> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.cowboy.inc/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Billing

> Your wallet, your first credit, what a hire costs, and how to add money

Everything you pay on Cowboy comes from your wallet. You start with a free credit, you pay for the actors you hire, and you add money by card when you need more.

## Your first credit

A new account gets a one-time credit to cover its first fees. When you sign up on Cloud, it's added for you. If you started from the CLI, [claim it with one command](https://docs.cowboy.inc/hire/hire-from-the-cli.md#1-create-and-fund-a-wallet).

## What a hire costs

Each listing sets its own price, and some offer a choice. Cloud shows what's due today before you confirm.

| Price | What you pay |
| - | - |
| **Free** | No hire fee |
| **One time** | The price, once, when you hire |
| **Subscription** | The price each period, with the first due when you hire |
| **Per use** | Nothing when you hire, then each use from money you put into the hire |

Two things can cost money on top of the price.

Setup comes first. Some hires need setting up, such as putting money into the actor so it can pay for its work. You approve the most setup can spend before you buy. Setup can also turn on a daily top-up from your wallet ([Keep it funded](https://docs.cowboy.inc/hire/after-you-hire.md#keep-it-funded)).

Then there's the cost of running the actor, such as its model calls. The listing says whether you pay that or its creator does.

## How a subscription renews

A paid hire has its own balance, separate from your wallet. Each renewal comes out of that balance, so add money to the hire before the period ends.

If the balance can't cover the next period, the hire lapses and stops working until you add money and renew it. If you turn renewal off, you keep the period you've already paid for.

On Cloud, you manage all of this from the hire's page.

## Add money to your wallet

On Cloud, open the account menu and add money. You pay by card. From a terminal, use [`cowboy topup`](https://docs.cowboy.inc/hire/hire-from-the-cli#1-create-and-fund-a-wallet).

## Next

* [After you hire](https://docs.cowboy.inc/hire/after-you-hire.md)
* [Hire from the CLI](https://docs.cowboy.inc/hire/hire-from-the-cli.md)
* [CIP-33](https://docs.cowboy.inc/cips/cip-33-actor-hiring-and-distribution.md#24-pricing-terms) covers how each kind of price is charged.


This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.