You can use MCoins to pay for MDriven services on a consumption basis when you need more than the free, local-development offering.
An MCoin is MDriven's internal currency for pay-as-you-go usage. 1 MCoin = 1 Euro. MCoins let you use MDriven services according to actual usage rather than committing to a fixed monthly service cost.
Start with the right option
MDriven provides a free option for personal projects and exploration, and MCoins for pay-as-you-go use.
| Option | What you can do | Limits and requirements |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Download and use MDriven Designer, Turnkey Server, and Local MDriven Server on your own device. | Maximum 50 classes. No time limit. Cloud operation is not included. |
| Pay as you go with MCoins | Use an unlimited number of classes, run in the cloud, deploy demo websites, and start Designer and servers online. | You must register. The current offering includes 70 free MCoins per month; usage beyond the available balance requires MCoins. |
| Annual license | Use the business-critical offering, including the pay-as-you-go capabilities. | Annual licensing is quoted separately. See Documentation:Pricing. |
For example, you can build a 30-class model and run it locally under the free option. When the model grows beyond 50 classes or you need to run it in the cloud, register and use MCoins under the pay-as-you-go option.
What MCoins pay for
MCoins pay for MDriven service usage. Current pricing describes consumption as based on active users and CPU and memory usage. Hosted-service consumption can also include the resources associated with the running site, such as storage, backups, and shared cloud hosting.
Your actual charge depends on the service and how it is used. Do not calculate a current bill from historic fixed per-day figures. Check Documentation:Pricing and the pricing information in the MDriven portal before planning production usage.
For example, a lightly used demonstration site and a site with more active users or greater CPU and memory demand do not necessarily consume the same number of MCoins.
MCoins in your account
An MCoins account can contain both paid MCoins and free MCoins.
| Type | How you receive it | How it is used |
|---|---|---|
| Paid MCoins | Purchase them online, use an applicable voucher, obtain them through a reseller, or arrange invoicing where available. | Used after free MCoins have been consumed. |
| Free MCoins | Provided with the pay-as-you-go offering and may also be provided through invitations or giveaways. | Used before paid MCoins. |
This order means that, if your account has both types, MDriven consumes the free balance first. For example, if you have free MCoins from your monthly allocation and a paid balance, usage is deducted from the free balance until it is exhausted.
The current pricing page states that registered pay-as-you-go users receive 70 free MCoins per month. Free-MCoin allocations and giveaway terms can change; verify the current terms in the portal or on Documentation:Pricing.
Use MCoins with MDriven Designer
Using MCoins removes the free option's 50-class limit in MDriven Designer. Designer usage is charged according to the current pricing model, and larger models can consume more MCoins than smaller models.
- Register for MDriven.
- Ensure that your MCoins account has an available balance.
- Sign in to MDriven Designer.
- Use the Designer with your model. When you use MCoins for services, the 50-class limit no longer applies.
- Review pricing and account information in the MDriven portal as you plan continued usage.
For example, if your model has 80 classes, signing in and using MCoins enables you to continue working with all 80 classes. The amount consumed is determined by the current pricing model rather than a permanent fixed daily Designer fee.
Use MCoins for hosted and self-hosted services
You can use MCoins when running MDriven services in the cloud. You can also run on infrastructure that you control, such as your own cloud provider or on-premises environment. In that case, you pay your infrastructure provider for its resources and pay MDriven for applicable tool usage, licensing, and support.
MDriven's current pricing distinguishes between the resources consumed by a service and the MDriven offering. Hosting on your own infrastructure does not necessarily reduce the MDriven charge, but it gives you control over the infrastructure and how you scale or move it. For IIS-related deployment requirements, see Documentation:IIS.
Invitations and free MCoins
You can create and manage invitations through the portal's Your info area. Invitations can provide MCoins-related benefits when a new user joins and uses the free MCoins they receive. MCoins gained through invitation kickbacks are for MDriven services and cannot be paid out as money.
See Documentation:Invitation for the invitation process and its current terms.
Account balance and continuity
An MCoins account may be allowed to have a negative credit balance. This can prevent a service from stopping immediately at zero balance and can support organizations that are invoiced after use. Whether credit is available is an account arrangement, not an assumption to make for a production service.
Monitor your balance and arrange payment before it becomes a service risk. If you need invoicing or an annual arrangement, contact MDriven through the current pricing and sales channels.
MCoins are not your end-user payment system
MCoins pay MDriven for MDriven services. They are separate from any payment flow you create for your own application's end users.
For example, if a user buys a feature in your Turnkey application, you can charge that user through the Portal Consumer integration. That flow uses a consumer account and purchase UI; it is documented in Documentation:Charge end user.