Pricing and quotas
Forte bills backend services with provisioned and active compute rates. Build & Deploy workflows and managed databases are billed separately.
This category uses a two-tier billing model: a Provisioned rate for keeping instances warm, and an Active rate when instances process requests.
How it works
Each service runs one or more container instances. You pay two compute rates:
- Provisioned rate: A fixed monthly cost per instance for keeping it warm and ready to receive requests, based on your container's memory.
- Active rate: An hourly cost that applies while an instance actively processes requests, based on your container size.
Provisioned instances are kept warm for you even when your service is idle, so you always pay the provisioned rate for the memory they use. When traffic arrives and instances handle requests, you also pay the active vCPU rate for that time.
Bulk discounts apply when active compute exceeds 30% of monthly capacity. Contact us for pricing.
Paused services aren't billed for provisioned or active compute and skip any new build requests from GitHub. You aren't billed for any usage until you resume the service.
Compare compute rates
Provisioned rate is $0.014 per GB of memory, per hour: shown per instance, per month below. Active rate is per vCPU, per hour of active processing.
| Container Size | CPU | Memory | Provisioned Rate | Active Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Default | 0.25 vCPU | 0.5 GB | $5.11/mo | $0.05/hr |
| Medium | 0.5 vCPU | 1 GB | $10.22/mo | $0.10/hr |
| Large | 1 vCPU | 2 GB | $20.44/mo | $0.20/hr |
| Extra Large | 2 vCPU | 4 GB | $40.88/mo | $0.40/hr |
Provisioned instances
You can configure 1 to 10 provisioned instances per service. Provisioned instances are the containers that always run and stay ready to handle requests.
- 1 provisioned instance (default): Suitable for low-traffic services or development workloads.
- 2–10 provisioned instances: Keep more containers warm to reduce cold starts under higher traffic.
Configuring more than 1 provisioned instance or selecting a non-default container size requires a verified billing method.
Calculate example costs
Default configuration (1 provisioned instance, 0.25 vCPU)
- Provisioned cost: 1 instance × $5.11/mo = $5.11/mo
- Active cost: $0.05/hr of active processing time (depends on traffic volume)
High-availability setup (3 provisioned instances, 1 vCPU)
- Provisioned cost: 3 instances × $20.44/mo = $61.32/mo
- Active cost: $0.20/hr of active processing time (depends on traffic volume)
Billing setup
To use non-default configurations, set up a billing method:
- Go to your service's create or edit page
- Select a non-default container size or increase provisioned instances
- Forte redirects you to add a payment method
- After verification, non-default configurations become available
Sandbox projects use a test billing environment: see Sandbox (Test) Mode for details.
Free tier
New accounts receive a $20.00 welcome credit automatically: enough to run four default backend service configurations (1 provisioned instance, 0.25 vCPU) free through your first month. The credit expires at the end of your first billing month and any unused balance doesn't carry over.
Quotas
Accounts without a verified billing method run on the free tier, which caps how much you can create. Adding a billing method raises those caps immediately. Quotas apply per account unless the Scope column says otherwise.
| Quota | Free tier | Billing active | Scope |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of services | 1 | 10 | Account |
| Container size | Default only (0.25 vCPU, 0.5 GB) | Up to Extra Large (2 vCPU, 4 GB) | Service |
| Provisioned instances | 1 | 1 to 10 | Service |
| Websites | 10 | 10 | Account |
| Custom domains | Requires a billing method | 10 | Service or website |
| Managed databases | 1 | 5 | Account |
| Storage per database | 1–10 GB | 1–10 GB | Database |
| Users per database | 25 | 25 | Database |
| Services connected per database | 20 | 20 | Database |
| Environment variables and secrets | 100 combined | 100 combined | Service or website |
| Enabled actions | 100 | 100 | Project |
| Build & Deploy runs | Until the welcome credit runs out | Unlimited, billed per build | Account |
| Log and request log retention | 90 days | 90 days | Account |
If you need higher limits, please contact support or open a Support Case from the Forte dashboard.
Next steps
- Deploying Services: Learn how to deploy your first service