Usage and billing
Usage is the total time used by all sessions in a run. One hour of elapsed test time is not the same as one Virtual-User hour.
Estimate Virtual-User hours (VUh)
600 sessions × 30 seconds = 18,000 Virtual-User seconds
18,000 / 3,600 = 5 Virtual-User hours (VUh)
300 × 10 seconds + 300 × 50 seconds = 18,000 Virtual-User seconds = 5 VUh
At 20–45 seconds per session, 600 sessions represent roughly 3.33–7.5 VUh. Concurrent execution changes elapsed time, but not this sum when individual durations stay the same. Validation and recent completed runs inform the displayed estimate; changed steps need fresh timing. Slower sessions can consume more than the estimate.
What counts towards usage
Recorded session time starts when the scenario begins, after browser preparation and any wait for its scheduled start. It ends at the recorded session end, or the last available report for a session that stopped reporting. Recorded Virtual-User seconds are added across sessions, then the total is rounded to the nearest whole second. Individual sessions are not rounded up to a minute.
| Condition | How usage is counted |
|---|---|
| Validation | Validating a scenario is free. |
| Waits and timeouts | Recorded time inside a session, including pauses and time before failure, contributes to usage. |
| Failed start | A session with no recorded scenario start contributes no session time. A started session that fails can contribute to usage. |
| Manual / automatic stop | Usage is based on the session time included in the report. A stopped run may have incomplete results, and traffic may not stop immediately. |
| Preparation | Browser launch and waiting for the scheduled scenario start are outside the recorded user session. |
| Missing reporting | If a session stops reporting, its usage is based on the last information received. Contact support if you need help understanding incomplete results. |
Usage is not the invoice total
Every hour is paid for before it is used; nothing is billed after a run. With a plan, recorded usage first draws on the hours your plan includes for the current month, then on your balance of bought hours. Without a plan, it draws on the balance alone. Included hours reset each month and do not carry over; bought hours never expire. Deleting a test does not remove its recorded usage.
Hours are bought up front at your plan’s rate, or the pay-as-you-go rate without a plan. With a plan, they are charged to your plan’s card straight away. Without one, each purchase is a one-off payment at checkout, where Paddle can save your card for next time. Hours are added once the payment goes through. Auto top-up buys a set number of hours whenever fewer than your threshold are left, so scheduled runs keep going; without a plan, turning it on asks for a card that Paddle keeps for it, with no monthly fee.
Plans & billing shows the included hours left this month and your balance, in VUh. Current subscription fees, included hours and prices are available on Pricing and Plans & billing. Changing plans mid-month charges or credits the price difference for the rest of the month, and the month’s included hours change in the same proportion.
Spending controls
Your concurrent-user limit controls how many sessions can run at once; it is not a spending limit. Spending is limited by the hours you have: UserLimit stops a run when it detects that your included and bought hours have run out, and only auto top-up buys more without you. Usage updates and stopping take time, so sessions already running can take the balance slightly below zero; the shortfall comes out of the next hours you buy. Review stop behavior before a larger run.
Understanding a run’s usage
The run’s VUh billed value can be understood in relation to its session counts and recorded durations. Failed sessions can contribute usage, and incomplete reporting can affect the total. That usage comes out of the month’s included hours while there are some, and out of your bought hours after them.
If the totals remain unclear, support can investigate using the run identifier, start time and the amounts in question. Screenshots or excerpts should have card details, credentials and tokens removed.
Subscription and billing controls are available in Plans & billing. Account settings and support provide options for account deletion and data requests, but deleting a test does not remove billing records.