From 88aa810c44e2d3180922ec6b8a070406e4212ca0 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Shaun Struwig <41984034+Blargian@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Mon, 1 Sep 2025 10:58:55 +0200
Subject: [PATCH] Update _clickpipes_faq.md
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+import Image from '@theme/IdealImage';
+import clickpipesPricingFaq1 from '@site/static/images/cloud/manage/jan2025_faq/external_clickpipes_pricing_faq_1.png';
+import clickpipesPricingFaq2 from '@site/static/images/cloud/manage/jan2025_faq/external_clickpipes_pricing_faq_2.png';
+import clickpipesPricingFaq3 from '@site/static/images/cloud/manage/jan2025_faq/external_clickpipes_pricing_faq_3.png';
+
+
+
+Why are we introducing a pricing model for ClickPipes now?
+
+We decided to initially launch ClickPipes for free with the idea to gather
+feedback, refine features, and ensure it meets user needs.
+As the GA platform has grown, it has effectively stood the test of time by
+moving trillions of rows. Introducing a pricing model allows us to continue
+improving the service, maintaining the infrastructure, and providing dedicated
+support and new connectors.
+
+
+
+
+
+What are ClickPipes replicas?
+
+ClickPipes ingests data from remote data sources via a dedicated infrastructure
+that runs and scales independently of the ClickHouse Cloud service.
+For this reason, it uses dedicated compute replicas.
+The diagrams below show a simplified architecture.
+
+For streaming ClickPipes, ClickPipes replicas access the remote data sources (e.g., a Kafka broker),
+pull the data, process and ingest it into the destination ClickHouse service.
+
+
+
+In the case of object storage ClickPipes,
+the ClickPipes replica orchestrates the data loading task
+(identifying files to copy, maintaining the state, and moving partitions),
+while the data is pulled directly from the ClickHouse service.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+What's the default number of replicas and their size?
+
+Each ClickPipe defaults to 1 replica that's provided with 2 GiB of RAM and 0.5 vCPU.
+This corresponds to **0.25** ClickHouse compute units (1 unit = 8 GiB RAM, 2 vCPUs).
+
+
+
+
+
+Can ClickPipes replicas be scaled?
+
+Yes, ClickPipes for streaming can be scaled both horizontally and vertically.
+Horizontal scaling adds more replicas to increase throughput, while vertical scaling increases the resources (CPU and RAM) allocated to each replica to handle more intensive workloads.
+This can be configured during ClickPipe creation, or at any other point under **Settings** -> **Advanced Settings** -> **Scaling**.
+
+
+
+
+
+How many ClickPipes replicas do I need?
+
+It depends on the workload throughput and latency requirements.
+We recommend starting with the default value of 1 replica, measuring your latency, and adding replicas if needed.
+Keep in mind that for Kafka ClickPipes, you also have to scale the Kafka broker partitions accordingly.
+The scaling controls are available under "settings" for each streaming ClickPipe.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+What does the ClickPipes pricing structure look like?
+
+It consists of two dimensions:
+- **Compute**: Price per unit per hour
+ Compute represents the cost of running the ClickPipes replica pods whether they actively ingest data or not.
+ It applies to all ClickPipes types.
+- **Ingested data**: per GB pricing
+ The ingested data rate applies to all streaming ClickPipes
+ (Kafka, Confluent, Amazon MSK, Amazon Kinesis, Redpanda, WarpStream,
+ Azure Event Hubs) for the data transferred via the replica pods.
+ The ingested data size (GB) is charged based on bytes received from the source (uncompressed or compressed).
+
+
+
+
+
+What are the ClickPipes public prices?
+
+- Compute: \$0.20 per unit per hour ($0.05 per replica per hour)
+- Ingested data: $0.04 per GB
+
+
+
+
+
+How does it look in an illustrative example?
+
+For example, ingesting 1 TB of data over 24 hours using the Kafka connector using a single replica (0.25 compute unit) costs:
+
+$$
+(0.25 \times 0.20 \times 24) + (0.04 \times 1000) = \$41.2
+$$
+
+
+For object storage connectors (S3 and GCS),
+only the ClickPipes compute cost is incurred since the ClickPipes pod is not processing data
+but only orchestrating the transfer which is operated by the underlying ClickHouse service:
+
+$$
+0.25 \times 0,20 \times 24 = \$1.2
+$$
+
+
+
+
+
+When does the new pricing model take effect?
+
+The new pricing model takes effect for all organizations created after January 27th, 2025.
+
+
+
+
+
+What happens to current users?
+
+Existing users will have a **60-day grace period** where the ClickPipes service continues to be offered for free.
+Billing will automatically start for ClickPipes for existing users on **March 24th, 2025.**
+
+
+
+
+
+How does ClickPipes pricing compare to the market?
+
+The philosophy behind ClickPipes pricing is
+to cover the operating costs of the platform while offering an easy and reliable way to move data to ClickHouse Cloud.
+From that angle, our market analysis revealed that we are positioned competitively.
+
+