#Pricing

Transcodely uses a transparent, multiplier-based pricing model. The cost of a transcoding job is determined by the input duration, the codec, resolution, framerate, quality tier, and any premium features of each output. Prices are locked at job creation time — if pricing changes after you submit a job, your cost does not change.

#Cost Formula

The cost per output is calculated as:

output_cost = (duration_minutes) x base_price x codec_mult x resolution_mult x framerate_mult x quality_mult x feature_mult

The total job cost is the sum of all output costs.

#Codec Multipliers

Different codecs have different computational costs, and each also has its own base price per minute — so AV1 costs more per minute than H.264 even though their multipliers are the same:

#Resolution Multipliers

Higher resolutions require more processing:

Custom dimensions are mapped to the nearest resolution tier based on pixel count.

#Framerate Multiplier

The framerate multiplier scales linearly from a 30fps baseline:

framerate_mult = actual_framerate / 30

If the framerate is set to 0 (keep original), the actual framerate from the input probe is used.

#Quality Tier Multiplier

#Feature Multipliers

Premium features apply an additional multiplier on top of the base cost. When no premium features are enabled, the feature multiplier is 1.0 and has no effect.

When multiple premium features are active on the same output, their multipliers are multiplied together to form a single cumulative feature_mult.

#Price Locking

All pricing multipliers are captured in a pricing snapshot when a job is created. This snapshot is immutable — even if base prices or multipliers are updated later, your job’s cost is calculated using the original snapshot.

{
  "pricing": {
    "base_price": 0.01,
    "codec_multiplier": 1.0,
    "resolution_multiplier": 1.0,
    "framerate_multiplier": 1.0,
    "quality_multiplier": 1.0,
    "resolution_tier": "1080p",
    "actual_framerate": 30,
    "pixel_count": 0,
    "feature_multiplier": 1.0
  }
}

#Estimated vs Actual Cost

Costs are calculated at two points in a job’s lifecycle:

The estimated cost is available in the awaiting_confirmation state for delayed-start jobs, allowing you to review costs before encoding begins.

#Example Calculation

A 10-minute video encoded to H.264 1080p at 30fps with standard quality:

cost = 10 min x €0.01 x 1.0 (H.264) x 1.0 (1080p) x 1.0 (30fps) x 1.0 (standard) x 1.0 (no features)
     = €0.10

The same video at 4K AV1 premium quality (note AV1’s higher €0.04 base price):

cost = 10 min x €0.04 x 1.0 (AV1) x 4.0 (4K) x 1.0 (30fps) x 2.0 (premium) x 1.0 (no features)
     = €3.20

#Multi-Output Pricing

Jobs with multiple outputs are priced per-output. Each output has its own pricing snapshot and cost calculation:

{
  "total_estimated_cost": 0.225,
  "outputs": [
    {
      "estimated_cost": 0.10,
      "pricing": { "codec_multiplier": 1.0, "resolution_multiplier": 1.0, "..." : "..." }
    },
    {
      "estimated_cost": 0.125,
      "pricing": { "codec_multiplier": 1.0, "resolution_multiplier": 1.5, "..." : "..." }
    }
  ]
}

#Per-Variant Pricing (ABR)

For adaptive streaming outputs (HLS/DASH) with multiple video variants, each variant is priced individually — its own codec, resolution, and quality drive a separate cost — and the entries are returned in the output’s variant_pricing array. The output’s estimated_cost is always the sum of these per-variant costs (the same holds for actual_cost):

{
  "outputs": [
    {
      "estimated_cost": 0.225,
      "variant_pricing": [
        {
          "index": 0,
          "codec": "h264",
          "resolution": "1080p",
          "quality": "standard",
          "estimated_cost": 0.10,
          "status": "completed",
          "progress": 100
        },
        {
          "index": 1,
          "codec": "h264",
          "resolution": "720p",
          "quality": "standard",
          "estimated_cost": 0.075,
          "status": "processing",
          "progress": 65
        },
        {
          "index": 2,
          "codec": "h264",
          "resolution": "480p",
          "quality": "standard",
          "estimated_cost": 0.05,
          "status": "pending",
          "progress": 0
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

#Currency

All job costs are currently denominated in EUR — the organization’s billing currency setting is not yet consulted for job pricing. The currency field on every job indicates which currency the cost fields use.

#Cost Estimation Before Submission

Use the estimated_cost_per_minute field on Presets to estimate costs before submitting a job. Multiply this value by your input duration to get an approximate cost.

For precise estimates, use delayed start — the job will probe the input and provide exact cost estimates before encoding begins.