> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.nebulablock.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.nebulablock.com/account/tiers-and-limits.md).

# Tiers and Rate Limits

Nebula Block's four tiers and what each unlocks: RPM, TPM, RPD, per-model daily caps, credit ceilings, and CPU/GPU access.

Every Nebula Block account sits in one of four tiers. Your tier determines how fast you can call the serverless inference endpoints, whether you can rent CPU and GPU instances, and how much credit you can hold.

Tiers are reached by **depositing** or **spending** credit — there is nothing to apply for, and upgrades are applied automatically once you meet the requirement.

> **Tier vs. spending limit.** Your tier decides *whether* you can rent GPU instances. How *much* GPU you can run at the same time is a separate, per-account [hourly spending limit](/getting-started/get-started/spending-limits.md) that starts at $4/hour and grows with your payment history or on request.

## Tier comparison

|                               | **Tier 1**         | **Tier 2** | **Tier 3**  | **Tier 4** |
| ----------------------------- | ------------------ | ---------- | ----------- | ---------- |
| **Requirement**               | Free — sign up     | $5 deposit | $10 deposit | $100 spend |
| **Serverless inference**      | ✔ (limited models) | ✔          | ✔           | ✔          |
| **CPU instances**             | ✖                  | ✔          | ✔           | ✔          |
| **GPU instances**             | ✖                  | ✖          | ✔           | ✔          |
| **Requests per minute (RPM)** | 60                 | 300        | 600         | 1,500      |
| **Tokens per minute (TPM)**   | 200,000            | 1,000,000  | 2,000,000   | 4,000,000  |
| **Requests per day (RPD)**    | 200                | 1,000      | 2,000       | 500,000    |
| **Maximum credit balance**    | $20                | $50        | $200        | $2,000     |

> **Note:** RPD counters reset at 00:00 UTC.

## Per-model daily limits

The account-wide RPD in the table above is not the only limit. **Each model also carries its own daily request cap per tier**, which is why a Tier 2 account can make 1,000 requests per day overall but far more than that against a single high-volume model.

Two consequences worth knowing before you build:

* **Paid models are not available on Tier 1.** Their per-model cap on the free tier is 0, so calling one returns HTTP `429` with `"Daily request limit reached for this model … Please upgrade your tier or try again tomorrow."` A $5 deposit (Tier 2) is what unlocks the paid catalog.
* **Limits are per model, not per family.** Two models from the same provider can have different caps.

The authoritative, always-current numbers for your account are in the console under [**Limits**](https://console.nebulablock.com/limits) — it shows your current tier, the per-model daily limit for every model, and what that limit becomes at the next tier.

## How to upgrade

| To reach   | Do this                |
| ---------- | ---------------------- |
| **Tier 2** | Deposit a total of $5  |
| **Tier 3** | Deposit a total of $10 |
| **Tier 4** | Spend a total of $100  |

Deposits are cumulative across your account's lifetime, not per transaction. Add credit from [**Billing**](https://console.nebulablock.com/billing) in the console — see [Billing Information](/getting-started/get-started/billing.md) for payment methods, auto-pay, and invoices.

Tier upgrades are processed automatically; your new limits take effect without any action on your part.

## Rate limit errors

| Status                                             | Meaning                                                                                         | What to do                                                        |
| -------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `429` — daily request limit reached for this model | You hit the per-model RPD cap for your tier, or the model is a paid model and you are on Tier 1 | Upgrade your tier, switch models, or wait for the 00:00 UTC reset |
| `429` — daily request limit reached                | You hit your account-wide RPD                                                                   | Upgrade your tier or wait for the 00:00 UTC reset                 |
| `429` — rate limit exceeded (RPM/TPM)              | You exceeded requests or tokens per minute                                                      | Retry with exponential backoff                                    |

## See also

* [Limits in the console](https://console.nebulablock.com/limits)
* [Billing Information](/getting-started/get-started/billing.md)
* [Model Catalog](/products/serverless-inference/model-catalog.md)
* [Referral Program](/account/referral.md)