# Usage and starter credits (/docs/pricing)



Runs are paid for with credits. Every account starts with starter credits, and new Runs stop when they run out; ask in the [Discord](https://discord.gg/n8pwXcqmAM) if you need more. Your [account page](https://api.vanishcompute.com/account) shows your balance.

A Run costs $0.0504 per vCPU-hour plus $0.0162 per GiB-hour for the shape it requests. The default 8 vCPU, 16 GiB shape is $0.6624 per hour, and larger shapes cost proportionally more. The rate is locked when you start a Run.

Metering runs from worker launch to confirmed termination, including startup and cleanup, and rounds each attempt up to whole seconds with a 60-second minimum. Short commands therefore cost more than their own running time: a command that finishes in a second is billed as a minute, about 1.1 cents on the default shape. A Run that never launches a worker costs nothing. If a Run needs more than one worker attempt, each launched attempt is metered this way and the total is deducted from your credits once.

The default starter grant is $10 of credits. The grant is a server setting and can change, so the balance on your account page is the authoritative figure.

For how this compares with running your own VM, see the [FAQ](./faq.md#how-does-the-price-compare-with-running-my-own-vm).