Pricing
This guide explains how pricing works for the Cloud Transcoding service.
If you have a signed contract with Agora, your contract terms take precedence over the pricing information in this document.
Service workflow
Here's how the Cloud Transcoding Service works:
- Stream publishing: Users publish audio/video streams through Agora SD-RTN.
- Stream subscription: Agora transcoding servers subscribe to streams
- Processing: Agora transcodes (converts) or passes-through streams as needed
- Distribution: The processed stream is delivered to chosen destinations (RTC channels or CDN)
You are charged for steps 2 (subscription) and 3 (processing).
How billing works
Agora calculates your monthly usage across all projects in your developer account and issues bills accordingly. The Cloud Transcoding charges consist of two components:
| Fee Type | What It Covers | Calculation |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription fee | The duration when Agora service subscribes to audio and video streams | Based on the actual duration of audio and video streams processed |
| Processing fee | The computational cost of processing and converting streams | Based on the type and duration of media processing performed |
The subscription and processing fees are not covered by the free minutes and are charged separately.
Pricing breakdown
The following breakdown explains how Cloud Transcoding is billed.
Subscription fee
When transcoding starts, the service joins channels as a virtual participant to access streams. This follows the same pricing structure as Agora real-time audio and video services.
- Audio subscription fee = Audio unit price × Audio duration
- Video subscription fee = Video unit price × Video duration
If dual-stream mode is used, Agora only subscribes to the main video stream for cost efficiency.
Media processing fee
Media processing varies based on the type of processing required:
Audio processing
When outputting audio streams, audio processing fees apply. For audio, the processing fee is the same for non-transcoding or transcoding. It is calculated as follows:
Audio transcoding duration × Audio transcoding unit price
Video processing
Agora offers two types of video processing:
-
Video pass-through (No transcoding)
When video is output without format conversion, video pass-through fees apply. It is calculated as follows:Video duration × Video non-transcoding unit price -
Video transcoding
When video format conversion is required, video transcoding fees apply. It is calculated as follows:Video transcoding duration × Video transcoding unit price
Pricing tables
The following tables show the applicable rates for media processing
Media pass-through (No transcoding)
| Category | Pricing ($US/1,000 minutes) |
|---|---|
| Audio streams | 1.99 |
| Video stream | 1.99 |
With transcoding
| Category | Pricing ($US/1,000 minutes) |
|---|---|
| Audio stream | 1.99 |
| Video stream - HD | 7.99 |
| Video stream - Full HD | 15.99 |
Video resolutions are defined as follows:
| Resolution type | Range |
|---|---|
| High-Definition (HD) | Up to 921,600 pixels (1280 × 720) |
| Full High-Definition (Full HD) | From greater than 921,600 pixels (1280 × 720) to 2,073,600 pixels (1920 × 1080) |
Duration calculation
- Monitoring: Agora tracks the exact start and stop times of each transcoding task
- Precision: Calculated in seconds for accuracy
- Billing: Displayed in seconds in your console, rounded to minutes on invoices
- Minimum charge: Partial seconds/minutes are rounded up to the next full unit