specification: API Commons Plans
specificationVersion: '0.1'
schema: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/interface-research/main/schema/api-commons.yml#/$defs/Plans
provider: Google Colab
providerId: google-colab
created: '2026-05-04'
# Provenance stamped 2026-08-11: this artifact was written by the API Evangelist
# bulk sweep dated 2026-05-04, not harvested from the provider. See roadmap#35.
method: generated
modified: '2026-05-05'
reconciled: true
tags:
  - Notebooks
  - Machine Learning
  - Google Cloud
  - Developer Tools
description: Google Colab is a hosted Jupyter notebook environment offered in a free tier plus paid Pay-As-You-Go,
  Colab Pro, and Colab Pro+ tiers, with a separate Colab Enterprise SKU sold through Google Cloud / Vertex
  AI. Paid tiers are denominated in "compute units" that consume against your subscription or PAYG bucket
  while connected to faster GPU/TPU runtimes. Exact monthly list prices are posted on the signup page
  and the Vertex AI pricing page; consult the live pages for current values.
sources:
  - https://colab.research.google.com/signup
  - https://cloud.google.com/colab/pricing
  - https://research.google.com/colaboratory/faq.html
plans:
  - id: google-colab-free
    name: Free
    type: freemium
    description: Free Colab notebooks with limited access to GPU/TPU runtimes on a best-effort basis.
      Sessions disconnect after idle and have shorter VM lifetimes than paid tiers.
    entries:
      - label: Notebook compute (best effort)
        description: Best-effort access to CPU and limited GPU/TPU runtimes
        name: free_compute
        type: quota
        metric: session
        limit: -1
        timeFrame: usage
        geo: global
        domains:
          - https://colab.research.google.com
        unit: 1
        price: '0.00'
        userMultiplied: false
    elements:
      - name: Standard notebook editor
      - name: Drive integration
      - name: Limited GPU/TPU access (best effort)
      - name: 12-hour max session
  - id: google-colab-payg
    name: Colab Pay-As-You-Go
    type: pay-as-you-go
    description: Buy compute units in bundles to consume premium GPU/TPU runtimes without a recurring
      subscription. Compute units expire 90 days after purchase.
    entries:
      - label: Compute units bundle
        description: Pre-paid compute unit bundle priced per the signup page
        name: compute_units
        type: metered
        metric: compute_unit
        limit: -1
        timeFrame: usage
        geo: global
        domains:
          - https://colab.research.google.com
        unit: 1
        price: see signup page
        userMultiplied: false
    elements:
      - name: No recurring fee
      - name: Compute units expire after 90 days
      - name: Premium GPU/TPU access
  - id: google-colab-pro
    name: Colab Pro
    type: subscription
    description: Monthly subscription that includes a bundle of compute units, faster GPUs, longer runtime
      sessions, and a Terminal feature.
    entries:
      - label: Monthly subscription
        description: Recurring monthly subscription with included compute units
        name: pro_subscription
        type: subscription
        metric: month
        limit: -1
        timeFrame: month
        geo: global
        domains:
          - https://colab.research.google.com
        unit: 1
        price: see signup page
        userMultiplied: true
    elements:
      - name: Included compute units (per month)
      - name: Faster GPUs (T4, sometimes A100/L4)
      - name: Longer session times
      - name: Terminal access
      - name: Background execution
  - id: google-colab-pro-plus
    name: Colab Pro+
    type: subscription
    description: Higher-tier monthly subscription with significantly more included compute units, priority
      access to high-end GPUs (A100/H100/L4 where available), and persistent background execution.
    entries:
      - label: Monthly subscription
        description: Recurring monthly subscription with larger compute unit allotment
        name: pro_plus_subscription
        type: subscription
        metric: month
        limit: -1
        timeFrame: month
        geo: global
        domains:
          - https://colab.research.google.com
        unit: 1
        price: see signup page
        userMultiplied: true
    elements:
      - name: More included compute units than Pro
      - name: Priority access to high-end GPUs (A100/H100/L4)
      - name: Persistent background execution
      - name: 24-hour runtimes
  - id: google-colab-enterprise
    name: Colab Enterprise
    type: enterprise
    description: Enterprise SKU integrated with Vertex AI. Sold through Google Cloud at PAYG list prices
      per machine type / region; supports VPC-SC, customer-managed encryption keys, and IAM-based notebook
      sharing.
    entries:
      - label: Notebook runtime
        description: Per-machine-type hourly Vertex AI compute
        name: enterprise_runtime
        type: metered
        metric: instance-hour
        limit: -1
        timeFrame: usage
        geo: global
        domains:
          - https://colab.cloud.google.com
          - https://aiplatform.googleapis.com
        unit: 1
        price: see Vertex AI pricing page
        userMultiplied: false
    elements:
      - name: Vertex AI integration
      - name: VPC Service Controls
      - name: Customer-managed encryption keys
      - name: IAM-controlled notebook sharing
      - name: Enterprise support
maintainers:
  - FN: Kin Lane
    email: kin@apievangelist.com
x-canonical:
  generated: '2026-10-08'
  vocabulary: all/0-working/economics/plans-canonical.yml
  models:
  - free
  - metered
  - subscription
  units:
  - compute
  - object
  - period
  plans:
  - name: Free
    access: freemium
    model: free
    model_how: derived
    units:
    - object
    periods:
    - per-use
  - name: Colab Pay-As-You-Go
    access: other
    model: metered
    model_how: stated
    units:
    - other
    periods:
    - per-use
  - name: Colab Pro
    access: other
    model: subscription
    model_how: stated
    units:
    - period
    periods:
    - month
  - name: Colab Pro+
    access: other
    model: subscription
    model_how: stated
    units:
    - period
    periods:
    - month
  - name: Colab Enterprise
    access: enterprise
    model: metered
    model_how: derived
    units:
    - compute
    periods:
    - per-use