The WatchDog MSP Portal uses a pay-as-you-go billing model for all MSP-level services. Billing must be configured before creating a managed company , with the exception of NFR tenants. This article explains how billing works, when usage is tracked, and how charges are calculated.NFR Licenses are excluded from this requirement.
How Pay-As-You-Go Billing Works#
Unlike traditional licensing, WatchDog Security does not require purchasing fixed license quantities. Instead:Charges are calculated from real usage
Billing occurs at the end of each billing period
One invoice covers the entire MSP (Parent + Child nodes)
How We Calculate Charges#
WatchDog bills based on daily active licenses across all managed companies.1
Convert Monthly Price to Daily Price
Each service has a monthly license price. We convert that into a per-day cost.
The platform always uses a 30-day billing normalization to ensure consistent billing across months.
2
Measure Daily Usage
Every day the platform records how many licenses are active across all managed companies and nodes.
3
Sum the Billing Period
At the end of the billing period, all daily charges are summed to produce the final invoice.MonthlyCharge=Σ(DailyActiveLicenses×(MonthlyPrice÷30))
Billing Scenarios#
Below are common real-world examples showing how charges behave.This scenario shows how billing works when licenses are added partway through a billing cycle. You only pay for the days the licenses were active.
You start with 0 licenses, then add 30 licenses halfway through a 30-day period.| Days | Licenses |
|---|
| Day 1-15 | 0 |
| Day 16-30 | 30 |
Charge=15×(30×DailyPrice)Result: You are charged for only 15 days of usage — not a full month.When Usage Starts Counting#
Usage tracking begins as soon as A managed company is created, and Billable services are active.Usage is evaluated daily and aggregated over the billing period. Changes such as adding or removing services are reflected automatically in usage calculations.Billing Across MSP Nodes#
Billing is aggregated across the Parent MSP node and all associated Child MSP nodesThere is no pricing distinction between Parent and Child nodes. The Parent MSP is responsible for the total aggregated usage.NFR Tenants & Licenses#
Each MSP user is provided with 10 NFR licenses for non-production testing. NFR tenants:Do not require billing to be configured
Are intended for evaluation and internal testing
Should not be used for customer production workloads
Only users with Billing Administrator permission can configure billing.
2
From the account context switcher, select the MSP Portal
3
Using the provided billing banner select Setup Billing Profile
4
Within the drawer, configure the Billing Information and Payment Method
Access Billing Details#
The Billing page is the central location to manage ongoing billing operations. From here you can update billing information, change payment methods, review invoices, and view high-level usage for the MSP.Only users with Billing Administrator permission can access the Billing page
2
From the account context switcher, select the MSP Portal
3
From the Left Hand Navigation Menu, select Billing
4
Review usage, download invoices, or update billing and payment details as needed
