> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.groundcover.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.groundcover.com/getting-started/tco-calculator.md).

# TCO Calculator

The [groundcover Cost Calculator](https://www.groundcover.com/calculator) is a tool designed to help you estimate the total cost of setting up and running a managed groundcover backend, deployed in your own cloud account via [console.groundcover.com](https://console.groundcover.com).

It is intended to give a realistic, data-driven estimate before you begin, so you can plan your infrastructure spend and subscription costs with confidence.

## What the calculator estimates

The calculator reflects the **Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)** for groundcover. This consists of two components:

* **Subscription cost**: based on the number of nodes monitored and the plan you select.
* **Infrastructure cost**: the cloud resources provisioned in your account to run the groundcover backend (compute, storage, networking, managed services, etc.).

Both components are combined into a single yearly estimate.

## Input parameters

### Nodes

The number of Kubernetes nodes or Virtual Machines you plan to monitor. This is the only driver of subscription cost, and also influences the size of the backend infrastructure needed to ingest and store your telemetry.

### Logs

The estimated daily volume of log data ingested, typically measured in GB/day. Higher log volumes require more storage, processing capacity, and networking, which increases infrastructure costs.

### Traces

The estimated daily volume of trace data ingested, measured in GB/day. Trace volume affects the compute, storage, and networking resources needed for the tracing backend.

### Metrics

The number of active time series (also called cardinality) across all your monitored environments. Higher metric cardinality increases the memory, storage, and networking requirements of the metrics backend.

### Retention

How long you want to retain each data type (logs, traces, metrics). Longer retention periods directly increase storage costs, since more data must be kept on disk or in object storage.

### Region

The cloud region where your BYOC backend will be deployed. Infrastructure pricing varies by region across all cloud providers, so selecting your intended region produces a more accurate estimate.

## Frequently asked questions

**Does the price include savings plans or Enterprise Discount Programs (EDPs) on the backend?**

No. The calculator shows list price. Most customers benefit from additional savings based on their own cloud discounts (e.g. AWS EDP, GCP CUD, Azure reservations). Your actual cost is likely lower once those are applied.

**Does the price include tax?**

No. The estimate reflects expected usage and resource costs only, before any applicable taxes.

**How is this estimate calculated?**

The calculator is based on historical data from hundreds of customer environments, ranging from early-stage startups to Fortune 500 companies. It takes into account groundcover's specific architecture and the resource patterns observed across those deployments to produce a realistic, grounded estimate rather than a theoretical one.

**Why am I seeing price ranges instead of a single number?**

Real-life costs vary based on actual volumes and usage patterns. Rather than showing a single point estimate that may be misleading, the calculator displays a range that more accurately reflects this variance.

**Does it work for all cloud providers (AWS, GCP, Azure)?**

Yes. Expected costs are similar across all major cloud providers. The region selector accounts for regional pricing differences, and the underlying model applies equally to AWS, GCP, and Azure deployments.


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