Three ways to run

Own every piece.
Or share the boring ones.

Choose the operating model that fits your priorities. Your project resources stay private to you in every option; what changes is which conveniences you choose to share.

01

Full self-host

Maximum sovereignty. Your cloud, your registry, your domain, your rules.

$0platform fee
per account
  • Run unlimited separate projects, subject to Azure limits
  • Use your own domain or a native Azure URL
  • A dedicated registry is created automatically in your Azure account—typically about $5/month
  • Your project resources remain accessible only to you
  • The open-source core supports a move to full self-hosting
Best forPeople who value complete control and infrastructure independence.
02Most convenient

Domain provided

Add a memorable project subdomain while helping support continued open-source development.

$5one time
per account
  • Run unlimited separate projects, subject to Azure limits
  • Use unlimited project subdomains across your account
  • A dedicated registry is created automatically in your Azure account—typically about $5/month
  • Your project resources remain accessible only to you
  • The open-source core supports a move to full self-hosting
Best forPeople who want convenient addresses with only a one-time account fee.
03Fund the future

Cost amortized

Make infrastructure spend work twice: power shared services and support continued development.

$5/ month
per account
  • Run unlimited separate projects, subject to Azure limits
  • Use unlimited project subdomains across your account
  • Use the centrally shared Azure Container Registry
  • Your project resources remain accessible only to you
  • The open-source core supports a move to full self-hosting
Best forPeople who want necessary infrastructure spend to help sustain the project too.

Paid prices cover your whole account—not each project. Both paid tiers include unlimited projects and project subdomains, subject to Azure service limits. * Azure usage fees still apply; Azure bills you directly with no centralized-project markup or control.

Bring your own AI

Use the AI you already chose—and already pay for.

Sign in with your existing Codex, Claude, GitHub Copilot, or other supported AI subscription. Elsdon does not bundle a mandatory model, add an always-on AI fee, or decide how much intelligence your work is allowed to use.

Your subscription Keep the provider relationship and plan you already have instead of buying AI again through us.
Your choice of model Use a fast everyday model or the most capable option your task warrants, subject to your provider plan.
Your preferred workspace Work through a browser-based terminal or a full browser-based VS Code experience.

Credentials stay under your control. Saving an AI sign-in is optional. When enabled, its session data is kept inside your Azure workspace—it is not sent to or retained by Elsdon.

Ownership is included.
Convenience is optional.

Your project-specific resources remain owner-only in every model. Paying the centralized project never buys access or control: it only adds a convenient domain or amortizes the cost of shared supporting services.

There is no requirement to rely on the centralized project forever. The subdomain and shared infrastructure are replaceable conveniences, not permanent dependencies. If you choose to leave—or if Elsdon is ever discontinued—you can switch to your own domain and an automatically created registry in your Azure account, then continue in the fully self-hosted mode.

The open-source core provides the exit path. The mechanisms remain inspectable and runnable in your own environment, so moving away from centralized services does not mean abandoning the underlying project or rebuilding it from scratch.

All three paths land in a similar baseline price range. Full self-hosting commonly requires an Azure Container Registry at roughly $5 per month. The amortized model applies that same monthly spend to shared infrastructure and includes a convenient subdomain.

The paid options also help sustain the project. Think of that support as a tip attached to useful convenience: the one-time option provides a subdomain, while the monthly option pools infrastructure that each self-hosted customer would otherwise need separately. Any margin comes from that sharing efficiency—not from marking up Azure usage or taking control of customer resources.

The middle option purchases account-wide naming convenience for a nominal one-time fee. The amortized option is a recurring account-wide plan: its monthly fee is charged whether or not you actively use every included shared service.

Azure run costs apply to every option. Projects produced by the harness generally cost close to zero while idle. Persistent storage and other allocated resources are charged separately at Azure's market rate—on a per-second basis for most resources.