billed per second when running a Studio or Job that is not marked as "Free".

Additionally, the first 10 GB of data in the Drive are unbilled. After that users will be billed at a rate of $0.10 / GB / month (billed daily).

![Paid Studios are billed per second and data storage is billed daily.](https://storage.googleapis.com/lightning-avatars/litpages/01hykb0r30c6kkthveqqzbk424/3b60723a-0499-47bf-84c9-4187e558f188.png)

Consult [this guide](/docs/platform/team-management/organizations/manage-costs.md) to understand better how to optimize cost management.

### How do free credits work? {#how-do-free-credits-work}

Eligible free plan users receive complimentary credits to explore Lightning. Free credits can be used for compute, inference, and storage. Every account also includes one free CPU studio for coding. Any additional CPU studios or other machines are billed at the listed rates.

**Conditions for free credits**

- Free credits are promotional, non-transferable, and do not accumulate.

- Lightning may change or limit free credit grants, eligibility, usage rules, or expiration terms at any time.

### Purchasing credits {#purchasing-credits}

If purchased, Lightning credits expire after 1 year. For example, a Lightning Pro includes 40 credits per month. These credits expire after 1 year. Renewing a subscription adds another 40 credits.

When credits are running low, Lightning will warn users and then attempt to gracefully shut down all workloads and Studios. To continue using Lightning, either wait for additional free credits or purchase additional credits. Many customers take advantage of signing up for a Pro monthly subscription because it comes with 40 credits and access to much more powerful GPUs and other features!

![Sign up for Pro for 40 monthly credits, more powerful GPUs and more!](https://storage.googleapis.com/lightning-avatars/litpages/01hykb0r30c6kkthveqqzbk424/a919065b-08ad-4546-8c2e-48bf7952cad5.png)

To explore Lightning Pro or one of our paid subscriptions, [contact us](mailto:"support@lightning.ai") and a team member will help answer your questions.

## Storage {#storage}

The first 10 GB of data you save on the Drive are free. After that, they are billed at a rate of $0.10 / GB / month (billed daily). Your data connections are not billed. Each tier is subject to a different total limit of data that can be stored in the Drive.

- Free: 50 GB total storage limit (only first 10 GB free)

- Pro: 200 GB total storage limit (only first 10 GB free)

- Teams: 2 TB total storage limit (only first 10 GB free)

- Enterprise: Unlimited storage (only first 10 GB free)

## Support {#support}

For any billing related issues, contact us via email at [support@lightning.ai](mailto:support@lightning.ai). Visit [Get help](/docs/platform/overview/faq/get-help.md) for more details.

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- Parent: [FAQ](/docs/platform/overview/faq.md)