Pricing FAQ

What is a run?

There are two types of runs in Scalr that Scalr charges for:

An apply run is one that runs a Terraform apply. This consists of the following steps:

  • Plan
  • Cost Estimation
  • Policy Check
  • Apply

A dry run, which is the equivalent of running a Terraform plan. This consists of the following steps:

  • Plan
  • Cost Estimation
  • Policy Check

What runs do not count towards billing?

Some runs, with specific error codes, are not counted against the runs you're billed for. At a high level, the following are not billed for:

  • Runs that use local execution mode in the workspace
  • All runs that fail during the Terraform init due to. A couple examples of this, but not limited to are:
    • Missing folder or var file
    • Terraform code parsing errors
    • Connectivity errors (registries, docker, etc)
    • Broken provider configs errors
  • Runs that fail during the cost-estimate phase
  • Runs failed due to an internal Scalr error

Can I see which runs do not count towards billing?

Yes, if a run has failed and it is for a reason listed above, an icon is displayed to show that it does not count towards billing:

What happens when I use all of my pre-paid runs?

Customers will never be blocked from executing a run. If all pre-paid runs have been used during a subscription period then flex runs will start.

What are flex runs?

If a customer goes over the number of pre-paid runs for the subscription period they will then be charged the flex run rate of $0.99 per run, which will be charged at the end of the subscription period. Customers have the option of upgrading at any time or renewing early to avoid the flex run rate.

What is the cost of support?

There is no extra cost for support. Customers only need to factor in the number of runs when estimating cost. All paid customers receive 24x7x365 support, access to the Scalr Slack community, access to support.scalr.com, and Zoom meetings as needed.

Are there any other costs?

The only thing that needs to be factored in to the cost of Scalr is the total number of runs. All other objects in Scalr have quotas, but they are soft quotas the can be increased by opening a support ticket.

Are there any discounts?

Volume discounts are built into the price and reflected in the Scalr pricing calculator on scalr.com/pricing. The more runs that are purchased the less the price per run is.

How can I pay for Scalr?

Monthly plans can be purchased using credit card. Annual plans can be purchased using credit card or ACH. Customers can also purchase Scalr through the AWS marketplace.

AWS Marketplace

Scalr can be purchased through the AWS marketplace here: https://aws.amazon.com/marketplace/pp/prodview-6mlcdsurh25r2

Can I Renew Early?

Yes, customers can renew at any time. It is common for customers to use up runs before the end of the subscription period and renew or upgrade early. This can be done for the monthly or annual plans.

What are the advantages of annual plans?

Annual plans allow customers to purchase a bulk number of runs that must be used within one year of the purchase date. The advantages of the annual plan are the following:

  • Customers do not need to predict month to month usage.
  • Customers receive a discount on the total number of runs purchased for the year rather than the discount on the monthly plans. For example, 1,000 runs per month is $954 per month, which has a 3.64% volume discount off the base price. If that was purchased on the annual plan, 12,000 runs per year would be $10,746 per year, which has a 9.55% volume discount off the base price.

Do runs roll over to the next period?

No, runs must be used within the subscription period and cannot be rolled over to the next subscription.

Are there any controls in place to limit cost?

Yes, the following features are in place to help limit cost if needed:

  • Local execution - Local execution means the runs will run locally to where Terraform is executed and Scalr will only store the state. This is sometimes benefical during early deelopment cycles.
  • Skip VCS dry runs - Dry runs will execute based on a PR being opened in a repository linked to a workspace. By disabling dry runs these runs will not automatically execute.
  • Skip CI - Skipping specific commits - If you would prefer that a run is not started based on a VCS commit or PR, add [skip ci] in the first line of a head commit message. Users will still be able to queue runs manually if the configuration version is associated with a commit with the skip tag. Use [skip scalr ci] to avoid conflict with other CI tools that use the same message.
  • Pre-Checks at the pre-init stage - Prevents runs from starting by checking with tools such as Terraform validate or Terraform fmt during the init stages of the pipeline.
  • Working directories and trigger patterns - Only execute runs based on the directories or files that matter. By using the working directories or patterns, Scalr will execute runs if there are changes to those directories or files and ignore all other directories or files in the repository.

Custom Plans

Scalr offers custom plans for customers who require something that is not included in the standards plans. This includes, but is not limited to:

  • Custom MSA
  • Contract Addendums
  • Security Addendums
  • and more