Cost Optimization
Understand Edge's pricing model and practical ways to optimise spend without sacrificing performance.
Edge's pricing model
Edge uses bundled plans that include compute, storage, CDN, and DNS. Crucially, egress is zero — you don't pay for bandwidth between your origin and the CDN, or from the CDN to users. That removes a major variable cost found on traditional clouds.
Plan tiers: Dev ($12/mo), Startup ($25/mo), Scaleup ($49/mo), and Business ($199/mo). Each tier includes a set amount of vCPU, RAM, storage, and CDN usage. Stay within your limits and your bill is predictable.
Right-sizing VMs
Don't over-provision. A small static site or API may run fine on 1 vCPU / 1 GB RAM. Check your VM's actual CPU and memory usage in the control panel under Compute → Metrics.
If utilisation is consistently low (e.g. under 20%), resize to a smaller instance. Edge lets you resize VMs without data loss — shut down, change the plan, start again. Scaling up is easy when you need it.
Monitoring usage against plan limits
The Usage page in the control panel shows how much of your plan you've consumed: vCPU hours, RAM, storage, CDN requests, and bandwidth. Use it to avoid overages and to decide when to upgrade vs optimise.
When to upgrade: If you're consistently near or over plan limits, upgrading is often cheaper than overage charges. The next tier may also unlock features (e.g. more CDN origins, more VMs) that improve your setup.
When to optimise: If usage is well under limits but you want to cut costs, right-size VMs, enable CDN caching to reduce origin load, and clean up unused storage.
CDN caching and storage lifecycle
CDN caching reduces origin load — fewer requests hit your VM, so you use fewer compute resources. Configure cache rules for static assets (long TTL) and bypass for dynamic content. See our Caching Strategies guide.
Storage lifecycle: Clean up unused files. Delete old backups, test data, and temporary uploads. Use the storage dashboard to identify large buckets or paths. If you use versioning, consider lifecycle policies to expire old versions — check the Storage docs for supported options.
Annual billing discount
Pay annually and save roughly 15%. In Settings → Billing, switch to annual billing. Your plan is charged upfront for 12 months at a discounted rate — useful if you're committed to Edge and want to lock in savings.
The Usage page
Make the Usage page a regular stop. It breaks down consumption by resource type and shows trends over time. Use it to spot growth before you hit limits and to validate that optimisation changes (e.g. caching, resizing) are having the expected effect.
Set up alerts if available — we notify you when you approach plan limits so you can act before overages occur.