# Nextcloud Workspace Billing

Nextcloud Workspace is billed based on the number of **user seats** provisioned in the IONOS Cloud Data Center Designer (DCD). Understanding how seats are counted, how billing begins and ends, and how multiple workspaces are managed helps you estimate costs accurately, and avoid unexpected charges. Customers can choose between a flexible **Pay-As-You-Go (PAYG)** model or [<mark style="color:blue;">Cloud Savings Plans</mark>](https://docs.ionos.com/cloud/set-up-ionos-cloud/management/usage/cloud-savings-plans) for reduced rates.

## Billable services

Nextcloud Workspace charges for one dimension: the number of user seats per workspace. Storage (1 TB per user) is included in the per-seat price and is not billed separately.

For Pay-As-You-Go (PAYG) billing, pricing is determined by the size of each individual workspace (not your total account volume), divided into two tiers:

* **Tier 1:** Workspaces with 1 to 24 seats.
* **Tier 2:** Workspaces with 25 or more seats.

## Seat definitions for billing

A **seat** is a provisioned user licence in a Nextcloud Workspace instance. The number of seats is set when you create a workspace and can be increased at any time from the DCD.

Billing reflects the number of seats configured in the DCD, not the number of active or logged-in users. For example, if you provision 20 seats but only 15 users log in, your invoice will still reflect the 20 provisioned seats.

{% hint style="warning" %}
**Seat reduction is currently not supported:** It is not currently possible to reduce the number of provisioned seats in an active workspace. We recommend provisioning only the seats you immediately need and scaling up later.
{% endhint %}

## Usage calculation logic

* Billing begins when a workspace is provisioned and seats are assigned.
* Seat count is managed in the DCD. Increasing the seat count immediately provisions additional seats.
* Under PAYG, each workspace is billed independently based on its pricing tier. For example, if you provision two workspaces with 15 seats each, they are billed at the Tier 1 rate, and appear on your invoice as an aggregated charge for 30 seats. They do not combine to reach the Tier 2 (25+ users) pricing.
* [<mark style="color:blue;">Cloud Savings Plans</mark>](https://docs.ionos.com/cloud/set-up-ionos-cloud/management/usage/cloud-savings-plans) apply to your entire contract and require a minimum of 25 users, which can be aggregated across multiple smaller workspaces.

## Monitor usage data

### Cost and Usage view in the DCD

The DCD **Cost & Usage** view provides a breakdown of all billed services, including Nextcloud Workspace, with current list prices.

1. In the DCD, go to **Menu** > **Management** > **Cost & Usage**.
2. Select a **Period** to generate the report.

Billing data is updated at least once every 24 hours, so the current period may reflect a delay of up to 24 hours. For more information, see [<mark style="color:blue;">Cost and Usage</mark>](https://docs.ionos.com/cloud/set-up-ionos-cloud/management/usage/cost-and-usage).

### Billing API

For programmatic access to invoice data and usage breakdowns, use the [<mark style="color:blue;">IONOS Cloud Billing API</mark>](https://api.ionos.com/docs/billing/v3/). The API returns daily and monthly aggregates, which you can integrate into internal reporting or cost management tools.

## Pricing

Nextcloud Workspace is billed per user seat per month (calculated hourly under PAYG, alongside 1-year Cloud Savings Plans). For current prices by region, see [<mark style="color:blue;">IONOS Cloud Prices</mark>](https://docs.ionos.com/cloud/support/general-information/price-list).

## Next steps

* [<mark style="color:blue;">Configure your Nextcloud Workspace</mark>](https://docs.ionos.com/cloud/sovereign-workplace/nextcloud-workspace/how-tos/configure-nextcloud-workspace)
* [<mark style="color:blue;">Increase User Seats in Nextcloud Workspace</mark>](https://docs.ionos.com/cloud/sovereign-workplace/nextcloud-workspace/how-tos/increase-user-count)
* [<mark style="color:blue;">Frequently Asked Questions</mark>](https://docs.ionos.com/cloud/sovereign-workplace/nextcloud-workspace/nextcloud-workspace-faq)

**Useful references:**

* [<mark style="color:blue;">Cloud Savings Plans</mark>](https://docs.ionos.com/cloud/set-up-ionos-cloud/management/usage/cloud-savings-plans)
* [<mark style="color:blue;">IONOS Cloud Prices</mark>](https://cloud.ionos.com/prices)
* [<mark style="color:blue;">IONOS Cloud Billing API</mark>](https://api.ionos.com/docs/billing/v3/)
* [<mark style="color:blue;">Cost Alert</mark>](https://docs.ionos.com/cloud/set-up-ionos-cloud/management/usage/cost-alert)