TL;DR: 1 GB memory x 1 hour = 1 compute unit
Compute units (CU) are the units of measurement for the resources consumed by Actor runs and builds. We charge you for using Actors based on CU consumption.
For example, if you run an Actor with 1GB of allocated memory for 1 hour, it will consume 1 CU. Depending on your subscription plan, this CU will cost you a certain amount of money.
How are compute units calculated?
To calculate compute units, you need to multiply two factors:
Memory (GBs) - Size of the allocated server for your Actor or task run.
Duration (hours) - How long the server is used (Actor or task run).
See our documentation for more details on CUs, how they are calculated, and what determines consumption.
How to estimate your consumption of CUs?
Most Actors in Apify Store have some information in their README about how many CUs they consume per certain amount of data scraped. If the Actor you want to use does not contain this, see our article on how to estimate your consumption for more details.