On the Grow plan, charges are based on two separate usage metrics: search requests and records. Each is metered independently, against its own free allowance.
Search requests
A search request is one network call your application makes to Algolia's search endpoint. One request can bundle up to 50 individual queries and still counts as one. See What is the difference between a Search Operation and a Search Request?
The first 10,000 search requests per month are included at no cost. Beyond that:
| Your plan | Price beyond the first 10,000 requests |
|---|---|
| Grow | $0.50 per 1,000 search requests |
| Grow Plus | $1.75 per 1,000 search requests |
The Grow Plus plan gives you access to additional AI features, which is why the unit cost is higher.
To check which variant you're on, see How do I check which plan my Algolia application is on?
Records
The first 100,000 records stored across your indices are free. Beyond that, you are charged $0.40 per 1,000 records.
Two things affect this count more than people expect:
- Standard replicas add records. A primary index with 10,000 records plus two standard replicas counts as 30,000 records. Virtual replicas do not add any.
- Your three highest-record days are discarded. Algolia ignores the three days in the month on which you held the most records, which gives you headroom for reindexing and bulk updates.
What is not charged
Indexing operations are not charged on Grow, though a protective limit of 10,000 indexing operations per 1,000 search requests and records used per month applies. See How does Algolia count indexing operations?
Reducing your search request charges
Because Grow bills per request rather than per query, the most effective lever is to send fewer network calls:
- Bundle queries into a single multi-query call. Searching three indices with three separate calls is billed as three requests; bundling them into one multi-query call is billed as one. This is usually the single largest saving available.
- Debounce keystrokes. In a search-as-you-type implementation every keystroke is a request. See How do I reduce my cost while using InstantSearch?
Note that reducing the number of queries inside a bundle lowers your operation count but not your request count, so it will not lower your Grow bill.
Billing cycle
These charges are calculated monthly, and usage is tracked independently for each metric. Unused allowance does not roll over to the following month.
For your own figures, see the Billing & Usage section of the Algolia dashboard, or pull them from the Usage API.