Storing and serving files in your app is charged in credits — small fractional amounts that reflect exactly how much your app stores and how much your users download. Knowing how these charges add up helps you predict the running cost of file-heavy apps and avoid surprises on busy days.
What you're charged for
File storage has three separate charges, all priced in credits:
- Upload — a one-time charge when a file is uploaded to your app. This also prepays approximately the first 90 days of storage for that file.
- Daily storage — a small daily charge based on how much your app is currently storing, applied once per day after the prepaid upload period ends.
- Download (bandwidth) — a charge each time a file is fetched from storage, scaled to the size of the data transferred.
All file storage charges are fractional. Unlike whole-credit charges such as AI builds (2 credits) or going live (4 credits), file charges can be a tiny fraction of a credit and are billed only for what your app actually uses.
In your Credit Usage transaction history, these appear as Storage Cost (covering uploads and ongoing daily storage) and Bandwidth Cost (covering downloads).
Pricing
Pricing scales with size. Small amounts cost very little; large amounts cost more in roughly direct proportion.
Uploading a file
You are charged once per file at the moment of upload. The charge also prepays approximately 90 days of storage for that file — daily storage resumes after the prepaid period ends.
| File uploaded | Cost |
|---|---|
| 100 MB | 0.11 credits |
| 1 GB | 1.15 credits |
Storing files (daily)
You are charged once per day based on your app's total storage. There is a minimum daily charge that covers up to roughly 1 GB combined; above that, the cost grows in ~1 GB tiers.
| Total stored | Cost per day |
|---|---|
| Up to 1 GB | 0.01 credits (minimum) |
| 1.1 GB or more | 0.02 credits per additional ~1 GB tier |
Downloading a file (bandwidth)
You are charged whenever a file is fetched from storage — whether it is displayed in your app, played back by a video or audio player, previewed in a document viewer, or downloaded to a user's device.
| Data downloaded | Cost |
|---|---|
| 100 MB | 0.07 credits |
| 1 GB | 0.76 credits |
Side-by-side comparison
For a quick sense of scale, here is how the three charges compare at two common sizes:
| Action | 100 MB | 1 GB |
|---|---|---|
| Store for one day | 0.01 | 0.01 |
| Download once | 0.07 | 0.76 |
| Upload once | 0.11 | 1.15 |
Credit amounts are deducted from your balance and rounded down to the nearest cent of a credit.
How charges affect your balance
Credits are spent in the same fixed order for every action: daily credits first, subscription credits second, on-demand credits last. See Understanding Credits for full details.
File storage charges appear in your transaction history alongside AI builds, going-live charges, and other credit spends. To see them, go to Profile avatar → Credit usage.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know how much my app's file storage is costing me?
Go to Profile avatar → Credit usage to see your transaction history. Storage Cost lines cover uploads and ongoing daily storage; Bandwidth Cost lines cover downloads. The timestamps and amounts let you trace charges back to specific user activity.
What counts as a "download"?
Anything that retrieves a file from storage: images shown in your app, videos or audio played back, PDF previews loaded, files saved to a user's device. Each request transfers bytes, and each transfer counts toward bandwidth.
Are uploads more expensive than downloads?
For the same amount of data, yes — uploading 1 GB costs more than downloading 1 GB once. The upload charge already includes the first ~90 days of storage prepaid, so if a file is downloaded many times, the upload cost is spread across many requests and the per-access cost stays low.
Does deleting a file refund the upload charge?
No. The upload charge is paid at the moment of upload and is not refundable. From the next billing day onward, the deleted file no longer counts toward your daily storage charge.
Is there a minimum daily storage charge?
Yes. Daily storage starts at 0.01 credits per day even if your app is only storing a few kilobytes. The minimum covers up to roughly 1 GB combined; above that, each additional ~1 GB tier adds another 0.02 credits per day.
Can file storage exhaust my credit balance?
For most apps, no — the daily amounts are tiny. But an app with very heavy download traffic can accumulate bandwidth charges quickly. If you expect high volume, monitor your Credit Usage screen and top up before your balance runs low.
Does file storage pricing differ between plans?
No. The credit pricing for file storage is the same on every plan, including Free. Plans differ in your monthly credit allowance — see Plans and Pricing.
What happens to my files if I run out of credits?
Existing files remain in storage and continue to be served. Daily storage charges still accrue in the background and are deducted as soon as you top up. New uploads and most other paid actions are blocked until your balance is restored.
Can file storage prices change?
Yes. File storage pricing can change as the underlying infrastructure costs change. Caffeine will communicate any changes in advance through the help center and in-product announcements.