Billing
LobsterCage uses a credit-based billing system. You only pay for active compute time.
Credits
1 credit = 1 minute of Starter-tier compute.
Credit consumption scales with cage size:
| Size | Credits/hr | Credits/min |
|---|---|---|
| Starter (1 vCPU / 4 GB) | 60 | 1 |
| Standard (2 vCPU / 8 GB) | 120 | 2 |
| Power (4 vCPU / 16 GB) | 240 | 4 |
| Extreme (8 vCPU / 32 GB) | 480 | 8 |
Hibernated cages consume zero credits — you only pay when compute is active.
Plans
| Plan | Monthly credits | Max cages | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | 500 | 1 | $0/mo |
| Starter | 6,000 | 15 | $19/mo |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom | Contact us |
The Free plan gives you enough credits for ~8 hours of Starter compute per month. The Starter plan provides ~100 hours.
Credit packs
Need more credits? Purchase add-on packs anytime:
| Pack | Credits | Price | $/credit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boost | 5,000 | $25 | $0.005 |
| Pro | 12,500 | $50 | $0.004 |
| Power | 30,000 | $100 | $0.0033 |
Credit packs never expire and stack with your plan’s monthly allocation.
Tracking usage
# Check current credit balance and usage
lobster billing status
# Open the billing portal (manage subscription, view invoices)
lobster billing portal
# Upgrade your plan
lobster upgradeYou can also view real-time usage on the dashboard .
How billing segments work
Each time a cage starts, a billing segment opens. When the cage stops or hibernates, the segment closes and credits are deducted. Segments track the exact active compute duration down to the second.