Serverless Framework Pricing

The Serverless Framework CLI v4+ is free, except for organizations earning over 2 million annually which require a paid subscription.

Serverless Subscription

A Serverless Subscription covers the Serverless Framework CLI v4+ and Serverless Framework Dashboard. Subscriptions are paid for via Credits, which are redeemed for either Serverless Framework Service Instances, Metrics & Traces.

Pay-As-You-Go
$4 per Credit
Pay only for the Credits you use on a monthly basis.

Reserved Credits
As low as $1 per Credit
Reserve monthly credits through annual contracts for large discounts.

Pricing Calculator

Estimate your cost with Reserved Credits

Monthly Price: $142 / mo
Discount: 29%

Options

• Pay Upfront: Additional 10% off per credit. Compounds with other discounts.
• Small Business Discount: Additional 35% off per credit for orgs with <$5M revenue, <30 employees, <$5M raised. Compounds with other discounts.

For Enterprise needs or questions, contact sales@serverless.com or schedule a meeting

Credit Value Breakdown
Each Credit can be redeemed for one of the below items.

Service Instances

The Serverless Framework charges 1 Credit for each Service Instance, which is a serverless.yml file that is in a deployed state within a specific stage and region for more than 10 days in a given month (AKA an AWS CloudFormation stack managed by the Framework = 1 Service Instance).

1 Credit = 1 Service Instance

Traces

A Trace captures a single AWS Lambda invocation in Serverless Dashboard and its errors, spans, and logs; viewable via Trace Explorer and Alerts for troubleshooting.

1 Credit = 50 Thousand Traces

Metrics

A Metric is a performance metric on AWS Lambda invocations in Serverless Dashboard. Each AWS Lambda invocation generates 4 Metrics.

1 Credit = 4 Million Metrics

Frequently asked questions

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Pricing & Licensing

Do I have to pay for a License to use the Serverless Framework CLI?

Starting in 2024, the Serverless Framework V.4 CLI remains free for most users. However, all individuals and organizations that earned over $2M in their last fiscal year must purchase a Serverless Subscription.

There is no requirement to prove you are an individual or organization earning less than $2M in your last fiscal year, as it operates on an honor system.

The Serverless Framework Dashboard has a free tier, but otherwise is a commercial product which also requires a Serverless Subscription.

Serverless Framework V.3 and earlier versions require no paid subscription as they are licensed as open-source. However, Serverless Framework V.3 is no longer maintained as of December 31st, 2024.

You can purchase a Serverless Subscription via Credit Card or the AWS Marketplace. To use either checkout option, go to the Serverless Framework Dashboard. You can also go to our AWS Marketplace listing to simply add a Serverless Subscription to your AWS bill.

How do I get a License for the Serverless Framework CLI?

If you’re using Serverless Framework V.4 and your organization earned over $2M in the last fiscal year, you need a License. Getting one is simple:

Purchase a Serverless Subscription via the Serverless Framework Dashboard Billing page or through the AWS Marketplace.

The License is automatically included with your Serverless Subscription when you enable the "Serverless Framework V.4 License" checkbox during checkout. There’s no separate purchase or additional cost; it’s part of your subscription.

Once your subscription is active, you and your team can immediately use Serverless Framework V.4 across all your projects and AWS accounts.

Service Instances & Credits

What is a Service Instance?

A Service Instance is a unique deployment of a Serverless Framework service, defined by the specific combination of its service name, stage, and region. For example, my-api-dev-us-east-1 and my-api-prod-eu-west-1 are two different Service Instances of the same service.

Each Service Instance represents an isolated deployment with its own resources, state, and configuration. A Service Instance typically corresponds to a unique AWS CloudFormation stack managed by the Serverless Framework.

Service Instances are the unit of measurement for billing in Serverless Framework. If a Service Instance exists for more than 10 days in a given month, it counts as 1 Credit towards your usage. This 10-day grace period is designed to ensure that temporary Service Instances used for testing or previews are not billed.

Individual functions (such as AWS Lambda functions) or standalone cloud resources do not qualify as Service Instances and are therefore not subject to these fees.

What can Credits be used for?

Credits are the unit of usage measurement for billing purposes for all of Serverless Inc’s products. They can be used for:

• Service Instances: 1 Credit = 1 Serverless Framework Service Instance (active for more than 10 days)
• Traces: 1 Credit = 50,000 Traces in the Dashboard
• Metrics: 1 Credit = 4 Million Metrics in the Dashboard

Whether you’re using Serverless Framework V.4 CLI, Dashboard, or both, you’re never double-charged for the same Service Instance.

How long do Credits last?

Credits are monthly limits that reset at the beginning of each billing cycle. They do not roll over to the next month. Any unused Credits at the end of the month are forfeited, and you start fresh with your allocated Credits in the new billing period.

Do preview/temporary Service Instances count against my Credits?

No, temporary Service Instances do not count against your Credits if they’re removed quickly. The ten-day limit is designed to ensure that Service Instances used for testing or previews are not billed.

How can I see my Service Instances?

You can view your Service Instances in two ways:

1. Via the Dashboard: On the Serverless Framework Dashboard, navigate to the Settings/Billing page to find the "Usage" section, which displays all active Service Instances.
2. Via the CLI: Run the usage command in the CLI to generate a CSV file with detailed information on each Service Instance being tracked by the billing system.

Payment & Purchasing

What payment methods are available?

There are two payment options for Serverless Subscriptions: Credit Card via Stripe or the AWS Marketplace. Pricing is the same for both.

Most organizations prefer the AWS Marketplace because it simplifies payment and procurement. The subscription cost is added directly to your AWS bill, which streamlines accounting and vendor management.

To get started with either option, visit the Serverless Framework Dashboard Billing page or go directly to our AWS Marketplace listing.

Discounts & Pricing Tiers

What discounts are available?

We offer several discount options:

• Reserved Credits: Save up to 72% by reserving Credits in advance. Discounts start at 29% for 50 Credits and increase with volume and commitment length (1-3 years).
• Upfront Payment: An additional 10% off your per-credit price when paying upfront instead of monthly.
• Small Business Discount: An additional 35% off your per-credit price for qualifying organizations.

The threshold where Reserved Credits become more cost-effective than Pay-Per-Use is around 35 Credits per month.

Security & Compliance

Does the Serverless Framework Dashboard have SOC2 or other compliance certifications?

The Serverless Framework Dashboard has achieved SOC 2 Type I and SOC 2 Type II certifications. You can request reports on our Trust Center.

Will the Serverless Framework CLI v4 stop working if it cannot connect to Serverless Inc. servers?

If a call to the Serverless Inc. API fails with a 5xx error, the CLI will continue to function. However, if the CLI cannot connect at all, then the CLI will error out as a network connection is required.