# Editions

> Compare Nodaro Cloud, the Business edition and the free Community Edition, how each pays for models, and how a self-hosted install uses Nodaro Cloud models.

Source: https://nodaro.ai/docs/concepts/editions

Nodaro comes in three **editions**. **Nodaro Cloud** is the hosted service at app.nodaro.ai. The **Community Edition** is free to run on your own server. The **Business edition** is a self-hosted edition with user management. All three have the same editor, nodes and workflows. They differ in who runs the servers, how you pay for models, and a few features that exist only on Nodaro Cloud.

## Compare the editions

| | Nodaro Cloud | Business edition | Community Edition |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **Where it runs** | app.nodaro.ai, managed by Nodaro | Your own servers | Your own servers |
| **How you pay for models** | [Credits](https://nodaro.ai/docs/concepts/credits) | Your own provider keys, or a Nodaro Cloud connection | Your own provider keys, or a Nodaro Cloud connection |
| **Credits and billing** | Yes | No | No |
| **User management for administrators** | Yes | Yes | No |
| **[Community library](https://nodaro.ai/docs/guides/community-library)** | Yes | Yes | No |
| **[Workspaces](https://nodaro.ai/docs/concepts/workspaces) for schools and teams** | Yes | No | No |
| **[Character training](https://nodaro.ai/docs/guides/character-training)** | Yes | No | No |
| **Real-render previews in pickers** | Yes | Drawn illustrations | Drawn illustrations |
| **Nodaro-exclusive nodes** | Yes | Through a Nodaro Cloud connection | Through a Nodaro Cloud connection |
| **Price** | Free credits to start, then plans and top-ups | See [Editions and profiles](https://nodaro.ai/docs/self-hosting/editions-and-profiles) | Free, under the Nodaro Sustainable Use License |

Pages in these docs that describe a limited feature carry a badge under the title, such as **Available on Nodaro Cloud**.

## Nodaro Cloud

Nodaro Cloud is the hosted service at [app.nodaro.ai](https://app.nodaro.ai). You sign in and every model is ready, with nothing to install. A new account gets 1,500 free credits, and you pay for runs with [credits](https://nodaro.ai/docs/concepts/credits) after that. Nodaro Cloud also has the features that need Nodaro's own servers, such as [workspaces](https://nodaro.ai/docs/concepts/workspaces) for schools and teams and [character training](https://nodaro.ai/docs/guides/character-training).

## Community Edition

The Community Edition is the Nodaro editor on your own server. It is free to self-host under the Nodaro Sustainable Use License, and it starts with Docker Compose. See the [self-hosting quickstart](https://nodaro.ai/docs/self-hosting/quickstart).

- **No credits.** A Community Edition install has no credit ledger and no billing.
- **Models through your keys or the Cloud.** You add your own provider keys, or connect the install to Nodaro Cloud. See [Provider keys](https://nodaro.ai/docs/self-hosting/provider-keys).
- **No user management.** People can create accounts on the install, but there is no administration of users. The community library is not included.

## Business edition

The Business edition is self-hosted like the Community Edition. It adds user management for administrators, and the [community library](https://nodaro.ai/docs/guides/community-library) of shared characters, locations, objects and creatures. On a Business install, administrators manage the provider keys. Like the Community Edition, it has no credits. To compare the self-hosted editions in detail, read [Editions and profiles](https://nodaro.ai/docs/self-hosting/editions-and-profiles).

## Use Nodaro Cloud models from a self-hosted install

A Community or Business install can connect to Nodaro Cloud and use it like any other model provider. The connection adds every standard model without a key of its own, and it runs the nodes that only Nodaro Cloud has.

### Connect

On your install, open **Integrations** and click **Connect** on the **nodaro.ai** card, or connect during the install's setup. Your browser opens the Nodaro Cloud consent screen.

### Sign in and approve

Sign in to a Nodaro Cloud account, or create one, and approve the connection. A new account gets the standard 1,500 free credits.

### Choose how the connection is used

A dialog asks how the install should use Nodaro Cloud. Closing it keeps the pre-selected choices. You can change your choice later by connecting again.

| Choice | What runs through Nodaro Cloud |
| --- | --- |
| **nodaro for everything** with **nodaro first** (pre-selected) | Everything the connection covers, even when you also have your own provider keys |
| **nodaro for everything** with **My keys first** | What your own provider keys cannot run. Your keys run everything else. |
| **Only the Nodaro-exclusive nodes** | Only the Nodaro-exclusive nodes. Everything else uses your own keys, except the Suno music nodes and Generate Script when the install has no key that can run them. |

**Good to know:**

- **The connection belongs to the whole install**, not to one user. Whoever clicks **Connect** links the install to their Nodaro Cloud account, and runs through the connection use that account's credits.
- **The same account rules apply.** Results from a free account are watermarked until its first purchase. Runs through the connection have no daily cap.
- **Reconnect every 90 days.** The connection's access is valid for 90 days. After that, runs through it fail with a "Token expired" error: click **Disconnect**, then **Connect** again.
- **Set a spending cap.** On app.nodaro.ai, **Billing › Connected Instances** lists every connected install with its spend this month. Set a monthly cap of 100 to 1,000,000 credits for each install, or disconnect it.
- **Or paste an API key.** Instead of connecting, create a personal API key on app.nodaro.ai under **Settings › API Tokens**. Paste it on the install's **nodaro.ai** card. An API key has no per-install spending cap.

Full setup and troubleshooting are in [Connect to Nodaro Cloud](https://nodaro.ai/docs/self-hosting/cloud-connect).

### The Nodaro-exclusive nodes

Five nodes run only on Nodaro Cloud: [Generate Video Pro](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/video/generate-video-pro), [Edit Video Pro](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/video/edit-video-pro), [Voice Changer Pro](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/audio/voice-changer-pro), [Video Analysis](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/video/video-analysis) and [AI Audit](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/video/ai-audit). On a self-hosted install they appear in the editor with a **NODARO** mark and run through the Nodaro Cloud connection.

- Without a connection, the nodes still appear and your workflow still saves. The node shows a **CONNECT NODARO** button, and a run asks you to connect instead of failing.
- The [Story → Video](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/video/story-to-video) pipeline runs only on Nodaro Cloud, even with a connection.

## Frequently asked questions

### What is the difference between Nodaro Cloud and the Community Edition?

Nodaro Cloud runs at app.nodaro.ai with every model ready and credits for billing. The Community Edition is the same editor on your own server, free to self-host, with no credits. It runs models with your own provider keys or through a connection to Nodaro Cloud.

### Is the Community Edition free?

Yes. The Community Edition is free to self-host under the Nodaro Sustainable Use License. You pay only the model providers whose keys you add, or the credits you spend through a Nodaro Cloud connection.

### Can a self-hosted install use Nodaro Cloud models?

Yes. Click Connect nodaro.ai under Integrations and sign in to a Nodaro Cloud account. Runs that go through the connection are paid with that account's credits.

### What does the Business edition add?

The Business edition is self-hosted like the Community Edition, and adds user management for administrators and the community library of shared characters, locations, objects and creatures.