name: BTCPay Server FinOps
description: >-
  BTCPay Server is free, open-source software (MIT license) with no vendor
  transaction fees, no API call fees, and no licensing costs. Cost of ownership
  is limited to infrastructure (hosting, domain, SSL), optional Lightning
  Network channel liquidity, and operator/developer time. There is no
  pay-as-you-go metering or usage-based billing from the BTCPay Server project.
costs:
  - name: Software License
    description: Free and open-source under the MIT license.
    amount: 0
    currency: USD
    unit: one-time
  - name: Transaction Fees
    description: >-
      BTCPay Server charges zero transaction fees. Bitcoin on-chain network fees
      (miner fees) and Lightning Network routing fees are paid to the Bitcoin
      network, not to BTCPay Server.
    amount: 0
    currency: USD
    unit: per transaction
  - name: API Usage Fees
    description: No per-call or per-request API fees of any kind.
    amount: 0
    currency: USD
    unit: per API call
  - name: Self-Hosted Infrastructure
    description: >-
      Typical monthly cost of a VPS (e.g., Hetzner, Vultr, Linode) suitable
      for running BTCPay Server with Lightning Network support. Costs vary by
      provider, region, and resource requirements.
    amount: 5
    amountMax: 40
    currency: USD
    unit: per month
    note: operator-incurred cost, not charged by BTCPay Server project
  - name: Third-Party Hosting
    description: >-
      Community-run managed BTCPay Server instances. Fees vary by provider.
      Some providers offer free tiers.
    amount: 0
    amountMax: 50
    currency: USD
    unit: per month
    note: charged by individual hosting providers, not BTCPay Server project
  - name: Lightning Network Channel Liquidity
    description: >-
      Optional on-chain Bitcoin required to open Lightning channels. Funds are
      not fees — they are capital deposited into payment channels and can be
      recovered when channels are closed.
    amount: varies
    currency: BTC
    unit: one-time deposit per channel
notes: >-
  Because BTCPay Server is self-hosted, all FinOps considerations relate to
  infrastructure and Bitcoin network costs rather than SaaS subscription fees.
  The project has no revenue model that charges API users; sustainability comes
  from donations, grants, and sponsorships via OpenCollective and direct
  contributor funding.
funding:
  - name: OpenCollective
    url: https://opencollective.com/btcpayserver
  - name: GitHub Sponsors
    url: https://github.com/sponsors/btcpayserver
url: https://btcpayserver.org