# Pricing (/en/realtime-media/transcoding/reference/pricing)

> For AI agents: see the complete documentation index at [llms.txt](/llms.txt).

This guide explains how pricing works for the Cloud Transcoding service.

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    If you have a signed contract with Agora, your contract terms take precedence over the pricing information in this document.
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## Service workflow [#service-workflow]

Here's how the Cloud Transcoding Service works:

1. **Stream publishing:** Users publish audio/video streams through Agora SDRTN®.
2. **Stream subscription:** Agora transcoding servers subscribe to streams
3. **Processing:** Agora transcodes (converts) or passes-through streams as needed
4. **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 [#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 [#pricing-breakdown]

The following breakdown explains how Cloud Transcoding is billed.

### Subscription fee [#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

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    If dual-stream mode is used, Agora only subscribes to the main video stream for cost efficiency.
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### Media processing fee [#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 [#pricing-tables]

The following tables show the applicable rates for media processing

### Media pass-through (No transcoding) [#media-pass-through-no-transcoding]

| Category      | Pricing ($US/1,000 minutes) |
| :------------ | :-------------------------: |
| Audio streams |             1.99            |
| Video stream  |             1.99            |

### With transcoding [#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 [#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