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Paid plans start at $99/mo. There's also a free plan.
PlayFab starts at $0 per month, but that does not mean every live game stays free. Development Mode is for development and testing, with caps of 10 titles per studio and 1,000 lifetime players per title. For production, Pay-as-you-go has no bundled meter allowance; Standard costs $99 per month and Premium $1,999, with included usage and additional meter charges. Foundation Mode is free only for eligible games under Xbox publishing agreements. Annual prices are not published.
01Every plan, line by line
| Plan | Billed annually | Billed monthly | Built for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Development Mode | — | $0 | Studios developing and testing games |
| Pay-as-you-go | — | $0 | Games needing flexible usage-based billing |
| Standard Plan | — | $99 | Games needing a monthly meter allowance |
| Premium Plan | — | $1,999 | Games with high usage volumes |
| Foundation Mode | — | $0 | Eligible games under Xbox publishing agreements |
Add-ons and overages
- Multiplayer Servers (MPS), Party, and third-party integrations: billed separately based on consumption; specific prices are not published.
- Pay-as-you-go meter rates: $3 per million Economy v2 inventory reads; $40 per million inventory writes; $9.90 per million matchmaking or lobby requests (free for Xbox Live titles).
- Pay-as-you-go overages use standard meter rates; usage beyond Standard and Premium included meters is billed at those rates.
- Foundation Mode excluded services are billed at standard pay-as-you-go rates.
02What the plan grid doesn't tell you
Usage starts from first unit
Pay-as-you-go includes $0 in bundled meters, and billing starts with the first unit: PlayStream events cost $6.60 per million.
Included meters aren't a ceiling
Standard and Premium charge standard meter rates for usage beyond included meters. Standard costs $99 monthly and includes $400 in monthly bundled-meter value.
Some services cost extra
Multiplayer Servers, Party and third-party integrations are billed by consumption. Their specific prices are not published.
Foundation has exclusions
Foundation Mode excludes multiplayer servers, user-generated content and classic CloudScript. Those services are billed at standard Pay-as-you-go rates.
03Which plan should you buy?
| If you are… | Get | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Studios developing or testing | Development Mode | It costs $0 monthly and includes up to 10 titles per studio, with a 1,000-lifetime-player cap per title. |
| Games with variable usage | Pay-as-you-go | There is no monthly plan fee, but bundled meters are $0 and billing starts with the first unit. |
| Games needing included meters | Standard Plan | For $99 per month, it includes $400 in monthly bundled-meter value, 20 million PlayStream events and 10 million telemetry events. |
04Is PlayFab worth the money?
PlayFab can make sense if you want a managed backend covering multiplayer, player identity, LiveOps, cloud logic and analytics. The price grid needs careful reading: the free development plan has player and title caps, while Pay-as-you-go charges from the first unit. Standard offers a monthly meter allowance, but overages still apply. Premium costs $1,999 monthly and includes larger event allowances. We would compare expected meter use and separately billed services before treating the listed plan price as your likely bill.
PlayFab pricing FAQ
Is PlayFab free?
Yes, some options are listed at $0 per month. Development Mode is for developing and testing games and caps each studio at 10 titles and each title at 1,000 lifetime players. Foundation Mode is also free, but only for eligible games under Xbox publishing agreements and excludes several services.
How much does PlayFab Pay-as-you-go cost?
The monthly plan price is $0, but bundled meters are also $0, so billing starts with the first unit. Listed rates include $6.60 per million PlayStream events, $2.75 per million telemetry events, and $0.33 per million profile reads. Other meter rates apply too.
Does PlayFab offer annual billing?
Annual billing prices are not published on the vendor's site. The listed prices are monthly: Standard is $99 and Premium is $1,999, while Development Mode, Pay-as-you-go and Foundation Mode each list a $0 monthly plan price. Usage charges can still apply.
What happens when I exceed included usage?
The pricing information says usage beyond Standard and Premium included meters is billed at standard meter rates. It does not publish a separate overage price for each plan. Pay-as-you-go rates include $7.15 per million profile writes; check the applicable meter rates when estimating costs.