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Paid plans start at $99/mo. There's also a free plan.
PlayFab’s free Development Mode includes up to 10 titles per studio, 1,000 lifetime players per title, and 1 million each of PlayStream events, telemetry events and profile writes. Foundation Mode is free for eligible games under Xbox publishing agreements. For other production use, Pay-as-you-go has no monthly fee but bills from the first unit; Standard and Premium add monthly meter allowances, with overages billed at standard rates.
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
Meter overages
Standard and Premium include meter allowances, not unlimited usage. Additional consumption is billed at standard rates.
Economy operations
Pay-as-you-go lists $3 per million inventory reads and $40 per million inventory writes.
Multiplayer services
Multiplayer Servers, Party and third-party integrations are billed separately by consumption; specific prices are not published.
Matchmaking and lobbies
Requests cost $9.90 per million on Pay-as-you-go, except for Xbox Live titles, where they are free.
03Which plan should you buy?
| If you are… | Get | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Studio prototyping a game | Development Mode | Free for up to 10 titles per studio and includes limited lifetime players and service meters. |
| Production game with variable usage | Pay-as-you-go | No monthly fee or bundled meters; charges begin with the first unit consumed. |
| Game with steady meter use | Standard Plan | $99 per month includes $400 of bundled meter value, 20 million PlayStream events and 10 million telemetry events. |
04Is PlayFab worth the money?
PlayFab can be worth paying for when its managed identity, multiplayer, economy and LiveOps services replace infrastructure your team would otherwise build and operate. Development Mode is useful for testing, but its lifetime player and meter caps make it a limited production option. Model costs from actual event volume, profile operations and multiplayer use before choosing a paid plan. Standard and Premium have monthly fees plus usage overages, while multiplayer and Party can add separate consumption charges. The core backend cannot be self-hosted.
PlayFab pricing FAQ
What is the cheapest PlayFab plan?
Development Mode is free for studios developing and testing games. Pay-as-you-go also has a $0 monthly price, but usage is billed from the first unit. Foundation Mode is free only for eligible games under Xbox publishing agreements.
How much does PlayFab Standard cost?
The Standard Plan costs $99 per month. It includes $400 of bundled meter value, 20 million PlayStream events and 10 million telemetry events. Additional usage is billed at standard rates.
What does PlayFab charge for usage?
Pay-as-you-go lists $6.60 per million PlayStream events, $2.75 per million telemetry events, $0.33 per million profile reads and $7.15 per million profile writes. Economy inventory operations and matchmaking or lobby requests have separate rates.
Are PlayFab multiplayer services included?
Multiplayer Servers, Party and third-party integrations are billed separately based on consumption. Specific prices are not published. Matchmaking and lobby requests cost $9.90 per million on Pay-as-you-go, free for Xbox Live titles.