Pay by usage
For some products you can pay by usage instead of a fixed monthly price: for game servers and for Cloud Storage – either with credit or with Flex. This page explains how it is calculated – with prices, rules and examples.
Prices as of: 10/2026
For a server that runs all month, a package with a fixed monthly price is usually cheaper. Paying by usage suits a server that only runs part of the time, something you want to try out, or a case where you do not know how much you will need.
Two ways to pay by usage
For game servers there are two ways. The prices are the same for both; they differ in when and how you pay.
Pay by usage with credit
This way is open to all customers.
- When you order, you pay in a starting credit. You choose one of the amounts from €10 to €50.
- Your usage is measured every minute and deducted from this credit.
- When 90 % of the credit has been used, we automatically charge the same amount to your stored credit or debit card and top up the credit with it. We do not accept prepaid cards for this.
- With the spending cap you set the most you want to use per month (from €5 to €50, €25 at the start). At 50 % and at 80 % you get a notice, at 100 % your server is stopped.
- If the credit is used up and no new credit arrives, your server is stopped. Your data is kept.
- After the end of the month you get the statement as a PDF. You can download the measurements as a CSV. You find both in your customer area under “Usage”.
- You can cancel at any time: at the end of the month or immediately. If you cancel immediately, you pay only up to the minute. Any remaining credit is returned to you.
- You can switch to a package at any time; your server and its data stay the same. The other way round, from a package into the usage-based plan, is not possible. For that you order a new server.
Flex
This way is only for customers we have enabled for it.
Flex has the same prices, but no credit. At the end of the month you get an invoice for your usage, which we collect with your stored payment method.
We enable Flex on request. Please write us a ticket. Write a ticket
Game servers: prices and rules
These prices apply to game servers in the usage-based plan and with Flex.
| Item | Price | When it is charged |
|---|---|---|
| Memory (RAM) | 0.55 ct per GB-hour | Only while the server is running. Each minute counts the measured value, but at least half (50 %) of the booked memory. |
| Processor | 0.90 ct per core-hour | Only while the server is running. What counts is how many cores the server actually uses. |
| Storage space | 12 ct per GB-month | Always, even when the server is switched off. |
| Backups | 3 ct per GB-month and backup | Always, even when the server is switched off. Each backup counts with its size and the time it exists. |
| Base fee | €1.49 per server and month | For every day the server exists (pro rata by day). |
A GB-hour is 1 GB of memory for one hour, a core-hour is one processor core in use for one hour, and a GB-month is 1 GB occupied for a whole month. Measurements are taken every minute; minutes without a measurement are not charged.
Volume discount
The more you use in a month, the cheaper the part above becomes. The discount applies to the usage of all your servers together, without the base fee. It works in steps: only the part within each step gets that step’s discount.
| Usage per month | You pay for it |
|---|---|
| up to €50 | the full price |
| €50 to €100 | 70 % of the price (30 % discount) |
| over €100 | 50 % of the price (50 % discount) |
An example: with €80 of usage in a month, the part from €50 to €80 gets the discount of the second step. The discount comes to €9.00 in total, so you pay €71.00 plus the base fee.
Game servers: worked examples
The three examples show how a month adds up. The amounts are assumed; what your server really uses depends on what runs on it. They are calculated with a month of 744 hours (31 days), one server and the prices above.
Friends in the evenings and at weekends
Assumptions: 6 GB memory booked, on average 3.8 GB in use; server on 62 hours a month; processor on average 1.1 cores; 12 GB storage space; backups together 6 GB.
| Item | Quantity × price | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Memory (RAM) | 235.6 GB-h × 0.55 ct | €1.30 |
| Processor | 68.2 core-h × 0.90 ct | €0.61 |
| Storage space | 12 GB-months × 12 ct | €1.44 |
| Backups | 6 GB-months × 3 ct | €0.18 |
| Base fee | 1 month × €1.49 | €1.49 |
| Total for the month | €5.02 | |
Clan from Friday to Sunday
Assumptions: 12 GB memory booked, on average 9.2 GB in use; server on 190 hours a month; processor on average 2.1 cores; 28 GB storage space; backups together 24 GB.
| Item | Quantity × price | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Memory (RAM) | 1,748 GB-h × 0.55 ct | €9.61 |
| Processor | 399 core-h × 0.90 ct | €3.59 |
| Storage space | 28 GB-months × 12 ct | €3.36 |
| Backups | 24 GB-months × 3 ct | €0.72 |
| Base fee | 1 month × €1.49 | €1.49 |
| Total for the month | €18.77 | |
Small community around the clock
Assumptions: 8 GB memory booked, on average 5.6 GB in use; server on 744 hours a month; processor on average 1.4 cores; 32 GB storage space; backups together 40 GB.
