Times are changing, and so is the OSgrid.
Let’s start with changes to this weblog, which will be getting an overhaul next weekend. This update is required because one of its core plugins has been deprecated. Since we do not want to risk getting hacked, this plugin has been disabled and removed. Some links and images might not work in the meantime, so please bear with us.
Inworld, you might have also noticed that the suitcase folder has been resurrected for our HG visitors. This is because we will enter another migration trajectory.
Yesterday, we held our annual community meeting. Having more than 100 people pop over—maxing out the region—was heartwarming. Thank you for showing up in such force. We will keep this massive turnout in mind for the future so we can look into setting up a livestream for those unable to attend a full sim.
The Reality Check
OSgrid has reached a ‘mathematical breaking point’. With our data expanding, the server and storage costs required to keep the grid online have skyrocketed, driven heavily by the global AI boom consuming cloud resources. Our hosting bills now simply exceed our annual donation income. Since we cannot negotiate with a balance sheet, and magic will not pay for new servers, we are migrating assets to S3 storage.
For 19 years, this 501(c)(3) non-profit has survived on the generosity of a loyal group of core donors and the unpaid labor of our volunteers. The board refuses to keep squeezing those same donors to cover the rapidly expanding footprint of the entire user base. We had to find a reasonable, affordable model to share the load.
To ensure OSgrid remains alive and accessible to everyone, we are implementing a strict, mathematically necessary cost-recovery model using service fees:
- The First Region is Free: Your first region—whether it is a standard 256×256 or a 512×512—remains 100% fee free. This preserves the core mission of OSgrid, keeping it open and free to all. (If your first region is larger than 512×512, it will be charged $1 USD).
- $1 Per Additional Region: Every subsequent region beyond your first free footprint will cost a flat fee $1 USD per month.
To clarify how this works in practice, we aren’t twisting your arm. The math is simple:
- Your first region (up to 512×512): Free . ( bigger than 512×512 ? 1 US$)
- Your next region (e.g., 768×768): $1 USD
- Want a massive 8×8 sea around it?: Another $1 USD
- Want to host a 512×512 region for a friend who already has a free region?: $1 USD
- Still not enough, you want 4 more 512×512 regions?: $4 USD
Region hosts will have different billing options and will be billed based on a monthly overview of registered regions. For more information, read this guide. It covers all the details you need to know. Mind you, this does not imply OSgrid will start hosting your regions for $1! You still need to have your own region server, on your own or hosted machine. Just for the privilege of hosting more than 1 free region on the OSgrid backend, we apply this fee.
Commercial grids extract monthly tiers to bankroll infrastructure and generate corporate profit or budgets to expand, and do cool things like redundant backups. That’s doable when you charge people $15 a month on average. OSgrid operates as a free public utility on roughly $1,000 in donations a month, entirely managed by unpaid volunteers in their free time. We are not a commercial enterprise, and as such, we cannot afford to continue operating at a deficit while subsidizing massive private virtual estates.
Our goal is not, and has never been, to make a profit; it is the operational survival of the grid and everyone in it. This fee is not a profit margin—it is the exact, raw cost of your cloud footprint. We have dragged the free model as far as it could carry us, and then a little further. But we can’t maintain this balance another 8 months. And ultimately, this grid exists through collaboration. We don’t ask you for a better salary. We ask everyone to share the load, and keep it open. Meanwhile, we keep the show on the road, and sincerely thank you for your continued trust and support.
