AI-generated Key Takeaways
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Private companies and government users utilizing Earth Engine for operational purposes must use a paid commercial account.
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Not-for-profit, academic, and certain government users can continue using Earth Engine without charges for noncommercial research work.
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Commercial users should transition to a paid configuration as soon as possible, as unpaid commercial use violates the terms of service.
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Existing noncommercial projects can be registered for commercial use on the Earth Engine configuration page in the Cloud Console, requiring a billing account and an active Earth Engine plan.
Which projects need to be registered as commercial?
If you work at a private company, you need to configure a paid (commercial) Earth Engine account if you're not already using one.
If you work at a startup, the Google for Startups Cloud Program provides your funded startup with access to dedicated mentors and industry experts, product and technical support, Cloud cost coverage (up to $100,000 USD) for each of the first two years, and more. Visit the Google for Startups Cloud Program page to apply. (If you've applied for this program, and were not eligible for it, the Earth Engine team may be able to help.)
Government-employed or contracted users who are using Earth Engine for operational purposes also need to switch over to a paid Earth Engine account.
Users of not-for-profit and academic organizations will still be able to use Earth Engine without charges for noncommercial research work. In addition, certain government users are able to use Earth Engine at no charge under specific circumstances.
We've added new information to our Earth Engine website to help determine if you qualify for noncommercial and research usage, or if you'll need to transition to paid use. If you fall into one of these categories (such as a not-for-profit, academic, one of the government users listed here, or other noncommercial and research user), no action is needed at this time. Additionally, government and public sector users must use Earth Engine with an institutional Google Account, and not their personal account.
When should I transition to a paid configuration?
If you're using Earth Engine commercially, you should transition as soon as possible, since unpaid commercial use of Earth Engine is not allowed by our terms of service.
There's no official "grace period" for commercial use of the noncommercial service, and we reserve the right to deactivate access for projects that are miscategorized. That said, we understand that it may take some time, and we want to support you as best we can.
If you're performing commercial work on a project that's registered as noncommercial, you should switch to a paid configuration as soon as possible.
How do I transition my free account to a commercial paid account?
You may make a new Cloud project and register it as commercial, switching your workloads to run with that project.
If you have an existing project that's registered for noncommercial use, you can register it for commercial use on the Earth Engine configuration page of the Cloud Console. Before you do this, make sure you have configured a billing account or have sufficient permissions to manage one. An active Earth Engine plan is required for commercial use, which will be selected in the registration page and associated with your billing account.
Getting help
For questions, concerns, or comments, reach out to Earth Engine support.