Hourly vs Monthly VPS Billing Explained

LayerOne uses one account-credit balance for server usage. Hourly, monthly, and annual checkout options all meter your server by the hour; they differ in how much credit you buy upfront and which hourly rate the server uses.

The monthly figure is a 730-hour equivalent

Plans are shown with a monthly price because that makes sizes easy to compare. The hourly rate is the monthly figure divided by 730 hours and rounded down to four decimal places. A 31-day month has 744 hours, while February has fewer, so an hourly server left online for a full calendar month will not always consume exactly the advertised monthly equivalent.

Hourly checkout

Hourly checkout does not require you to prepay a full month once hourly billing is unlocked on your account. The server begins drawing its published hourly rate from available credit. This works well for migration tests, temporary environments, short projects, and workloads whose lifetime is uncertain.

Prepaid monthly checkout

Monthly checkout adds one advertised month of credit at checkout, then meters the server at the same hourly rate. It is a convenient way to begin with roughly a month of runway; it is not a flat calendar-month subscription.

Annual checkout

Annual checkout prepays one year at the advertised annual discount. The server meters against that discounted annual rate over 8,760 hours, so the discount applies as the server runs. Choose annual when you expect to keep the workload for the full year and are comfortable making the larger prepayment.

Stopping a server does not stop billing

A stopped or billing-suspended server still reserves CPU, memory, disk, and its IP address, so it continues to meter. Destroy the server to stop its hourly charge. Copy your data off first: destroying a server permanently removes its disk, and LayerOne does not keep a snapshot for you.

Your remaining credit stays on the account

Destroying a server stops that server's draw but does not automatically refund unused account credit. The balance remains available for another server, bandwidth, API overage, or other billable services. Refund requests are reviewed case by case under our Terms of Service.

Watch your own runway

The Billing area shows your current statement, credit added, usage charges, and closing balance. Each server page shows its effective rate, and the dashboard warns you as credit runs low. A working saved card can also support automatic recharge.

Which option should you choose?

• Hourly: choose it when flexibility matters and you already have credit or another way to unlock hourly billing.
• Monthly: choose it when you want to place about one month of runway on the account at checkout.
• Annual: choose it when the server will run long term and the discounted rate is worth the larger prepayment.

Compare current rates on the pricing page and read how hourly billing works for the exact metering rules.