Pricing and Calculator
Estimate monthly IoT connectivity costs for devices, applications and secure messaging with Æthernet.
Pay-as-You-Go
Start within the free tier. When you need more, pay only for usage above the monthly allowances.
| Billable item | Rate | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Active devices & app instancesUsing Æthernet-hosted servers | $0.005 | per device / month |
| Inactive or self-hosted devices & app instancesNot using Æthernet-hosted servers this month | $0.0002 | per device / month |
| Outgoing messagesThrough Æthernet-hosted servers | $0.02 | per GB |
Prices are in USD, excluding taxes and third-party costs.
When the $0.0002 rate applies
A device or app instance remains counted while its Æthernet identity is reserved, even when inactive. If it sends, receives, or uses presence/ping through Æthernet-hosted servers at any time during the month, the $0.005 monthly rate applies. Registration and required configuration alone do not. Otherwise, the $0.0002 monthly rate applies.
Included at no extra charge
Incoming messages, pings and service traffic have no separate byte charge. Registration and activation are included. Self-hosted Æthernet servers and traffic have no Æthernet licence or traffic fee; customer hosting and third-party connectivity costs are separate.
Monthly counting, released devices and fallback servers
Rates are counted per UTC calendar month and are not prorated. Releasing a device or app instance during the month does not remove it from that month’s count.
If a device or app instance uses an Æthernet-hosted fallback server even once, the $0.005 rate applies for that month. Switching network transport, such as Wi-Fi to cellular, does not change the rate.
How outgoing messages are billed
Only outgoing messages through Æthernet-hosted servers are billed. Billing starts when a valid message is accepted by a hosted server; receiving the message does not create a second byte charge.
The calculator estimates payload plus 60 B of Æthernet packaging for each hosted copy. Extra hosted copies and application replies or ACKs are separate outgoing messages. IP, UDP, TCP, TLS and WebSocket headers are excluded. If you enter a volume that is already measured as billable, no extra overhead is added.
What self-hosted pricing includes
There is no Æthernet server licence or traffic fee for self-hosted Æthernet servers. Devices and app instances that do not use Æthernet-hosted servers use the $0.0002 monthly rate.
You pay your own hosting and third-party connectivity costs. Long-term message storage, application databases and a separate SLA are not included in these rates.
Use Æthernet for free
Every UTC calendar month, for each project. No card is required while you stay within both limits.
The free tier applies automatically to active, inactive and self-hosted devices & app instances together, plus outgoing traffic through Æthernet-hosted servers.
If you exceed a limit, you pay only for the excess; both free allowances still apply. Unused allowance does not roll over.
Pricing Calculator
This calculator provides an approximate monthly estimate from the values you enter. Actual billing is based on measured usage during the UTC calendar month.
Usage for one project
Free tier applied. Only excess usage is charged.
- Devices & app instances this month
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- Outgoing volume
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- Devices & app instances
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- Outgoing messages
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Examples
Change the inputs to explore the costs. Each example is a separate project with its own free allowances. Combine usage first if multiple flows belong to the same project.
Counts and traffic patterns are stated assumptions, not measured customer bills. In message-pattern mode, only devices and apps that send the modeled flow are counted as senders; receivers and presence-only clients still remain part of the active device/app count. Pattern estimates use 30 days and 60 B of packaging per hosted copy.
Example 1: DIY Smart Greenhouse Controller
An ESP32 controller monitors the greenhouse and sends telemetry to an operator app. Both count separately as a device and an app instance. This estimate covers controller-to-app telemetry; any commands or application replies are additional outgoing messages.
Usage for one project
Free tier applied. Only excess usage is charged.
- Devices & app instances this month
- —
- Outgoing volume
- —
- Devices & app instances
- —
- Outgoing messages
- —
Example 2: Small Business Local Delivery Fleet
Vehicle trackers send location and battery-health telemetry to one dispatch backend. Each tracker and the backend count separately. The backend receives these messages without a second traffic charge. SIM connectivity and backend hosting are separate costs.
Usage for one project
Free tier applied. Only excess usage is charged.
- Devices & app instances this month
- —
- Outgoing volume
- —
- Devices & app instances
- —
- Outgoing messages
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Example 3: Corporate Smart Business Center
Sensors, access-control devices and HVAC controllers send telemetry to building-management services. Each endpoint and service counts separately. This estimate covers one telemetry flow; control commands and application acknowledgements must be added separately.
Usage for one project
Free tier applied. Only excess usage is charged.
- Devices & app instances this month
- —
- Outgoing volume
- —
- Devices & app instances
- —
- Outgoing messages
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Example 4: Global Messaging with Inactive Installs
A messaging service retains 100,000 application identities. During the month, 5,000 app instances use Æthernet-hosted servers, while 95,000 remain inactive but leased. The 5 GB input is already billable outgoing volume, including all hosted copies and any application replies.
Usage for one project
Free tier applied. Only excess usage is charged.
- Devices & app instances this month
- —
- Outgoing volume
- —
- Devices & app instances
- —
- Outgoing messages
- —
Example 5: Self-hosted Messaging
One million application identities remain leased, and 100,000 instances are active. All messaging and presence use customer-hosted Æthernet servers. Even with 50 TB of traffic on those servers, Æthernet charges no fee for that traffic or for a server licence. Customer hosting costs remain separate.
Usage for one project
Free tier applied. Only excess usage is charged.
- Devices & app instances this month
- —
- Outgoing volume
- —
- Devices & app instances
- —
- Outgoing messages
- —