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

# Pricing

The ArcWeather API is designed to be flexible for both small projects and large-scale applications. Whether you're just getting started or running production workloads, there’s a pricing model that fits your needs.

<Columns cols={2}>
  <Column>
    <Card title="Free Tier" icon="leaf">
      The Free Tier is perfect for development, testing, and small-scale use.

      ### What’s Included

      * Access to core ArcWeather API endpoints
      * Limited monthly request volume
      * Standard rate limits
      * Community-level support

      ### Best For

      * Prototyping and experimentation
      * Personal projects
      * Evaluating the API before scaling

      ### Limitations

      * Lower rate limits
      * Limited monthly usage
      * Not recommended for production-critical applications
    </Card>
  </Column>

  <Column>
    <Card title="Pay-As-You-Go" icon="flower-tulip">
      The Pay-As-You-Go tier is built for production applications and scalable systems.

      ### How It Works

      * You are billed based on **actual usage**
      * No fixed monthly commitment
      * Scales automatically with your application

      ### What’s Included

      * Higher or unlimited request volume
      * Increased rate limits
      * Access to all supported endpoints
      * Priority infrastructure and performance

      ### Best For

      * Production applications
      * High-traffic systems
      * Commercial or customer-facing products
    </Card>
  </Column>
</Columns>

## Usage-Based Billing

Usage is measured based on API requests and data delivery.

This may include:

* Standard API requests (JSON endpoints)
* Data-heavy endpoints (radar, lightning, etc.)
* Binary responses (PMTiles, images, etc.)

Different endpoints may have different usage weights depending on resource intensity.

> Always refer to individual endpoint documentation for specific usage considerations.

## Rate Limits

All plans include rate limiting to ensure system stability.

Each response includes headers such as:

```text theme={null}
X-RateLimit-Limit
X-RateLimit-Remaining
X-RateLimit-Reset
```

Higher tiers include higher rate limits.

## Scaling with You

ArcWeather is built to scale:

* Start with the Free Tier
* Move to Pay-As-You-Go as your usage grows
* No migration required — just upgrade your plan