Infrastructure pricing update: More granular metrics, lower rates on core usage
Vercel is revising how it meters and bills infrastructure usage across its platform. The headline changes: the Hobby tier remains free, Pro pricing for bandwidth and functions is reduced, and the previous two big combined metrics are split into finer-grained components that customers can optimize independently.
Key points from the announcement:
- Reduced pricing on core items like bandwidth and functions for Pro plans.
- No bill increase for most customers; many will see a decrease.
- New granular metrics replace the old bundled bandwidth and function categories.
- Pay for exactly what you use in smaller increments than before.
- Hobby stays free with included usage preserved.
The new billing structure takes effect during billing cycles between May and June 2024, showing up on the first bill between June 25 and July 24, 2024. Account owners receive emails with next steps.
What’s actually changing
Previously, Vercel grouped costs into two broad buckets: bandwidth and functions. Now those are broken out into separate, individually priced metrics such as Fast Data Transfer, Fast Origin Transfer, and Edge Requests. The idea is that granular metering better reflects the underlying work and lets you tune each dimension instead of paying for a bundle.
Before | After | |
|---|---|---|
Bandwidth | $0.40/GB | Fast Data Transfer: $0.15/GB¹ (-62%) Fast Origin Transfer: $0.06/GB¹ |
Functions | $0.40/GB-hr | Function Invocations: $0.60/million Function Duration: $0.18/GB-hr (-55%) |
Edge Network Routing | Included in Bandwidth | Edge Requests: $2.00/million¹ |
Incremental Static Regeneration | Included in Bandwidth | Data Cache Reads: $0.40/million Data Cache Writes: $4.00/million |
Vercel positions this as more aligned with industry norms. It also points to platform protections added over the past year—hard spend limits, recursion protection, longer function defaults, and Attack Challenge Mode—that help prevent runaway costs under the new scheme.
Enterprise customers with existing contracts see no change; Vercel directs them to their account teams with questions.
A concrete before-and-after example
Under the old Pro structure, the first $20/month included usage, after which overage was billed in coarse blocks. Bandwidth, for instance, included the first 1 TB, and overage cost $40 per 100 GB. The problem: bandwidth bundled Fast Data Transfer, Fast Origin Transfer, and Edge Requests into one price, and overage was charged in 100 GB chunks—use even 1 GB past the cap and you paid $40.
Post-change, the $20 base still includes usage: 1 TB Fast Data Transfer, 100 GB Fast Origin Transfer, and 10 million Edge Requests. Exceed those and each metric accrues separately. Overage is now billed per unit rather than per 100 GB block—1 GB of on-demand usage costs $0.15 rather than the $15 effective rate before. For many customers, that means lower bills on basics like bandwidth and functions.
Frequently asked questions
Will my monthly bill increase?
For most Pro customers, monthly bills stay flat or decrease. Hobby remains free with included usage proportional to the previous bandwidth and function allowances. If a Hobby account exceeds the new metrics within the next six months, applications are not affected, giving time to adjust. No other part of pricing changes in this update.
When do changes go live?
They take effect during your billing cycle between May and June 2024. Before that, the dashboard shows updated usage and billing details, and documentation explains each priced metric and how to optimize it.
Where can I learn about the new metrics?
Granular pricing splits bandwidth and functions into Fast Data Transfer, Fast Origin Transfer, Edge Requests, and more. Details are in the pricing documentation, and a preview of the updated pricing page is available.
Is the open source plan changing?
No. Sponsored Pro accounts for frontend frameworks, JavaScript libraries, non-profits, and philanthropic efforts are unaffected.
What about the free tier?
Free plans still require no payment method and include infrastructure usage. The free allowance carries over: 100 GB of bandwidth becomes 100 GB Fast Data Transfer, 10 GB Fast Origin Transfer, and 1 million Edge Requests. Exceeding those pauses your projects; upgrading to a paid plan resumes growth.
Do cached responses affect usage?
Caching can reduce function usage—if a function response is cached, it doesn't run, so no invocation or GB/hr duration is incurred. Edge Requests are charged for any request to Vercel, and static assets incur Fast Data Transfer whether cached or not. Vercel automatically adds etags and compresses responses to reduce repeat downloads and transfer volume.
How can I manage spend?
Spend Management lets you set an amount (for example $40) and receive email, web, or SMS alerts as usage approaches it. At 100%, you can optionally enable a hard limit that pauses all projects automatically. Platform features added over the last year—recursion protection, improved function defaults, hard spend limits, Attack Challenge Mode—also help prevent uncontrolled costs.
What is regional pricing?
Fast Data Transfer, Fast Origin Transfer, Edge Requests, and other metrics are priced by region because underlying infrastructure costs differ depending on where users connect from. Pricing details vary by region.
