ImageKit has a few different pricing parameters. First, we will understand each pricing parameter and then see how it will impact your usage and billing on different plans.

1. Bandwidth - This is the total optimized data transfer from your account. For example, if you have a 500KB original image, and with ImageKit, you are able to optimize it to 30KB, then the bandwidth used for billing is 30KB. If you deliver this image 2 million times on your website, the total bandwidth consumed is 30KB x 2 million = 60GB.

Note: If the image is cached on the user's device, and the request for it never comes to ImageKit, then it is not counted towards bandwidth consumption. If the image is already processed and cached on ImageKit, it is still counted towards bandwidth consumption.

2. Storage - This is the total size of files you upload to ImageKit's media library. If you upload 100 files of 2MB each, then your total storage usage is 2 x 100MB = 200MB. Connecting your external storage or server with ImageKit does not count toward storage usage in ImageKit. ImageKit does not charge for internal storage generated by caching image or video transformations. You are only billed for what you upload explicitly to the media library.

3. Video Processing Units - When you process any video for the first time with ImageKit, then it consumes video processing units. These units are proportional to the output resolution and duration. Repeat delivery of videos does not consume video processing units; it counts only towards bandwidth usage.

You can view more details about how video processing units are consumed here - https://docs.imagekit.io/features/video-transformation#pricing

4. Extension Units - These are special units consumed when you use third-party services integrated within ImageKit. Services such as AI tagging and AI-powered background removal consume extension units only when you explicitly call these operations via the API or the media library dashboard.

You can view more details about how extension units are consumed here - https://docs.imagekit.io/extensions/overview#extension-pricing

The free plan consists of specific inclusions for the above pricing parameters as mentioned on the Plans page - https://imagekit.io/plans.

The usage against these pricing parameters resets on the first day of every calendar month.

Once you exceed the free plan inclusions in the middle of a month, the corresponding functionality will stop. You must upgrade to a paid plan to resume using the feature.

In paid plans too, you have certain inclusions for the above pricing parameters as mentioned on the Plans page - https://imagekit.io/plans.

Once you exceed those inclusions, you have an additional usage pricing defined for every component. You pay for the additional units you consume in the billing cycle.

If you are on a paid plan, you will be billed the minimum monthly fixed cost, irrespective of your monthly consumption. If your consumption falls within the free plan inclusions, to not get billed, you must cancel your subscription to switch to the free plan.

The monthly fixed billing is $49, which includes 40GB of bandwidth and 5000 video processing units.

Additional bandwidth usage = 110GB - 40GB = 70GB. This is covered by four additional units of 20GB bandwidth. Billing for additional bandwidth usage is $9 x 4 = $36.

Additional video processing unit usage = 40,000 - 5,000 = 35,000. This is covered by three additional units of 12,000 video processing units. Billing for additional video processing unit usage = $10 x 3 = $30.

Total billing = $49 + $36 + $30 = $115.

2. The same bandwidth and video processing usage in the scenario as above, but you have also uploaded 30GB of content to the media library. And you have also used AI-powered background removal on 50 images.

The paid plan also consists of 20GB of media library storage. Additional storage usage = 30GB - 20GB = 10GB. Billing for additional storage usage = $0.1 x 10 = $1.

One background removal operation consumes 130 extension units. For 50 images, 6500 extension units will get consumed. The paid plan includes 2500 extension units. Additional extension unit usage = 6,500 - 2,500 = 4,000. This is covered by one additional unit of 5,000 extension units. Additional extension unit pricing = $10 x 1 = $10.

Total Billing = $49 for base Plan + $36 for additional bandwidth usage + $30 for additional video processing usage + $1 for additional storage usage + $10 for additional extension unit usage = $126.

For any questions about the billing or to get a custom plan based on your requirements, please email support@imagekit.io or, if you are a paid plan user, start a live chat from your dashboard.