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What you get on the Free plan

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Every new Harness account starts on the Free plan. Harness provisions the Free plan automatically at sign-up, so there is no card to enter before you start building.

What you learn​

  • Which modules and licenses a Free account includes
  • How the monthly HSU allowance works
  • Where to check your licenses and remaining balance
  • What happens when you use your full allowance

Modules included on Free​

Harness enables free licenses for all modules when it provisions your account. You do not select modules at sign-up and you do not request access to add one later.

This means you can evaluate Continuous Integration, Continuous Delivery, Infrastructure as Code Management, Internal Developer Portal, Security Testing Orchestration, and the other modules against the same account, with the same projects and connectors.

Harness AI is included as well, so you can generate pipelines and ask questions about your configuration from any page.

Free HSU allowance​

A Harness Subscription Unit (HSU) is the standardized unit Harness uses to measure usage across modules. Different activities consume different numbers of HSUs. A service deployment, a build, and a security scan each carry their own rate.

Free accounts receive 1,000 HSUs per calendar month.

  • The allowance resets monthly: Your balance returns to 1,000 HSUs at the start of each calendar month.
  • Unused HSUs do not carry forward: An allowance you do not spend in January does not increase your February balance.
  • The allowance costs nothing: No payment method is required to use it.
  • The allowance is shared across modules: You spend it wherever you need it rather than dividing it between modules in advance.

Go to Harness Flex Pricing to understand how HSU rates vary by module and activity.

Free overage buffer​

Harness does not stop your work the moment you spend the monthly allowance. Free accounts have an overage buffer of 3,000 HSUs, which absorbs usage beyond the monthly allowance.

Two properties of this buffer matter.

  • The buffer is a lifetime limit, not a monthly one. Unlike the 1,000 HSU monthly allowance, the 3,000 HSU buffer does not reset each month. It is consumed once across the life of the Free account.
  • Free overage is never charged. Harness does not bill you for overage accrued on the Free plan, and it does not bill it back to you if you later upgrade to Essentials. Only net-new purchases are billed.

Harness tracks Free overage for reporting purposes, but that tracking is disregarded once the account becomes a paying customer. Your balance is retained silently and no charge is raised.

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This buffer is specific to the Free plan. On Essentials and Enterprise, usage beyond your purchased HSUs is billed at your plan's per-HSU overage rate. Go to Overage handling to review paid overage.

Where to see your licenses and balance​

Navigate to Account Settings, then select Subscriptions. The Subscriptions page shows your active, provisioned HSUs along with the following:

  • Your current plan
  • The module licenses provisioned for your account
  • HSUs consumed against your monthly allowance, and the balance remaining
  • A usage breakdown by module

Harness updates consumption on this page continuously, so a pipeline you run appears against your balance shortly after it finishes.

What happens when you use your full allowance​

Harness notifies you as you approach the limit rather than waiting until you reach it. Account Administrators receive an email at 80, 90, and 100 percent of the monthly allowance, and each notification includes an option to purchase more HSUs.

If you use the full allowance, your work is not deleted and your configuration is not changed. Usage beyond the allowance draws on your 3,000 HSU overage buffer, and Harness does not charge you for it. To add paid capacity at any point, purchase HSUs.

Purchasing ends your Free plan and forfeits your Free HSUs

Purchasing HSUs moves your account to Essentials immediately. Your remaining Free HSUs are forfeited rather than added to your purchase, because Harness does not track a combined Free and paid balance. Go to Plan changes and rate cards to understand what changes before you buy.

Frequently asked questions​

Do I need a credit card to sign up for the Free plan?

No. Harness provisions the Free plan and its 1,000 monthly HSUs without a payment method. You enter a card only when you choose to purchase additional HSUs.

Do unused Free HSUs carry over to the next month?

No. The Free allowance resets to 1,000 HSUs at the start of each calendar month and unused units do not carry forward.

Am I charged if I go over my Free HSU allowance?

No. Free accounts have a 3,000 HSU overage buffer, and overage accrued on the Free plan is never charged. It is not billed back to you if you later upgrade to Essentials.

Is the Free HSU overage buffer monthly or lifetime?

Lifetime. Unlike the 1,000 HSU monthly allowance, the 3,000 HSU overage buffer does not reset each month and is consumed once across the life of the Free account.