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Payment & Login

esphome.cloud uses Alipay for sign-in and payment. You do not need an account to get started.

You don’t need to sign up

The MCP surface, browser build lab, and espctl CLI all work without registration. Just open the page and start building.

The free Hobby tier includes:

  • ~150 builds per month (about 5 per day)
  • 1 concurrent build at a time
  • ESP32, ESP32-S3, C3, C6, S2 — all ESP32-family chips
  • Full MCP tool set (all 42 tools)
  • No credit card, no time limit, no trial expiry

Hobby is permanent and free. Sign in only if you want to raise your rate limits (Maker at ¥39/month, ~500 builds) or unlock advanced features (STM32 builds, priority queue, concurrent builds).

Signing in

  1. Click Sign in in the top bar, then Sign in with 支付宝.
  2. Your browser opens Alipay. Authorise the app.
  3. You are sent back to esphome.cloud, now signed in.
  4. Your avatar appears in the top bar. Click it for Settings.

Your session lasts 30 days. After that, sign in again.

Upgrading your plan

  1. Go to /account/upgrade and pick a plan.
  2. Click Select, then scan the QR code with Alipay on your phone.
  3. Pay in the Alipay app. The page updates on its own.

Closed the page before paying? No problem — the payment is tracked. Sign in again and your plan is already active.

API keys

API keys let AI coding agents use espctl on your behalf. Each key is tied to your account and counts against your plan. API keys require sign-in — anonymous Hobby users can use MCP directly without a key.

  1. Sign in, then open Settings (click your avatar).
  2. Under API Keys, click Generate Key. Give it a label.
  3. Copy the key immediately — it is shown only once.
  4. Paste it into your agent’s MCP configuration.

Click the trash icon to revoke a key. It stops working right away.

If something goes wrong

“I paid but my plan still says Hobby.” The payment may still be settling. Wait a few seconds and refresh. If it persists, check your Alipay bill — the payment may not have completed.

“I paid first, then signed up later.” The system links your payment to your login automatically. You do not need to do anything special.

Privacy

Your Alipay account identifier never leaves esphome.cloud’s servers. It is used only to connect your payment to your sign-in.