| Item | Quantity × price | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Memory (RAM) | 4,166.4 GB-h × 0.55 ct | €22.92 |
| Processor | 1,041.6 core-h × 0.90 ct | €9.37 |
| Storage space | 32 GB-months × 12 ct | €3.84 |
| Backups | 40 GB-months × 3 ct | €1.20 |
| Base fee | 1 month × €1.49 | €1.49 |
| Total for the month | €38.82 | |
The third example shows continuous operation. If your server runs like that, compare the total with the price of a package: the package is usually cheaper. View game server packages
Cloud Storage: pay-as-you-go and Flex
Cloud Storage comes in three ways: as a package with a fixed monthly price, pay-as-you-go with credit, and Flex. Pay-as-you-go and Flex have the same prices – a base fee with included amounts and the usage above that. They differ in when and how you pay.
| Item | Price | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Base price | €9.99 per month | Charged in advance. 1 TB of storage and 1 TB of download traffic are included per contract month. |
| Storage above that | €8.90 per TB and month | Calculated from the average of the hourly occupancy, to the GB. What exceeds the included storage is charged pro rata for the time. |
| Traffic above that | €1.49 per TB | Outgoing traffic counts (downloads, also through share links). Uploads and backups do not count. |
Pay-as-you-go with credit
- The base fee (pro rata by the day) and your usage are taken from your usage credit – the same credit as for pay-as-you-go game servers. This option is open to all customers.
- You pay a starting credit of €10 to €50 with your order. Once 90 % is used, we automatically top up the same amount from your credit or debit card.
- If the credit runs out or your cost limit (€5 to €50 per month) is reached, we lock the storage. Your files stay; with new credit or a higher limit we unlock it again.
- At the end of the month you get a statement with every item, together with your pay-as-you-go game servers. No volume discount applies to Cloud Storage.
- You can cancel at any time, at the end of the month or immediately, and switch to a package at any time. You get any remaining credit back.
Flex
- Usage above the included amounts is billed afterwards, together with your next contract invoice. Amounts below €0.50 stay open and are added to the next period.
- At the start a spending limit of €50 of usage per month applies. It grows with paid invoices. At 80 % you get an e-mail.
- With every invoice you get a usage statement as a PDF with the values per day.
- Flex is only for customers we have enabled for it. You also need your complete address and a stored payment method (direct debit, credit card or PayPal).
Worked example
In a month you have on average 2.5 TB of storage in use and you use 1.5 TB of download traffic.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Base price (includes 1 TB of storage and 1 TB of traffic) | €9.99 |
| Storage above that: 1.5 TB × €8.90 | €13.35 |
| Traffic above that: 0.5 TB × €1.49 | €0.75 |
| Total for the month | €24.09 |
Tax
All prices are final prices. No VAT is charged according to § 19 UStG (German small-business rule).
Frequently asked questions
When does the usage-based plan pay off, and when a package?
A package has a fixed monthly price and is usually cheaper for servers that run permanently. Paying by usage means you pay only for what your server really uses. That suits servers that only run part of the time. The worked examples above help you estimate.
What happens when my credit is used up?
Your server is stopped; your data is kept. We remind you by e-mail. If no credit arrives within 14 days, the contract ends; we then keep your data for another 30 days; if you need it, send us a ticket.
Where can I see what I have used?
In your customer area under “Usage”. It shows the current month per server with quantities and amounts, your credit and the latest transactions. You can download the measurements of a month as a CSV.
How do I limit the costs?
With the spending cap. You set it yourself in your customer area under “Usage”, from €5 to €50 per month. At 50 % and 80 % we warn you, at 100 % your server is stopped.
Can I switch to a package later, and the other way round?
You can switch from the usage-based plan to a package at any time. Your server and its data stay the same; we bill the usage up to the switch. You cannot switch from a package into the usage-based plan. For that you order a new server.
Do I get remaining credit back?
Yes. When you cancel your last server you choose whether we credit it to your customer account or refund it to your card.
What is Flex and how do I get it?
Flex is billing by usage without credit: you get an invoice at the end of the month. We enable Flex on request. Please write us a ticket in your customer account.
Our terms and conditions and the terms for additional services are binding. This page explains them but does not replace them.