This topic describes the billing rules for audio and video calls.
Introduction
Alibaba Cloud Real-Time Communication (RTC) charges for real-time audio and video calls based on call duration and specifications. Billing is based on the total daily call duration, measured in minutes.
Billing details
Audio and video call fee = Unit price for voice call specifications × Voice call duration + Unit price for video call specifications × Video call duration
- The publisher's configuration determines the media type (audio or video) and specifications, such as 480p and below or 720p and below.
- Duration is measured in seconds but billed in minutes. Durations are always rounded up to the next whole minute. For example, a call that lasts for less than one minute is billed as one minute.
- Unit price for voice call specifications: You are charged for voice calls when a user subscribes only to audio streams. For more information, see Pricing of Real-Time Communication.
- Voice call duration: Billing starts when a user subscribes to the first audio stream and ends when the user unsubscribes from the last audio stream.
- If a publisher sends a video stream but a subscriber receives only the audio portion of that stream, the subscriber is charged based on audio specifications.
- If you subscribe to both audio and video data from a stream, you are charged only for the video data. The audio stream is not billed separately.
- Voice calls are billed based on the subscription duration for each endpoint. The duration is calculated from when an endpoint subscribes to its first audio stream to when it unsubscribes from its last audio stream. Subscribing to multiple audio streams simultaneously does not result in duplicate charges for the overlapping period.
- Unit price for video call specifications: You are charged for video calls when a user subscribes to video streams, with or without the corresponding audio streams. For more information, see Pricing of Real-Time Communication.
- Video call duration: Billing starts when a user subscribes to a video stream and ends when the user unsubscribes from that stream.
- If a publisher sends a video stream but then turns off their camera during the call, the subscriber is still charged based on video specifications.
- Video calls are billed based on the cumulative duration of each video stream that an endpoint subscribes to. If an endpoint subscribes to multiple video streams, the duration of each stream is calculated independently.
RTC duration plans (resource plans)
If you use RTC services without a duration plan, fees are deducted from your Alibaba Cloud account balance on a pay-as-you-go basis. We recommend that you purchase a resource plan in advance. When you use the service, your usage is deducted from the plan's quota. For more information, see RTC Duration Plans.
Keep the following points in mind when you use resource plans:
- Resource plans are active immediately after purchase and must be used within their validity period. Expired plans cannot be used.
- You can purchase multiple resource plans. If you have multiple active plans, their quotas are combined. Usage is deducted from the plan that expires first.
- If your resource plan expires or its quota is depleted, billing automatically switches to the pay-as-you-go method. To avoid service interruptions due to overdue payments, monitor your plan's usage and purchase a new plan or ensure your account balance is sufficient.
- Resource plans cannot be upgraded or downgraded.
- Each resource plan has an independent validity period. The validity periods of multiple plans are not cumulative.
- Alibaba Cloud RTC resource plans can be used only to deduct usage that is generated by the RTC service.
The following is the after-sales policy for resource plans:
- You can request a refund for an unused resource plan within 7 days of purchase.
- Refunds are not available for plans that were purchased more than 7 days ago or have been used.
- Any remaining quota in a used or expired plan is non-refundable.
Billing examples
The prices in the following examples are for reference only. For current pricing, see Pricing of Real-Time Communication.
Example 1:
Users A, B, and C join a channel for a voice call that lasts 2,100 seconds.
Usage calculation:
- The three users are in a voice call, so no video charges apply. Billing is based on voice call specifications.
- The voice call duration is 2,100 seconds, which is 35 minutes.
Fee calculation:
Audio and video call fee = Unit price for voice call specifications (0.006 CNY/minute) × Voice call duration (35 minutes) × 3
Example 2:
Users A, B, and C join a channel for a video call that lasts 3,700 seconds. User A's video resolution is 640 × 360. The video resolution for users B and C is 1280 × 720.
Usage calculation:
The three users are in a video call, so no voice call charges apply.
User A subscribes to the video streams from B and C. Both streams are in the 720p and below specification.
B subscribes to the video streams of A and C. Therefore, B receives A's video stream at a resolution of 480P or lower and C's video stream at a resolution of 720P or lower.
Because C subscribes to the video streams from A and B, C receives A's video stream at up to 480p and B's video stream at up to 720p.
- The call duration is 3,700 seconds, which is 62 minutes.
Fee calculation:
- User A's RTC fee = Unit price for video call specifications (0.024 CNY/minute) × Video call duration (62 minutes) × 2
- User B's RTC fee = Unit price for video call specifications (0.012 CNY/minute) × Video call duration (62 minutes) + Unit price for video call specifications (0.024 CNY/minute) × Video call duration (62 minutes)
- User C's RTC fee = Unit price for video call specifications (0.012 CNY/minute) × Video call duration (62 minutes) + Unit price for video call specifications (0.024 CNY/minute) × Video call duration (62 minutes)
Total RTC fee = User A's RTC fee + User B's RTC fee + User C's RTC fee
Example 3:
Users A, B, and C join a channel for a call that lasts 600 seconds. User C publishes only an audio stream. User A's video resolution is 640 × 360. User B's video resolution is 1280 × 720.
Usage calculation:
The users are in a mixed audio and video call. Because User C publishes only an audio stream, the total fee includes charges for both voice and video calls.
User A subscribes to B's video stream and C's audio stream. Therefore, User A is billed based on the 720p and below video specification and the voice call specification.
User B subscribes to A's video stream and C's audio stream. Therefore, User B is billed based on the 480p and below video specification and the voice call specification.
C subscribes to the video streams of A and B. Therefore, C receives two streams: A's at up to 480p and B's at up to 720p.
- The call duration is 600 seconds, which is 10 minutes.
Cost calculation:
- User A's RTC fee = Video call unit price (0.024 CNY/minute) × Video call duration (10 minutes) + Voice call unit price (0.006 CNY/minute) × Voice call duration (10 minutes)
- User B's RTC fee = Video call unit price (0.012 CNY/minute) × Video call duration (10 minutes) + Voice call unit price (0.006 CNY/minute) × Voice call duration (10 minutes)
- User C's RTC fee = Video call unit price (0.012 CNY/minute) × Video call duration (10 minutes) + Video call unit price (0.024 CNY/minute) × Video call duration (10 minutes)
Total RTC fee = User A's RTC fee + User B's RTC fee + User C's RTC fee
Notes
- Alibaba Cloud RTC generates and settles bills for the previous day's usage at approximately 02:00 (UTC+8) each day. The actual time your bill is generated may vary.
- Screen sharing is billed as a separate video stream. The billing tier is determined by the screen sharing resolution that you set.
- If you use Interactive Whiteboard, server-side streaming (bypass), or cloud recording, you are billed separately for these services. For more information, see Billing for server-side streaming, Billing for cloud recording, and Billing for Interactive Whiteboard.